Kim Delaney
Encyclopedia
Kim Delaney is an American
actress best known for her starring role as Detective Diane Russell
on the ABC
drama television series, NYPD Blue
. Early in her career, she played the role of Jenny Gardner in the hugely popular ABC daytime television drama, All My Children
. She later had leading roles in the TV dramas Philly
and CSI: Miami
and currently stars on the Lifetime
television drama Army Wives
.
, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, the daughter of Joan and Jack Delaney. Delaney's mother was a homemaker
and her father a union official and former head of the United Auto Workers
. She was raised Roman Catholic. Delaney grew up in Roxborough
and has four brothers: Ed, John, Keith, and Patrick. While she was attending J. W. Hallahan Catholic Girls High School
, she worked as a model for the Elite
agency. After her graduation, she went to New York and found employment there as a model. At the same time, she studied acting with William Esper
.
All My Children
, which also was her first job. She played the character from August 1981 to August 1984, earning a Daytime Emmy Award
nomination, as well as a loyal fan base; a profile of the actress a decade later noted, "Delaney left the soap in 1984, but fans still remember her as Jenny. 'They come up and will say they've followed everything I've done, and they stopped watching the show after I left, and they're so happy to see me on NYPD Blue, because they love the character."
After leaving the show, Delaney began acting in feature film
s. In 1985, she appeared with Emilio Estevez
in That Was Then... This Is Now
, a film version of the S. E. Hinton
novel of the same name
. In 1986, she played a young nun
in the military action movie The Delta Force, starring Chuck Norris
. In 1987, Delaney was cast as Amanda Jones in Some Kind of Wonderful opposite Peter Gallagher
, but new director Howard Deutch
recast both roles with Lea Thompson
and Craig Sheffer
before filming. In 1987 she also appeared as Jessie in Christmas Comes to Willow Creek
. In 1988 Delaney starred in the thriller "The Drifter." In 1994, Delaney appeared in the film The Force
.
In 1988, Delaney became a regular on the CBS
television series, Tour of Duty
. After leaving the show in 1989 to give birth to her and husband Joseph Cortese' son, her character was killed in an explosion just as her All My Children character had died five years earlier. In the years immediately following her departure from her two early television series, her film and TV roles tended to be few and of low quality, both in the opinion of critics and of the actress herself. A 1996 profile article in Entertainment Weekly
, on the occasion of her landing a prestigious television role at the end of this period, noted: "Delaney's résumé
is spotted with ridiculous roles that range from a nun in the Chuck Norris
action movie, The Delta Force
, to a possessed nymphomaniac in the soft-core horror film
, Temptress. 'There's a lot of things I did to pay the mortgage,' Delaney says resignedly." Roles from this period include her 1992 appearance as Lucky Santangelo in the television miniseries
, Lady Boss
.
In 1995, Delaney began portraying the role of NYPD Blue
Detective Diane Russell. Originally slated for only four episodes, the role became permanent after her character's relationship with Detective Bobby Simone
(Jimmy Smits
) became a hit with viewers. In this role, she won her first Emmy Award
as Best Supporting Actress in a Drama and was also nominated for two other Emmy Awards. After Smits left NYPD Blue, producer Steven Bochco
chose Delaney for the lead in the new television series, Philly
. Despite critical acclaim, the show lasted only one season.
CBS then courted Delaney to take on the female lead on its new drama television series, CSI: Miami
, a spin-off of sorts from the hit CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
. She was written off the series during the first season after just ten episodes; Entertainment Weekly
suggested that it had been due to a lack of chemistry between Delaney and star David Caruso
.
Delaney starred in the 2004 NBC miniseries, 10.5, and its 2006 sequel, 10.5: Apocalypse
. The following year, she began a recurring role on The O.C.
In 2006, Delaney starred with Steven Weber
in an episode of Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King titled, "You Know They Got a Hell of a Band
," about Rock and Roll
Heaven
. Delaney next appeared twice on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
in early 2007, guest-starring on the episodes "Philadelphia
" and "Florida
."
