Angel Desai

Angel Desai
Desai in 2022
Born
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
EducationOberlin College (BA)
New York University (MFA)

Angel 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 Indian and her mother is Filipina.[1] 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.[2] In 1997, she earned her MFA at New York University in its Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Acting Program.[1]

Stage career

Desai has performed in many Off-Broadway productions, including The Winter’s Tale (2003), playing opposite David Strathairn,[3] and The Tempest (2008), starring Mandy Patinkin.[4]

Her Broadway debut was playing Marta in the Tony Award winning 2006 revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Company,[1] in which her rendition of the show-stopping “Another Hundred People” met with critical praise.[5]

Other stage performances include David Schulner's An Infinite Ache in New Haven, Connecticut[6] 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.[7]

Screen career

The 2001 comedy feature film Black Knight starring Martin Lawrence was Desai’s cinema debut.[8] She has since had supporting roles in such films as Heights[9] and The War Within.[10]

Desai's television credits include recurring roles in The Education of Max Bickford,[11] Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Kings, Dollhouse, The Event, Jessica Jones, and Damages.[12]

Additional interests and activities

Desai is a founding member of the Asian American Performers Action Coalition (AAPAC).[2]

She is a musician, playing the violin and the piano.[1] She is a jazz vocalist as well, performing as part of the Angel Desai/Oscar Perez Quartet.[2]

She volunteers with the 52nd Street Project, a non-profit organization in Manhattan's Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood.[2]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d Angel, Desai. "Beyond the Slots". TCGCircle.org (Interview). Interviewed by Jacqueline Lawton. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d "Alumni Today" (PDF). BToday. Binghamton City School District. February 2015. p. 13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 March 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  3. ^ "Strathairn, Garrick Tell CSC's Winter's Tale Jan. 15-Feb. 23" playbill.com. Retrieved March 20, 2013
  4. ^ Isherwood, Charles. "Music in Shakespeare’s Island Chaos", The New York Times, 19 September 2008. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
  5. ^ Brantley, Ben. "A Revival Whose Surface of Tundra Conceals a Volcano", The New York Times, 30 November 2006. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
  6. ^ Taylor, Markland (23 December 2001). "Review: 'An Infinite Ache'". Variety. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  7. ^ Gordon, David (6 March 2012). "PHOTO FLASH: Angel Desai, Paolo Montalban, James Yaegashi Preview Shinsai: Theaters for Japan". New York City. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  8. ^ "Black Knight: Cast and Details", TVGuide.com. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
  9. ^ "Heights: Cast and Details", TVGuide.com. Retrieved March 20, 2013
  10. ^ "The War Within", artistdirect.com. Retrieved March 20, 2013
  11. ^ "The Education of Max Bickford: Cast and Details", TVGuide.com. Retrieved March 20, 2013
  12. ^ "Angel Desai", movieweb.com. Retrieved March 20, 2013.