Dana Delany

Desperate Housewives co-star Dana Delany has been an American television star since she played nurse Colleen McMurphy on ABC's China Beach from 1988 to 1992. McMurphy was competent, conscientious and occasionally sexy, and her love life was a big part of the show. The role made Delaney a star, and she twice won Emmy awards (in 1989 and 1992) as the outstanding lead actress in a drama series. After a few small parts in feature films, including Light Sleeper (1992, with Willem Dafoe), Tombstone (1993, starring Kurt Russell), and the comedy Exit to Eden (1994, with Rosie O'Donnell). Delany has worked steadily in television, including as the voice of Lois Lane in the animated series Superman. She was in the short-lived 2006 TV series Kidnapped before joining Desperate Housewives in 2007 as Katherine, the hard-working outsider with a dark secret.