Delaney currently plays Claudia Joy Holden
on the Lifetime Television series, Army Wives
.
Delaney was selected as a speaker at the presentation of the National Constitution Center's
Liberty Medal to Robert Gates
. After delivering a rambling and disjointed speech in which she discussed being a member of a military family, she was escorted off stage. The slurred delivery and often incomprehensible speech fueled reports that she was under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the speech. Delaney later apologized and said she was under the influence of barbiturates that her agent gave her shortly before the speech appearance.
lasted from 1984 to 1988. Her second marriage to actor Joseph Cortese
lasted from 1989 to 1994; the couple's son, John "Jack" Philip Cortese, was born in 1990. She was engaged to producer Alan Barnette from 1997 to 2006 and is currently single.
In 2002, Delaney was arrested in Malibu
, California
, for suspicion of drunk driving after she refused to take a breathalyzer
test. She subsequently pleaded no contest
and was sentenced to two-years probation
, fined, and ordered to take a defensive driving
course.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress best known for her starring role as Detective Diane Russell
Diane Russell
Diane Russell was a fictional character in the television series NYPD Blue. She was played by Kim Delaney from the second season to the eighth and made five further appearances in seasons ten and eleven....
on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
drama television series, NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
. Early in her career, she played the role of Jenny Gardner in the hugely popular ABC daytime television drama, All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
. She later had leading roles in the TV dramas Philly
Philly (TV series)
Philly is a television series created by Steven Bochco that focused on criminal defense attorney Kathleen Maguire . It lasted a full season and was canceled due to low ratings...
and CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....
and currently stars on the Lifetime
Lifetime Television
Lifetime Television, often referred to as Lifetime TV, or most commonly, Lifetime, is an American cable television specialty channel devoted to movies, sitcoms and dramas, all of which are either geared toward women or feature women in lead roles. The cable network is owned by A&E Television Networks...
television drama Army Wives
Army Wives
Army Wives is an American drama series that follows the lives of four army wives, their families, and an army husband whose wife is in the army. The series, shot at ABC Studios, premiered on Lifetime on June 3, 2007...
.
Early life
Delaney, an Irish AmericanIrish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, the daughter of Joan and Jack Delaney. Delaney's mother was a homemaker
Homemaker
Homemaking is a mainly American term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping or household management...
and her father a union official and former head of the United Auto Workers
United Auto Workers
The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, better known as the United Auto Workers , is a labor union which represents workers in the United States and Puerto Rico, and formerly in Canada. Founded as part of the Congress of Industrial...
. She was raised Roman Catholic. Delaney grew up in Roxborough
Roxborough, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Roxborough is a neighborhood in the Northwest Philadelphia section of the United States city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is bordered to the southwest, along the Schuylkill River, by the neighborhood of Manayunk, along the northeast by the Wissahickon Creek section of Fairmount Park, and to...
and has four brothers: Ed, John, Keith, and Patrick. While she was attending J. W. Hallahan Catholic Girls High School
J. W. Hallahan Catholic Girls High School
John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls High School is a Roman Catholic high school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It is an all girls high school.-History:...
, she worked as a model for the Elite
Elite Model Management
Elite Model Management is a large modeling agency based in New York and Paris. It is a subsidiary of Elite World S.A.-History:Founded in France in 1972 by John Casablancas and Alain Kittler, it was rebought in 1990 by Nicholas Farrae. Elite World S.A. is the parent company of Elite Model...
agency. After her graduation, she went to New York and found employment there as a model. At the same time, she studied acting with William Esper
William Esper Studio
The William Esper Studio is a school for the performing arts located in Manhattan, New York; the school was founded in 1965.-Background:When William "Bill" Esper was a young man, he saw Eli Wallach and Maureen Stapleton in a touring production of The Rose Tattoo ... "[I] was so struck by the...
