Born and raised in Stevens Point, WI, Kinney relocated to NYC to pursue a career as a comedian and stage actress. While working as a secretary at the local CBS affiliate, she met Bill Sherwood who later cast her in her first feature role as a downtown artist in "Parting Glances" (1986). The following year, Kinney moved west, and began appearing in guest spots on TV sitcoms ("Seinfeld", "Dream On", "Grace Under Fire") and playing small roles in features ("Scrooged" 1988, "Stanley and Iris" 1990, "Mr. Jones" 1993). She also landed a recurring role as the town librarian in "Newhart" (CBS, 1989-90) before stardom arrived thanks to the nasty Mimi.