Sheetal Sheth

Her parents came to the United States from Gujarat, India in 1972.

As a child, Sheth loved performing and watching television and films, but academics were her priority.

She also studied multicultural dance and was very involved in athletics; particularly basketball.

Although her parents were devout Jains and active in the local Jain community, they enrolled Sheth in the local Catholic school because of its focus on academics and reputation for toughness.

Sheth attended Catholic school until age 12, when her family moved to Trenton.

Sheth attended Liberty High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where she was very involved in school organizations and student government, serving on the student advisory board.

She received the student government award for her contribution to the school, and was one of two students invited to speak at her commencement.

While in high school, Sheth discovered her passion for acting and was determined to master the craft through study and performance.

After considering a variety of undergraduate programs, Sheth auditioned and was accepted to the New York University Tisch School of the Arts.

At Tisch, Sheth studied the classics, and some of her favorite works included Antigone and The Crucible.

She also trained extensively at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in the technique known as "The Method."

She spent a summer abroad in Amsterdam as part of the intensive International Theatre Workshop, studying under such respected acting teachers as Kristin Linklater.

Sheth excelled and earned the honor of being selected to participate in the Tisch Scholars Program.

After graduating from Tisch with honors, Sheth continued her studies even as she built a successful career.

In New York she studied with Wynn Handman, one of the founders of The American Place Theatre.

Sheetal Sheth (born June 24, 1976 ) is an American actress, author, producer, and activist.

She is best known for starring opposite Albert Brooks in his film Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World.

She debuted in the films ABCD and American Chai, and has appeared in the films I Can't Think Straight and The World Unseen.

Sheth has won multiple best actress awards on the festival circuit and has been selected to represent brands such as CHI haircare and Reebok.

She is also the first Indian American to appear in Maxim magazine.

Sheetal's had op-eds published on CNN, The Daily Beast, and Thrive Global.

Her first children's book, Always Anjali, debuted to critical acclaim and became the first in a series of books.

This series is the first picture book series that features a South Asian hero.

Sheth was born in Trenton, New Jersey, and is a first-generation Gujarati Indian American.

Sheth debuted as the lead in the ground-breaking 1999 film ABCD, starring opposite Aasif Mandvi and Faran Tahir.

The film won Best Indie Feature at the Houston film festival and received critical acclaim from the likes of The Hollywood Reporter and Rolling Stone.

Sheth was widely praised for her performance.

Both the film and Sheth's character stirred considerable controversy.

"But," Sheth responded, "that is exactly the kind of character I like to play. I want to tell the kinds of stories that people have a strong reaction to, positive or negative. It means it has touched them in some way and then I have done my job."

In 2001, she played a dancer in American Chai.

The film won the Audience Award at the 2001 Slamdance Film Festival, with the New York Post describing it as a "slight but sweet film."

Sheth went on to perform in a variety of roles in independent film and on network television, including the lead in the film Wings of Hope, for which she won Best Actress at Cinevue Film Festival.

In 2005, Sheth starred as Maya opposite Albert Brooks in Brooks' film Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World.

Brooks conducted an extensive international search for the ideal actor to portray Maya, and says of Sheth, "Once I came across her, I watched everything that I could. I didn't care to look at anybody else…I just knew I had to put her in the film."

The film was shot on location in India (Delhi and Agra).

Sony Pictures Entertainment originally carried the film, but Brooks parted ways with them when he refused Sony's demand to remove the word "Muslim" from the title.

The film was picked up and ultimately released by Warner Independent Pictures.

Following her success in Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World, Sheth won the recurring role of Martina in the NBC TV series The Singles Table, starring opposite Alicia Silverstone and John Cho.

Six episodes were shot, but the series never aired.

In Los Angeles, she attended weekly invitation-only classes with renowned acting instructor Milton Katselas until his death in 2008.