Born in Rome, Desideri began his film career in the late 1950s as a camera assistant on the crew of Tonino Delli Colli.
[1] He later worked as a camera operator with Gianni Di Venanzo, Ennio Guarnieri, Giuseppe Rotunno, and Luigi Kuveiller, among others.
[1] After working in the advertising field, he made his debut as cinematographer for films in the late 60s;[1] his first major production was the film In the Name of the Pope King (1977), directed by Luigi Magni.
[1] In 1983, he collaborated for the first time with Carlo Verdone, beginning a professional association that characterized his career in the following decades.
[1] Desideri won the 1992 David di Donatello for Best Cinematography for Verdone's Damned the Day I Met You.