Sitara Hewitt
Encyclopedia
Sitara Hewitt is a Canadian film and television actress.
, was raised primarily in Elora
, Ontario. During her childhood she spent four years on and off between the ages of 4 and 13 in Pakistan
's Himalayan mountains
, specifically in the Hunza Valley
of Gilgit-Baltistan where her parents did their academic field research on Northern Pakistan's glaciers, valleys and small villages. Hewitt is the youngest of four siblings. Her Pakistani mother and Welsh
father are both academics whose research has led them all over the world. Hewitt is married to American actor/trainer Jessie Pavelka
and divides her time between Toronto and Los Angeles. She is fluent in both Urdu
and English
and semi fluent in Balti
. She was raised Christian as both of her parents are Anglican Christians.
's Little Mosque on the Prairie
as Dr. Rayyan Hamoudi. Little Mosque on the Prairie airs in 60 countries worldwide. She was also a co-host on the Comedy Network's Jeopardy style pop-culture game show You Bet Your Ass
.
Previously, she made the transition from professional dancer to actor and performed in theatre productions like Crimes of the Heart and Second City's Tony and Tina's Wedding as Tina. Making her start as a dancer in Bollywood/Hollywood
, she continued on with acting training and soon began to land lead roles in independent films like Fragile and Bolly Double. She also hosted TV shows for Sportsnet
and TSN
while studying acting in Toronto
, and trained with World Wrestling Entertainment
in the United States.
She has also been involved with numerous multicultural initiatives, such as appearing on stage as a special guest at Toronto's Dundas Square
as part of the 'Pakistan Fest' May 2007, South Asian Heritage Month celebration.
Background
Sitara Hewitt, who is the daughter of two professors from Wilfrid Laurier UniversityWilfrid Laurier University
Wilfrid Laurier University is a university located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It also has campuses in Brantford, Ontario, Kitchener, Ontario and Toronto, Ontario and a future proposed campus in Milton, Ontario. It is named in honour of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the seventh Prime Minister of Canada....
, was raised primarily in Elora
Elora
Elora may refer to:* Elora, Ontario, a community in Ontario, Canada* Elora the Faun, a character in the Spyro the Dragon series video games* Elora Danan, a character in the 1988 film Willow* Elora Werkzeugfabrik GmbH, a German tool manufacturer....
, Ontario. During her childhood she spent four years on and off between the ages of 4 and 13 in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
's Himalayan mountains
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
, specifically in the Hunza Valley
Hunza Valley
The Hunza Valley is a mountainous valley in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. The Hunza valley is situated to the north of the Hunza River, at an elevation of around . The territory of Hunza is about...
of Gilgit-Baltistan where her parents did their academic field research on Northern Pakistan's glaciers, valleys and small villages. Hewitt is the youngest of four siblings. Her Pakistani mother and Welsh
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
father are both academics whose research has led them all over the world. Hewitt is married to American actor/trainer Jessie Pavelka
Jessie Pavelka
Jessie Pavelka is an American fitness model, personal trainer, actor and television presenter. He currently presents Lifetime's DietTribe in the US and has appeared on Friday Night Lights.-Personal life:...
and divides her time between Toronto and Los Angeles. She is fluent in both Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and semi fluent in Balti
Balti language
Balti is a language spoken in Baltistan, in Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan and adjoining parts of Ladakh. Baltistan, before 1948, was part of Ladakh province. The Balti language is a dialect of the Ladakhi language, a form of Tibetan. It is mutually intelligible with Ladakhi proper and Burig...
. She was raised Christian as both of her parents are Anglican Christians.
Career
Hewitt stars on CBC TelevisionCBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
's Little Mosque on the Prairie
Little Mosque on the Prairie
Little Mosque on the Prairie is a Canadian sitcom on CBC, created by Zarqa Nawaz and produced by WestWind Pictures. It is filmed in Toronto, Ontario and Indian Head, Saskatchewan...
as Dr. Rayyan Hamoudi. Little Mosque on the Prairie airs in 60 countries worldwide. She was also a co-host on the Comedy Network's Jeopardy style pop-culture game show You Bet Your Ass
You Bet Your Ass
You Bet Your Ass was a Canadian game show that aired on The Comedy Network. It followed a Blackjack and casino motif, with contestants answering questions on popular culture to earn points. The contestant with the most points at the end of the show was the winner. Hosted by Canadian comedian...
.
Previously, she made the transition from professional dancer to actor and performed in theatre productions like Crimes of the Heart and Second City's Tony and Tina's Wedding as Tina. Making her start as a dancer in Bollywood/Hollywood
Bollywood/Hollywood
Bollywood/Hollywood is a 2002 film by Indo-Canadian director Deepa Mehta. It is lighthearted, humorous, and family-oriented in nature, as opposed to Mehta's other films , which feature very serious themes and focus on social issues.The film pokes fun at traditional Indian stereotypes, as well as at...
, she continued on with acting training and soon began to land lead roles in independent films like Fragile and Bolly Double. She also hosted TV shows for Sportsnet
Rogers Sportsnet
Sportsnet was launched on October 9, 1998 as CTV Sportsnet. The name was chosen to match the regional "Fox Sports Net" operations across the United States...
and TSN
The Sports Network
The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
while studying acting in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, and trained with World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
in the United States.
She has also been involved with numerous multicultural initiatives, such as appearing on stage as a special guest at Toronto's Dundas Square
Dundas Square
Yonge-Dundas Square is a commercial junction and public square, situated at the southeast corner of the intersection of Yonge Street and Dundas Street East in Downtown Toronto...
as part of the 'Pakistan Fest' May 2007, South Asian Heritage Month celebration.