.
Career
Delaney first became known for her stint as innocent teenager Jenny Gardner Nelson on the soap operaSoap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
, which also was her first job. She played the character from August 1981 to August 1984, earning a Daytime Emmy Award
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
nomination, as well as a loyal fan base; a profile of the actress a decade later noted, "Delaney left the soap in 1984, but fans still remember her as Jenny. 'They come up and will say they've followed everything I've done, and they stopped watching the show after I left, and they're so happy to see me on NYPD Blue, because they love the character."
After leaving the show, Delaney began acting in feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
s. In 1985, she appeared with Emilio Estevez
Emilio Estevez
Emilio Estevez is an American actor, film director, and writer. He started his career as an actor and is well-known for being a member of the acting Brat Pack of the 1980s, starring in The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire...
in That Was Then... This Is Now
That Was Then... This Is Now
That Was Then... This Is Now is a 1985 drama film based on the novel of the same name by S. E. Hinton. The film was directed by Christopher Cain, distributed by Paramount Pictures, and stars Emilio Estevez, who also wrote the screenplay, and Craig Sheffer....
, a film version of the S. E. Hinton
S. E. Hinton
Susan Eloise Hinton is an American author best known for her young adult novel The Outsiders.While still in her teens, Hinton became a household name as the author of The Outsiders, her first and most popular novel, set in Oklahoma in the 1960s. She began writing it in 1965...
novel of the same name
That Was Then, This Is Now
That Was Then, This Is Now is a coming-of-age young adult novel by S. E. Hinton. It follows the relationship between two brothers who find their relationship rapidly changing. It was later made into a film starring Emilio Estevez.- Plot :...
. In 1986, she played a young nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
in the military action movie The Delta Force, starring Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris
Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris is an American martial artist and actor. After serving in the United States Air Force, he began his rise to fame as a martial artist and has since founded his own school, Chun Kuk Do...
. In 1987, Delaney was cast as Amanda Jones in Some Kind of Wonderful opposite Peter Gallagher
Peter Gallagher
Peter Killian Gallagher is an American actor, musician and writer. Since 1980, Gallagher has played many roles in numerous Hollywood films. He starred as Sandy Cohen in the television drama series The O.C. from 2003 to 2007...
, but new director Howard Deutch
Howard Deutch
Howard Deutch is an American film director. His most recent theatrical release was My Best Friend's Girl, starring Jason Biggs, Kate Hudson, Dane Cook, and Alec Baldwin...
recast both roles with Lea Thompson
Lea Thompson
Lea Katherine Thompson is an American actress and director. She is best known for her 1990s NBC situation comedy Caroline in the City and her portrayal of Lorraine Baines McFly, Marty McFly's mother, in the Back to the Future trilogy...
and Craig Sheffer
Craig Sheffer
Craig Eric Sheffer is an American film and television actor. He is known for his leading role as Norman Maclean in the film A River Runs Through It and of Keith Scott on the television series One Tree Hill.-Early life:...
before filming. In 1987 she also appeared as Jessie in Christmas Comes to Willow Creek
Christmas Comes to Willow Creek
Christmas Comes to Willow Creek is a 1987 American film made for TV and directed by Richard Lang and produced by Billie André and Blue André The screenplay was written by Michael Norell and Andy Siegel,...
. In 1988 Delaney starred in the thriller "The Drifter." In 1994, Delaney appeared in the film The Force
The Force (film)
The Force is a 1994 thriller film with Yasmine Bleeth and Jason Gedrick.-Plot:Cal Warner is a rookie cop who has frightening nightmares after his friend and fellow police officer, Des Flynn , is killed under suspicious circumstances: the soul of Des enters into the body of Cal in order to seek...
.
In 1988, Delaney became a regular on the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television series, Tour of Duty
Tour of Duty (TV series)
Tour of Duty is an American drama television series on CBS. It ran for three seasons from September 1987 to April 1990 as 58 one–hour episodes. The show was created by Steve Duncan and L. Travis Clark, and produced by Zev Braun....
