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Azie Tesfai
Tesfai at the 2019 San Diego Comic Con Supergirl Roundtable
Born	Azalech Tesfai Los Angeles, California
Occupation(s)	Actor, Writer, Producer
Years active	2006–present
Known for	Supergirl Jane the Virgin

Azie Tesfai is an American actress, writer, and producer. She is known for her television roles, including Jane the Virgin and Supergirl.

Early life and education

Azalech (Azie) Tesfai was raised in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Eritrean immigrants who grew up in Ethiopia. She is an only child. Tesfai received a degree in business administration from UC Berkeley.. While at Berkeley she began attending auditions and acting classes.

Career

Tesfai's first role was Cherry Milton in Wicked Wicked Games on MyNetworkTV, where she appeared in 30 episodes over two seasons. She has appeared in Melrose Place, Law & Order: SVU, Franklin & Bash and Royal Pains. In 2014 she was cast as recurring detective Nadine Hanson in the CW's Jane the Virgin. She appeared in season 3 of Silicon Valley in 2016.

She was cast as Kelly Olsen, the sister of DC Comics character James Olsen (Mehcad Brooks), on the fourth season of The CW series Supergirl. Prior to her debut appearance in the fourth season, it was announced that Tesfai would be promoted to series regular for the fifth season. She co-wrote episode 12 of the sixth and final season ("Blind Spots"), making her the first Arrowverse actor to receive a writing credit on an Arrowverse series. Through her focus on writing and producing, Tesfai currently has two series in development: The Chase, which landed with Universal Television for NBC, and Sheba a drama series about the first queen on the continent of Africa, which landed at Onyx Collective for Hulu with Ryan Coogler’s Proximity Media producing.

Fortuned Culture

Tesfai founded jewelry company Fortuned Culture in Los Angeles. Proceeds from sales help children in developing countries like Mexico, Ethiopia and Cambodia.

Filmography

References

1. Sprankles, Julie (31 January 2015). "Jane the Virgin's Azie Tesfai opens up about the reality of living in a third-world country". Retrieved 10 April 2019.
2. Adrian Gomez. "Azie Tesfai finds strength, soul in 'Jane the Virgin'". Arts and Entertainment. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
3. Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (October 19, 2018). "'Supergirl': Azie Tesfai To Play James Olsen's Sister On the CW's DC Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
4. Petski, Denise (March 15, 2019). "'Supergirl': Azie Tesfai Upped To Series Regular For Season 5". Deadline. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
5. "Supergirl's Azie Tesfai Is the First Arrowverse Actor to Write a CW DCTV Show". CBR. 2021-02-02. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
6. Goldberg, Lesley (21 January 2023). "Queen of Sheba Drama in the Works at Hulu's Onyx Collective". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
7. "Own 'Jane the Virgin' Star's Handmade Jewelry, Help Kids in Five Countries". TakePart. Archived from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
8. "WELCOME TO FORTUNED CULTURE". fortunedculture.com. Retrieved 10 April 2019.

External links

• Azie Tesfai at IMDb

• University of California alumni
• African-American actresses
• American people of Eritrean descent
• Living people
• American television actresses
• Actresses from Los Angeles
• 21st-century American women