Ari'el Stachel


Ari'el Stachel is an American actor of partial Israeli Yemenite Jewish descent who won the 2018 Tony Award for Featured Actor in a Musical for his role in The Band's Visit.

Early life

Stachel was born and raised in Berkeley, California. His father, the son of Yemeni Jewish immigrants, grew up in Israel; his mother, Laura Stachel, is an Ashkenazi Jew from New York. The two met on a kibbutz. Stachel has said that he was uncomfortable with his ethnic heritage while growing up. His parents divorced when he was young, and he adopted his mother's last name in part to avoid being associated with his father's Middle Eastern background. He was in fifth grade when the 9/11 terror attacks occurred, and rather than be identified as part Arab, he told friends he was half black.
Stachel had his first role in a school musical at age 15, after which he left Berkeley High to attend the Oakland School for the Arts. He went on to study drama at the NYU Tisch School of the Arts.

Career

Following graduation Stachel landed several stage roles and appeared on the CBS drama Blue Bloods and the Netflix series Jessica Jones before reading the script for The Band's Visit. He auditioned seven times over nine months before landing the role, for which he received Lortel Award and Drama Desk Award nominations before winning the Tony Award. In an emotional acceptance speech, Stachel thanked his parents, acknowledging his long struggle to accept his heritage, and expressed his joy at being part of a generation able to represent Middle Easterners in a positive fashion. “I want any kid that's watching to know that your biggest obstacle may turn into your purpose,” he said. In 2019, Satchel began starring in the LGBT fantasy podcast The Two Princes as Prince Amir.
In 2020, Stachel became a recurring cast in as Sergeant Hasim Khaldun.

Awards and nominations