Biography
Desiree Marie Velez is an American actress, producer, and co-host originally from Brooklyn, N.Y. She moved to Virginia to complete her high school and college education, majoring in Drama. Her blue-collar New York upbringing exposed her to diverse accents, cultures, resilience, and humor, enriching her acting skills.
Her acting style draws from real-life experiences and people who have influenced, hurt, or loved her, along with her own successes and failures. She believes true acting comes from living life and infusing those experiences into her characters, as acting classes alone cannot teach this depth.
Desiree’s career includes dinner theatre and Shakespeare studies at the Folger in Washington, D.C., and in a Midsummer program in England. Her versatility and accent skills stem from her New York roots. With a talent for comedy, she joined an improv group that performed on the Comic Relief special hosted by Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, and Whoopi Goldberg to raise awareness about poverty. Seeking more serious roles, she transitioned to stage, film, and television, confident in her ability to shift between comedic and dramatic roles, noting that “a smile is just an upside-down frown.” Her breakout theatre roles in Washington, D.C. include Joan in St. Joan by Shaw and Pam & Popo in Fat Men in Skirts by Niki Silvers, earning her a Helen Hayes Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Her recent stage work includes portraying Lucinda in Sotto Voce by Nilo Cruz, playing tragic women who find humor beneath their tears.
Her film and TV credits are extensive, including voice-over and episodic roles. She appeared as Wendy in the critically acclaimed Coffin film franchise (COFFIN 2), where she also made her debut as an associate producer. She is currently cast as Dr. Stanton in the thriller EMPATH and serves on its producing team. Additionally, she was cast as Roz and associate producer for the film The Riddle House.
Desiree’s episodic career began with Virginia Ortolani opposite John Seda in the pilot of Oz. She has held supporting roles in series such as October Road, Veep, The Haunting, Oz, Hack, Matlock, and more. She was privileged to share a steamy scene with Blair Underwood in the film ASUNDER and has worked alongside notable actors including Michael Beech, Debbie Morgan, John Leguizamo, Fiona Shaw, Samantha Mathis, Fisher Stevens, the late Bob Hoskins, Andy Griffith, and Dennis Hopper. Her full credits are available on IMDb.
Instagram: only1desireemarievelez
Twitter: Desireevelez10
Friends call her Desi. She enjoys Zumba, dancing, and has a passion for Native American culture, history, and art. Proud of her Puerto Rican/Taino heritage, she is also a face and body artist and owner of Mystical Smiles Face Painting and Events. Her family includes an African Grey parrot named Rosie, two Pitbull/Lab mixes, Calisto and Thor, and two recently adopted kittens, Potter and Weasley. She teaches English as a second language to elementary school children and hopes to take up snowboarding.
