Her mother was born in Kiev, Russian Empire, and emigrated to Germany sometime before Desni's birth.
She married a dentist while a teenager, although they divorced before Desni landed her first London acting role in 1931 in the musical White Horse Inn.
Other film credits include Dick Barton at Bay, The Torso Murder Mystery, Fire Over England, and Hell's Cargo.
Eight days after her divorce, she married film producer Roland (Bill) Gillett, though that marriage was dissolved before the end of World War II.
They built the popular inn 'L'Auberge Chez Tamara', marrying in 1956, shortly after Desni discovered she was pregnant for the first time.