AZIE TESFAI

Kelly Olsen in “Supergirl”

Actress and philanthropic entrepreneur Azie Tesfai currently stars as Kelly Olsen in The CW’s hit series “Supergirl.”

Tesfai showed off her talents on the Golden Globe nominated series “Jane The Virgin,” as homicide detective “Nadine Hansan,” former partner to Michael Cordero (Brett Dier).

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Tesfai splits most of her time between the US and East Africa where her family still lives. After finishing high school in Ethiopia, with the hopes of becoming an attorney, Tesfai was accepted into multiple Ivy League universities including Yale, UC Berkeley, Brown and Columbia and went on to receiving her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from UC Berkeley. After receiving a random call from an old print agent who offered her a test deal with Nickelodeon, she began traveling back-and-forth between LA and Berkeley attending auditions and acting classes. After booking a role in “Wicked Wicked Games,” Tesfai completely fell in love with acting and has since landed roles on numerous hit TV shows including “Royal Pains,” “Rosewood,” “Superstore,” “Silicon Valley” and “The Real O’Neals.” She has also recurred on “Powers,” “NCIS” and “The Kominsky Method.”

Because of her multinational upbringing, Tesfai has witnessed firsthand the issues related to poverty, hunger, and women’s rights in third world countries and is very passionate about bringing awareness to these issues. After a non-profit charity in Ethiopia that she was volunteering at was to be shut down, Tesfai began making and selling jewelry to friends and family to donate the proceeds and save the charity that was so close to her heart. Her success with this led to the creation of Fortuned Culture, her handmade jewelry line made in Los Angeles. Each piece symbolizes the human needs that people desire: health, love, faith, wisdom, balance and more and with each purchase, these needs are fulfilled for someone less fortunate. She has since partnered with charities all over the globe including TOMS who in 2012 bought 10,000 pieces of jewelry from the line.

When she’s not filming or running her successful jewelry line, Tesfai enjoys being outside hiking, doing yoga, pilates and is a huge foodie who loves to cook and explore different restaurants and cuisines.

March 2021