Sahar Biniaz (born November 17, 1984) is an Iranian-Canadian actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder who won

Miss Universe Canada 2012 Miss Universe Canada 2012 was the 10th edition of the Miss Universe Canada beauty pageant. It was held at St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts in Toronto, Ontario. Controversy The 2012 contest was accused of transphobia after disqualifying a transg ...

. She had a recurring role on the hit TV show ''

Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a sa ...

'' as

Kali Kali (; sa, काली, ), also referred to as Mahakali, Bhadrakali, and Kalika ( sa, कालिका), is a Hindu goddess who is considered to be the goddess of ultimate power, time, destruction and change in Shaktism. In this tra ...

goddess of destruction.

Biography

Biniaz was born in

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO 15919, ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reor ...

, India. She grew up in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

, and a few years later, her family moved to

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. ...

, Canada, where she became a naturalized Canadian. She graduated with honors from the Stella Adler Studio of Acting School in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

Pageant history

Biniaz competed in the Miss Universe Canada 2003 pageant where she did not place. She went on to compete in beauty pageants representing

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

, including winning 1st runner-up in Miss Universe Canada 2008. Four years later, she competed in the same pageant and won the title of "Miss Universe Canada 2012". She also won the Revlon Professional Best Hair award. and was originally going to represent Canada in

Miss Universe 2012 Miss Universe 2012 was the 61st Miss Universe pageant, held at the PH Live at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States on December 19, 2012. At the end of the event, Leila Lopes of Angola crowned Olivia Culpo of t ...

but in November, she was unable to compete due to fabricating her age and being outside of the limit and was replaced by

Adwoa Yamoah Adwoa Yamoah is a Canadian beauty pageant contestant who placed 1st runner-up at Miss Universe Canada 2012 and represented Canada in the Miss Universe 2012 pageant, replacing Sahar Biniaz who had been named Miss Universe Canada. Pageantry Yamoa ...

Personal causes

At the age of 14, Biniaz was mauled by a family pit bull. "The Richmond resident was the victim of a pit bull attack herself at the age of 14, a year after her family adopted a five-month-old pit bull from a breeder. The pit bull 'came from a really nice environment', she said, but 'then I ended up getting 16 stitches. Biniaz still bears the scars on her chest to this day."Nursall, Kim. Miss Universe Canada joins call to restrict pit bulls in BC. Vancouver, BC: The Vancouver Sun. 31 Aug 2012. Page A6, col. 2. As a result of being a pit bull victim, in 2012, she decided to join the fight for pit bull controls and "plans to make the effort a major part of her iss Universe Canadareign... noting that with her Miss Universe Canada title she now has a voice to bring more awareness to this issue." She consequently became the object of vitriol from pit bull advocates, who lobbied the Miss Universe organization to strip her of her title for speaking out. Some pit bull advocates accused her of not really being Canadian and not representing Canadian values.Beyeler, Anne. "Miss Biniaz is not Canadian and does not represent Canadian values." Strip Sahar Biniaz of her title! Accessed 14 June 2022 at www . change . org/p/denis-davila-national-director-of-miss-universe-canada-strip-sahar-biniaz-of-her-title

Filmography

References

External links

Miss Universe Canada

Sahar Biniaz Official Site – The Official Sahar Biniaz Website
* 1986 births Living people Canadian people of Indian descent Canadian people of Iranian descent Miss Tourism International delegates Actresses from Vancouver Canadian beauty pageant winners Iranian female models People from Bangalore {{Pageant-bio-stub