Angel Desai (born Apsara Desai) is an American actress.
Early life and education Desai was born in Philadelphia, but grew up in Binghamton, New York. Her parents are physicians; her father is Gujarati and her mother is Filipina. She cultivated an early interest in performance and was active in the musical and acting life of her schools. After graduating from high school in 1990, she attended and graduated from Oberlin College. In 1997, she earned her MFA at New York University in its Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Acting Program.
Stage career Desai has performed in many Off-Broadway productions, including The Winter’s Tale (2003), playing opposite David Strathairn, playbill.com. Retrieved March 20, 2013 and The Tempest (2008), starring Mandy Patinkin.Isherwood, Charles. "Music in Shakespeare’s Island Chaos", The New York Times, 19 September 2008. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
Her Broadway debut was playing Marta in the Tony Award winning 2006 revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Company, in which her rendition of the show-stopping “Another Hundred People” met with critical praise.Brantley, Ben. "A Revival Whose Surface of Tundra Conceals a Volcano", The New York Times, 30 November 2006. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
Other stage performances include David Schulner's An Infinite Ache in New Haven, Connecticut and as part of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan, a benefit production performing "Four Black Dragons" and "Next" from Pacific Overtures by Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman.
Screen career The 2001 comedy feature film Black Knight starring Martin Lawrence was Desai’s cinema debut."Black Knight: Cast and Details", TVGuide.com. Retrieved March 20, 2013. She has since had supporting roles in such films as Heights"Heights: Cast and Details", TVGuide.com. Retrieved March 20, 2013 and The War Within."The War Within", artistdirect.com. Retrieved March 20, 2013
Desai's television credits include recurring roles in The Education of Max Bickford,"The Education of Max Bickford: Cast and Details", TVGuide.com. Retrieved March 20, 2013 Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Kings, Dollhouse, The Event, Jessica Jones, and Damages., movieweb.com. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
Additional interests and activities Desai is a founding member of the Asian American Performers Action Coalition (AAPAC).
She is a musician, playing the violin and the piano. She is a jazz vocalist as well, performing as part of the Angel Desai/Oscar Perez Quartet.
She volunteers with the 52nd Street Project, a non-profit organization in Manhattan's Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood.
Notes
External links