. After leaving the show in 1989 to give birth to her and husband Joseph Cortese' son, her character was killed in an explosion just as her All My Children character had died five years earlier. In the years immediately following her departure from her two early television series, her film and TV roles tended to be few and of low quality, both in the opinion of critics and of the actress herself. A 1996 profile article in Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, on the occasion of her landing a prestigious television role at the end of this period, noted: "Delaney's résumé
Résumé
A résumé is a document used by individuals to present their background and skillsets. Résumés can be used for a variety of reasons but most often to secure new employment. A typical résumé contains a summary of relevant job experience and education...
is spotted with ridiculous roles that range from a nun in the Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris
Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris is an American martial artist and actor. After serving in the United States Air Force, he began his rise to fame as a martial artist and has since founded his own school, Chun Kuk Do...
action movie, The Delta Force
Delta Force
1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense...
, to a possessed nymphomaniac in the soft-core horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
, Temptress. 'There's a lot of things I did to pay the mortgage,' Delaney says resignedly." Roles from this period include her 1992 appearance as Lucky Santangelo in the television miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
, Lady Boss
Lady Boss
Lady Boss is a 1990 novel written by Jackie Collins and is the third in The Santangelo Novels series.The novel was adapted as a TV movie miniseries in 1992, starring Kim Delaney in the title role of Lucky Santangelo...
.
In 1995, Delaney began portraying the role of NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
Detective Diane Russell. Originally slated for only four episodes, the role became permanent after her character's relationship with Detective Bobby Simone
Bobby Simone
Bobby Simone was a fictional character in the television series NYPD Blue. He was played by Jimmy Smits from near the start of the second season until the beginning of the sixth....
(Jimmy Smits
Jimmy Smits
Jimmy Smits is an American actor. Smits is perhaps best known for his roles as attorney Victor Sifuentes on the 1980s legal drama L.A. Law, as NYPD Detective Bobby Simone on the 1990s police drama NYPD Blue, and as Congressman Matt Santos on The West Wing...
) became a hit with viewers. In this role, she won her first Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
as Best Supporting Actress in a Drama and was also nominated for two other Emmy Awards. After Smits left NYPD Blue, producer Steven Bochco
Steven Bochco
Steven Ronald Bochco is a US television producer and writer. He has developed a number of popular television hits including Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, and NYPD Blue, as well as some notable flops such as Cop Rock....
chose Delaney for the lead in the new television series, Philly
Philly (TV series)
Philly is a television series created by Steven Bochco that focused on criminal defense attorney Kathleen Maguire . It lasted a full season and was canceled due to low ratings...
. Despite critical acclaim, the show lasted only one season.
CBS then courted Delaney to take on the female lead on its new drama television series, CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....
, a spin-off of sorts from the hit CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
. She was written off the series during the first season after just ten episodes; Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
suggested that it had been due to a lack of chemistry between Delaney and star David Caruso
David Caruso
David Stephen Caruso is an American film and television actor and producer, best known for his role of Lieutenant Horatio Caine on the TV series CSI: Miami. The role that gained him initial significant recognition was the role of Det...
.
Delaney starred in the 2004 NBC miniseries, 10.5, and its 2006 sequel, 10.5: Apocalypse
10.5: Apocalypse
10.5: Apocalypse is a 2006 television miniseries written and directed by John Lafia. A sequel to 2004's 10.5, the film follows a series of catastrophic seismic disasters .-Plot:...
. The following year, she began a recurring role on The O.C.
The O.C.
The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox television network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 21, 2007, running a total of four seasons...
