Cote de Pablo Chilean born actress Cote de Pablo struggled in Hollywood for about a decade before landing her first major gig, after which she earned significant star status. De Pablo can currently be seen on the hit television series NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
Maria Jose de Pablo, known popularly as Cote de Pablo, was born November 12, 1979 in Santiago, Chile. At the age of ten, she and her family moved to Miami, Florida where she was raised. In terms of education, de Pablo attended Arvida Middle School followed by the New World School of Art. She pursued her secondary education at Carnegie Mellon University. Graduating in 2000, she focused her studies on musical theater. Deciding she wanted to enter the world of entertainment, de Pablo made her onscreen debut in 1994 as co-host of the television series Control, appearing with Carlos Ponce. Keeping within the television medium, de Pablo next appeared on the short lived series The $treet opposite series regulars Tom Everett Scott, Bridgette Wilson, Christian Campbell, Sean Maher, Jennifer Connelly, Jennie Garth, and Adam Goldberg. De Pablo also appeared with fellow guest star Talia Balsam.
Finding gigs sporadically, she didn’t work again until a one-episode appearance on the television series The Education of Max Bickford. She took the role in 2001, and although the part was short-lived, she did get to act beside seasoned actors Richard Dreyfuss and Marcia Gay Harden. In addition to acting gigs, de Pablo also kept busy with side projects such as voice work. To that end, she lent her voice talents to the video game ToCA Race Driver in 2002. She voiced Melanie Sanchez to Chris Meyer’s Ryan McKane. Finally winning a recurring role, de Pablo found steady work throughout 2004 when she appeared as a series regular on The Jury. Along with costars Adam Busch, Jeff Hephner, and Patrice ONeal, de Pablo won positive critical attention with the legal crime drama. Audiences were intrigued as well, so it was all the more disappointing when the show was unexpectedly canceled after only one season. But luckily for de Pablo, it was the following year that would make her a household name. After relative obscurity, she took a spot on the established series NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Joining the cast in 2005, de Pablo is currently still with the show as operative Ziva David. Her costars include Mark Harmon, Michael Weatherly, Pauley Perrette, David McCallum, Sean Murray, and Lauren Holly. Recognized by the critics as well as the audiences, de Pablo was honored in 2006 with an Imagen Award for Best Supporting Actress – Television. The Imagen Foundation Awards were established to honor individuals who positively portray the Latino community in the entertainment world. In her personal life, De Pablo has never been married. There are unsubstantiated rumors, however, that she and NCIS costar Weatherly are dating. | 
