Ari’el Stachel is a Tony® and GRAMMY® Award-winning actor, writer and activist known for his breakout performance in The Band’s Visit. After years of success playing roles that often flattened or erased his full identity, Ari’el set out to tell a story only he could tell. Born to a Yemenite Israeli father and an Ashkenazi Jewish mother, raised in California, and trained in New York, Ari’el’s journey as a performer has been shaped by code-switching, cultural erasure, and the constant pressure to conform. 

In his acclaimed solo-show Other, which premiered at Berkeley Rep and made its New York debut Off-Broadway in the fall of 2025, Ari’el merges his theatrical virtuosity with raw personal storytelling. Ari’el has performed Other at leading theaters across the country and continues to resonate with diverse audiences.

On screen, he stars in the upcoming feature Death Do Us Part and has appeared in Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling (Warner Bros.) and A24’s Zola. His television credits include Law & Order: SVU, Billions, Jessica Jones, Blue Bloods, and The Night Agent.

Stachel has also been at the cutting edge of bridging Arab and Jewish identities through his work—creating space for complexity, contradiction, and shared humanity in a deeply divided cultural moment. He has also been featured on MSNBC, Fox, and more to speak about Jewish identity and cultural belonging.