Eliana Alexander portrays Rita
Thomas on "Desire," the mother of
Louis (Nate Haden) and Alex (Zack
Silva) who is left to raise her two
sons by herself after her husband
Peter Evans (Al Bandiero) abandons
her. After struggling as a single
mom, she turns her family's New
Jersey restaurant into a success,
only to see it burned down because
of Louis's indiscretions.
Alexander has an extensive career in
films and telenovelas, including her
popular role as Amparo in
Telemundo's telenovela entitled "La
Ley Del Silencio." She earned the
prestigious National Council of La
Raza's Alma Award for Best Ensemble
cast for "Foto Novelas Mangas" as
well as nominations for the movie of
the week, "The Elian Gonzales
Story," and the feature film, "My
Father's Love." Alexander's other
television credits include a
recurring role on "The Bold and The
Beautiful" and guest roles on
"Beverly Hills, 90210" and "Mad TV."
She has also taken her acting to the
stage, with theatre credits
including "West Side Story,"
"Fiddler on the Roof" and "DAWGS"
for which she recorded the cast
album.
A native of Mexico City, Alexander
has traveled with her parents and
two sisters to countries such as
Paraguay, Guatemala, Brazil,
Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. She is
fluent in five dialects of Spanish,
in addition to English. A
multi-talented performer,
Alexander's passions have led her to
perform as a vocalist in Japan and
open EDGE Performing Arts Center in
Hollywood. She is additionally the
founder of Kids Dance LA and LA
Dance Force.
Eliana
Alexander as Rita Thomas 