In 2006, Delaney starred with Steven Weber
Steven Weber (actor)
Steven Robert Weber is an American actor. He is best known for his role in the television show Wings which aired throughout the 1990s on NBC.-Early life:...
in an episode of Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King titled, "You Know They Got a Hell of a Band
You Know They Got a Hell of a Band
"You Know They Got a Hell of a Band" is a short story by Stephen King. It was first published in the horror anthology Shock Rock and later included in King's collection Nightmares and Dreamscapes, concerning a young couple on a road trip in Oregon when they accidentally wander into a small town...
," about Rock and Roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
Heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
. Delaney next appeared twice on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
in early 2007, guest-starring on the episodes "Philadelphia
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 8)
This article contains a list of episodes for season 8 of the television series, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.-Cast:*Christopher Meloni as Det. Elliot Stabler*Mariska Hargitay as Det. Olivia Benson*Richard Belzer as Det. John Munch...
" and "Florida
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 8)
This article contains a list of episodes for season 8 of the television series, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.-Cast:*Christopher Meloni as Det. Elliot Stabler*Mariska Hargitay as Det. Olivia Benson*Richard Belzer as Det. John Munch...
."
Delaney currently plays Claudia Joy Holden
Claudia Joy Holden
Claudia Joy Holden is a fictional character on the Lifetime television series Army Wives, portrayed by Kim Delaney.-Personal life:...
on the Lifetime Television series, Army Wives
Army Wives
Army Wives is an American drama series that follows the lives of four army wives, their families, and an army husband whose wife is in the army. The series, shot at ABC Studios, premiered on Lifetime on June 3, 2007...
.
Delaney was selected as a speaker at the presentation of the National Constitution Center's
National Constitution Center
The National Constitution Center is an organization that seeks to expand awareness and understanding of the United States Constitution and operates a museum to advance those purposes....
Liberty Medal to Robert Gates
Robert Gates
Dr. Robert Michael Gates is a retired civil servant and university president who served as the 22nd United States Secretary of Defense from 2006 to 2011. Prior to this, Gates served for 26 years in the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Council, and under President George H. W....
. After delivering a rambling and disjointed speech in which she discussed being a member of a military family, she was escorted off stage. The slurred delivery and often incomprehensible speech fueled reports that she was under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the speech. Delaney later apologized and said she was under the influence of barbiturates that her agent gave her shortly before the speech appearance.
Personal life
Delaney has been married twice. Her first marriage to actor Charles GrantCharles Grant (actor)
Charles Grant , also listed as Charles Flohe or Charles Floye, is an American actor most notably recognized for his role as Connor McCabe on NBC's soap opera Santa Barbara. He portrayed the role from 1992 to 1993...
lasted from 1984 to 1988. Her second marriage to actor Joseph Cortese
Joseph Cortese
Joseph Cortese is an American actor who has been in Evilspeak and American History X. He was married to Kim Delaney from 1989 to 1994.-External links:...
lasted from 1989 to 1994; the couple's son, John "Jack" Philip Cortese, was born in 1990. She was engaged to producer Alan Barnette from 1997 to 2006 and is currently single.
In 2002, Delaney was arrested in Malibu
Malibu
Malibu may refer to:Places:* Malibu, Baja California, a beach in Rosarito Beach Municipality, Baja California* Malibu, British Columbia, a camp near the entrance of Princess Louisa Inlet...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, for suspicion of drunk driving after she refused to take a breathalyzer
Breathalyzer
A breathalyzer or breathalyser is a device for estimating blood alcohol content from a breath sample...
test. She subsequently pleaded no contest
Nolo contendere
is a legal term that comes from the Latin for "I do not wish to contend." It is also referred to as a plea of no contest.In criminal trials, and in some common law jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant neither admits nor disputes a charge, serving as an alternative to a pleading of...
and was sentenced to two-years probation
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
, fined, and ordered to take a defensive driving
Defensive driving
The standard Safe Practices for Motor Vehicle Operations, ANSI/ASSE Z15.1, defines defensive driving as "driving to save lives, time, and money, in spite of the conditions around you and the actions of others." This definition is taken from the National Safety Council's Defensive Driving Course...
course.