About Me

I have always sought to create opportunities and connect with those projects and people that will add something positive to our world.  I seek always to create with love, with value and with integrity.

Born in Kerala, India I came to the States when I was 8 months old. I’ve lived all over. Kalamazoo, Fairfield, OH. (outside of Cincinnati), Upstate NY, Pensacola, FL. and NYC.  After 13 Years in the Big Apple I have been living in Los Angeles since the Fall of 2005.

When I was five I saw “The Jungle Book” at my elementary school (go Fairfield West!), and I knew in an instant that I wanted to do that; to be whatever that was up on that huge screen.  Shanti, the little girl at the end was me, or at least I thought she looked like me and I was blown away.  In the late 70’s there were no South Asians on any tv I had seen. Singing, dancing, and acting from that early age became a huge part of my life. I made my stage debut at 6 in “The Ugly Duckling”. Too small to play the title role my teacher created a new role for me. As the head of the pack of duckling siblings I got a chance to sing and dance a couple of solo numbers. Me in glasses and yellow feathers :). Just before the 6th Grade I moved, and my Girl Scout troupe threw me a surprise going away party at Surf Cincinnati. On the cake they wrote ‘Give Our Regards to Broadway!’ Even then everyone around me took my love for acting as seriously as I did.  No matter what changed in my life my dream to perform and create always remained the same.

After HS I went to NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and while still a senior I booked my first professional job and got my Equity card. The American Premiere of David Edgar’s “Pentecost”, with its cast of 20, was an amazing experience.  To perform on the same stage as Meryl Streep had performed on – well needless to say it was thrilling! I returned to NYC and received my BFA in Acting.  Following graduation I did HBO’s “Subway Stories”, “Cosby”, and worked off and off-off Broadway in several productions.  In 1998 I landed the lead in the Indian art film “Janani” (mother), which was screened around the world at several festivals and went on to receive The National Award, India’s Oscar, for Best Director.  At the time I had the opportunity to keep working in India, and though it had been a fabulous experience, I knew I had to return home to pursue my dreams.  More work, marriage (my husband is the very talented musician Cooper Madison), and raising a beautiful daughter have been what I have been up to since.

Fast forward to the past couple of years. “Law and Order”, the hugely successful Seven.11.2005 with Desipina & Co. in NYC, and then the big decision to take on Los Angeles.  It was a now or never feeling and I did it, baby in tow. I didn’t know for sure if it was the right choice, but then everything that needed to fall into place did.  Actually the day I finally decided, I came across this quote: “ Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves, too.  All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred.  A whole stream of events issues from the  decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and  meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe’s couplets: “Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. / Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.”   -   W.H.Murray

Well, providence led me in the right direction. I never intended to stay, but to try my hand and possibly come back for pilot season, but then I fell in love with California. (Yes, you can love more than one. After 13 years in NYC I will always be a New Yorker :).  I was amazed at the amount of work and the opportunity and oh the glorious sunshine… so we stayed.  The support of friends and family has been supreme!  I am a part of the best acting class out there :).  Stuart Rogers runs Stuart Rogers Studios and is the Artistic Director of Theatre Tribe (the best theatre in LA). He’s an amazing teacher and he has helped me to strengthen my process like no other. The past year has been so full of growth and self-discovery. I shot an episode of “Las Vegas” in the spring. You can see me in a hilarious scene in “Mr. Woodcock” starring Susan Sarandon and Billy Bob Thornton in 2007.   “Dry Clean Only” by Director JP Chan, a short film that was shot for MTV Desi’s 72 Hour Shootout 2005 has gone to 10 festivals this year. Out of 1,100 submissions, and 150 screened shorts at the Louis Vuitton Hawaii International Film Festival it was a ‘Finalist for the Best Short Film Award’. In August of '06, I shot the feature film “Karma Calling” in NJ with Director Sarba Das.

I am grateful to be a wife, mother and an actress. I believe we can do whatever our hearts guide us to and I seek to be a good example for my daughter by embracing both my passions; my family and my art.

So things are going very well.  And as if to come full circle, my daughter recently saw “The Jungle Book” and at the end looked up at my husband and said. “Papa, that girl looks like me!”  The difference is she will see many more people on the screen who look like her and truly represent our vast world society.

I’ll keep you all updated on my News page.  I look forward to creating for you AND for me for the rest of my life.

In Gratitude,
Kavi Ladnier