Desiderio first came to prominence in soap operas, appearing in daytime dramas such as
Search for Tomorrow (1979–80), ''
Ryan's Hope (1982) and One Life to Live (1982–83). In 1986–1987, he starred in the ABC primetime drama series Heart of the City. From 1988 to 1989 he had the recurring role of Ted Melcher in the CBS primetime soap opera, Knots Landing''. He received
Soap Opera Digest Awards nomination for Outstanding Villain: Prime Time. Desiderio also had recurring roles on
MacGruder and Loud,
Cheers and
The Sopranos, and guest-starred in
The A-Team;
Remington Steele;
The Fall Guy;
Matlock;
Family Ties;
Murder, She Wrote;
Murphy Brown and
Ugly Betty. He appeared in a number of made for television movies, include
The Princess and the Cabbie and
Once You Meet a Stranger. His feature film credits including
Oh, God! You Devil (1984) and
Gross Anatomy (1989). In 1996, he appeared alongside his wife in the documentary ''
Paul Monette: The Brink of Summer's End''. Desiderio co-wrote the 2007 film
Save Me starring
Chad Allen and his wife
Judith Light. ==Personal life==