Vaitiare Bandera

Vaitiare Eugenia Hirshon (born August 15, 1964), previously known as Vaitiare Bandera and Vaitiare Hirshon-Asars, and also mononymously known as Vaitiaré, is an American actress best known for her appearances in Stargate SG-1.

Career

Vaitiare was a spokesperson for Miller Beer from 1993 to 1995. She has also done ads for McDonald's, Cox Communications, JCPenney, Toyota, Coors Dry, Caroche Jeans in Spain and Honda in Tahiti. She starred in episode one of the Spanish-language telenovela , which was broadcast in 45 countries, and has also made guest appearances in Married... with Children, Out of the Blue, and Acapulco H.E.A.T.. Additionally, she had a role in the movie U.S. Marshals. Vaitiare's best known role was in Stargate SG-1, where she guest starred in several episodes as Daniel Jackson's wife, Sha're. She had originally auditioned for the role of Sha're in the 1994 film Stargate, but lost out to Mili Avital. She was offered the role in the subsequent television adaption after auditioning again for the same part.

Personal life Vaitiare was born in Tahiti, French Polynesia, France, and grew up in Southern California. Her first name, Vaitiare, means "water flower" in Tahitian. She is of Tahitian, French, Cook Islander, English, and German-Jewish descent.

Between 1982 and 1990, she was in a relationship with singer Julio Iglesias, after which she was married to director Peter Bandera from 1994 until their divorce in 1997. She subsequently entered into a relationship with co-star Michael Shanks after meeting him on the set of Stargate SG-1. The two had a daughter together.

She served as the executive producer of the award-winning short film Far Away Places, which her daughter wrote and directed at the age of 18, bringing awareness to child sex abuse. The film won 11 awards.