Biography: Indian actress in the later phase of 1930s and the earlier phase of 1940s. She was the daughter of Dr. Umedram Lalbhai Desai and his second wife Satyabala Devi, a famous musician in the early 1900s. Leela Desai was born in Newark, New Jersey when her parents were on a 3-year American tour. Her father was a Gujarati and her mother was from Bihar. She grew up in India. Leela Desai owned a house in Darjeeling called "Lily Cottage". Her mother Satyabala Devi lived there until her death.