Azie Tesfai

Azie Tesfai is an Eritrean/Ethiopian-American actress, model and social entrepreneur. She is best known for playing Nadine Hansan in The CW comedy TV series Jane The Virgin.^[1]

Early life

Tesfai was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, the daughter of Eritrean and Ethiopian immigrants.^[2] She is an only child. Tesfai was accepted into multiple Ivy League universities including Yale, Brown, and Columbia but went on to receive a degree in Business Administration from UC Berkeley. It was during college that she began traveling back-and-forth between L.A. and Berkeley attending auditions and acting classes.^[3]

Career

Tesfai's first role was Cherry Milton in Wicked Wicked Games on FOX, 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 series regular detective Nadine Hansan in the CW's Jane The Virgin. She will also play a new character in Season 3 of HBO's Silicon Valley in 2016.^[4]

Social Entrepreneurship

After a non-profit charity in Ethiopia that she was volunteering at was to be shut down, she began making and selling jewelry to friends and family to donate the fees and save the charity that was so close to her heart. Her success with this endeavor led to the creation of Fortuned Culture, her handmade jewelry line manufactured in Los Angeles.^[5] Proceeds from Fortuned Culture sales now help children in developing countries like Mexico, Ethiopia and Cambodia.^[6]

TOMS is the largest distributor of Fortuned Culture accessories^[7] and in 2012 bought 10,000 pieces of jewelry from the line.^[8]

References