Lisa Cangelosi

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, She Fought Alone (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 Everyone Says 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 Almighty (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!