wikipedia.org/wiki/tara_dixit Avani Tara Dixit is an American actress, voice actress and comedian. She is best known for her five seasons as a cast member of Saturday Night Live (2009-2014). Most recently, she appeared in ABC's comedy-musical series Galavant as Princess Isabella.

early life Dixit was born in Washington, Virginia. Her father is Punjabi Indian and her mother Tamil. Both parents moved to the United States after college to pursue careers in development and accounting. They have since left their day jobs to open and run a winery, which Dixit has stated was a dream of theirs. Although an only child, when Dixit was 14 her uncle and aunt died in a car crash, leaving their children to Dixit's parents. They raised her cousins Arjun and Anjali from that point on, and Dixit has stated she sees them both as siblings now. Arjun Dixit is the current owner and head chef of Rani, a renowned restaurant in Brooklyn. Dixit attended Hunter College part time in New York while pursuing a budding modeling career.

career Dixit caught the attention of a modeling agent after appearing in a local play. She did not want to completely commit to the profession, however, and attempted to take small scale jobs while working on an undergraduate degree. She has cited this as a poor tactic that didn't get her far in the fashion industry, and that she never really considered herself much of a professional model.

During her time in New York, Dixit began to get involved with local improv groups, eventually joining the Upright Citizens Brigade where she impressed a Saturday Night Live writer who then invited her to audition for the show. She officially joined the cast in 2009, remaining for five seasons. Notable characters and impersonations during Dixit's tenure included Arianna Huffington, Kim Kardashian, Aziz Ansari, Shallon an elementary school student and Heshy the ineffective motivational speaker. In 2014, Dixit quietly left the show in order to pursue other work. She most recently has starred in ABC's Galavant which has recently been renewed for a second season.

personal life Dixit is outspoken politically, an advocate of women's rights, feminism and LGBT equality. She came out incidentally as bisexual during an interview early in her career, when she made reference to an ex girlfriend. She has since been open about dating both men and women. She has been attached to several names in the industry, but nothing has been long term. She stated that she is not eager to settle down because she finds the concept of such a big commitment intimidating at this point in her life. She is a strong supporter of animal rights, encouraging the public to adopt from shelters and to support companies that don't perpetuate animal cruelty.