She was born and raised in Derry, Northern Ireland, and earned a bachelor's degree at Brighton Art College in England before attending the London Drama Studio, where she starred in many classic productions, including the plays of Shakespeare, Shaw, and Chekhov.

Downey toured the United States with Dublin's famous Abbey Players in a production of "The Playboy of the Western World "and was nominated for the Helen Hayes Best Actress Award in 1991. Her additional stage credits include the Broadway production of "The Circle", opposite Rex Harrison, and Off Broadway productions of "Love's Labour's Lost," "Tamara," and "Arms and the Man."

Downey [was seen last] season starring on CBS in the television movie "Second" "Honeymoon," for which she is also an executive producer. Her additional television credits include starring roles in the films "The Test of Love," "Borrowed Hearts: A Holiday Romance," "Monday After the Miracle" and "A Child Is Missing," all on CBS, and" Getting Up and Going Home." Among her feature film credits are "The Last Word" and "Devlin."

Last year, Downey released her debut recording," Healing Angel," a spoken-word and Celtic music album.

Downey lives in Los Angeles and Salt Lake City with her daughter, Reilly Marie. Downey's birth date is May 6.