Lisa Cangelosi had been known most recently as a singer in the pop
group, "Sirens", but her roots in other performing arts run just as
deep. Cangelosi grew up dancing, singing and acting on the small stages
of Brenham, Texas. While still in high school, she wanted to make a
difference in the world so she auditioned and was accepted to tour with
"Up With People". As a lead singer and dancer during this 80 city/one
year tour, her life was dramatically changed by her international
performing experiences and deeper understanding of other cultures. Back
in Texas, she established herself as a successful commercial actor
which quickly led to theatrical roles.
For example, her first leading role in a feature film was playing
Robert Vaughn's daughter in the
Western, Dust to Dust (1994) and she
made her network television debut in a supporting role in the NBC movie
of the week,
Mißbrauchte Träume (1995)
with Tiffani Thiessen. Cangelosi was
encouraged by the producers and directors with whom she worked to move
to Los Angeles but her new dream was to live in New York and train more
extensively. There, she studied the Meisner Technique with
William Esper then moved on to
Wynn Handman character development classes
at Carnegie Hall. She also found time to continue auditioning and was
cast as the Cigarette Girl in Woody Allen's
Alle sagen: I love you (1996).
Cangelosi also trained vocally while singing in many cabaret shows
along New York's historic Restaurant Row.
After only two years, she decided it was time to make the move to
Hollywood but as she began to develop her film and television career,
she became known for something quite different. Cangelosi signed a
music deal with Jake Hooker of 'Hookmo
Records' and started recording with the girl group trio, 'Sirens'.
Their first single, "I'm in Love (with your best friend)" was released
on an Arcade Records' hit compilation CD in Europe while their
second,"Wanna Have Fun!", can be heard in the Oscar nominated film,
Ghost World (2001) as well as
Todd Solondz's critically acclaimed film,
Storytelling (2001).
Back in Hollywood, Cangelosi still deliberated about whether to
continue to pursue her music career or follow her passion for acting.
It was then that Fox Searchlab director Michael Mohan cast her in his
dark comedy, "Wanna Be Your Bitch" (2002), after hearing one of her
songs in Ghost World (2001). Mohan's
parody was about a "misunderstood" pop star-turned-actress and
Cangelosi found it the perfect quirky segue to make her way back onto
the screen. In 2003, Cangelosi was cast in a supporting role in
Jim Carrey's latest picture,
Bruce Allmächtig (2003) while living
in Hollywood with her husband, British actor,
Ian Paul Cassidy.
In 2005, Cangelosi and Cassidy divorced. Cangelosi returned to Dallas
where, represented by the Kim Dawson Agency, she worked regularly in
commercials and live appearances. After acquiring her Real Estate
license and briefly working in new home sales, Cangelosi then pursued
an advertising career in College Station, TX, working for the local NBC
affiliate and subsequently for CBS. It was at CBS that she met and
later married the love of her life - News Anchor Joe Brown.
Occasionally, Cangelosi still enjoys work in commercials, voice-overs
and training videos when requested. She can also be heard regularly as
a vocalist at her church, Brazos Fellowship www.brazosfellowship.com
where she is on staff. She is filled with gratitude at finding her soul
mate and is amazed at how God has worked in her life and used her past
experiences to help further His kingdom!
