Steve Delaney (born 1955) is an English comedian and character actor, best known for his fictional comedy character Count Arthur Strong.Delaney was born in Leeds, the son of a foundryman. He left school to work on a market stall, taking roles in amateur dramatics. After theatre classes and a period at art college he became an assistant stage manager at the Grand Theatre and the Leeds Playhouse in his native city, and then a theatre carpenter at the Northcott Theatre in Exeter. In the 1980s he enrolled at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London.