Nitya Vidyasagar

Nitya Vidyasagar is an American actress best known for her role as "Leela" on Sesame Street from 2008 to 2015.

Vidyasagar was born in Muscat, Oman to Telugu Indian parents and grew up in Kolkata, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad before moving to the United States in 1995 at the age of 12. She graduated from the St. Andrew's Episcopal School in 2001. She received a BFA with honors in drama and a minor in music from New York University.

Vidyasagar was the first Indian American cast member of Sesame Street. Leela runs a laundromat next to Mr. Hooper's Store. Sesame Street producers were not looking for an Indian American actress before they cast Vidyasagar, but the show's writers plan to use parts of Vidyasagar's background in certain episodes. Leela is described as "a young Indian American who embraces her heritage and culture".

Vidyasagar is primarily a stage actress. She trained at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. She received praise for her performance in the drama Selling Kabul, in which she plays a central female character anxious for her brother's safety.