Who is Cote de Pablo?
An actress with 10 acting credits, Cote de Pablo rose to prominence as Ziva David in the series “NCIS”, a Special Agent and former Mossad officer, skilled with firearms, in martial arts and with knives, recognized for her chilly looks. This role brought Cote numerous award nominations and she won the Imagen Award for Best Supporting Actress- Television, as well as the American Latino Media Arts (ALMA) Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Television Series.
If you’re interested to learn more about her and what she’s doing now, you’ve come to the right place.
Early life, family, and education
Born Maria Jose de Pablo Fernandez under the zodiac sign of Scorpio on 12 November 1979, in Santiago, Chile, she holds both Chilean and American nationality, since aged 10 she moved with her family to Miami, Florida USA, where she spent most of her childhood. Cote (a common Chilean nickname for Maria Jose), was raised by her single mother, alongside her younger siblings Francisco and Andrea.
Cote had an interest in performing from an early age, and while in Miami attended the New World School of Arts, studying musical theatre. Aged 15, Cote co-hosted several episodes of the Latin-American talk-show “Control”, alongside Carlos Ponce, who later hosted “Entertainment Tonight”.
Upon matriculating in 1997, Cote enrolled at Carnegie Mellion University, in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania USA, from which she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts (Musical Theatre), in 2000.
She launched her acting career while she was at college, playing in the local theatre – Cote was seen in musicals such as “A Little Night Music”, “And the World Goes ‘Round”, and “The Fantasticks”, among others.
Roles in series
Cote made her television series debut as Fiona in an episode of the series “The $treet” in 2000, followed by her guest role as Gina in “The Education of Max Bickford” in 2001. Three years later, Cote was seen as Marguerite Cisneros in ten episodes of the series “The Jury”, before she was cast to play her most significant role, to date, as Ziva David in “NCIS”.
From 2005 through 2020, Cote appeared in 194 episodes of this crime drama, which follows the story of cases of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), based in Washington DC, starring alongside Sean Murray, David McCallum and Mark Harmon. The show had 41 award nominations, including three for Primetime Emmys, winning 27.
When Cote stated that she chose not to return to “NCIS”, people wanted to know the reason, so she explained that her decision was made due to political things, and also considered that the script wasn’t good enough. Cote added that she loves the character of Ziva, but felt that it wasn’t treated with the respect the character deserves.
Cote also has a talent for singing, and showed her skills singing Tom Waits’ song “Temptation” in an episode of “NCIS” in 2008. Perhaps you didn’t know that she also sang vocals on Roberto Pitre’s compact disk (CD) “Vivo En Vida”.
Concurrently, Cote played the lead role of Shirah in the 2015 TV mini-series “The Dovekeepers”, based on the novel by Alice Hoffman about four extraordinary women in their fight at the siege of Masada.
Roles in movies
Cote made her big-screen debut as Bruja in the 2010 action drama “The Last Rites of Ransom Pride”, also starring Dwight Yoakam, Jon Foster and Lizzy Caplan, which won the Alberta Film & Television Award for Best Make-Up.
Cote was next cast to play Jessica in the 2015 biographic drama “The 33”, which followed the true story of 33 miners trapped underground for 69 days. For her performance, Cote won the Imagen Award for Best Supporting Actress – Feature Film.
Sneak peek of Cote de Pablo in her upcoming film, Seneca.
📸 Thanks Heather! #Seneca #senecafilm #CotedePablo #ZivaDavid #NCIS #TheCrossing #Ziva pic.twitter.com/tler1XKnCZ
— Mote Media (@Mote_Media) March 11, 2019
Most recently, Cote was seen as Celeste in the 2019 drama “Seneca”, also starring Moises Acevedo and Claudia Morcate-Martin. The plot revolved around an artist who struggles with his life after becoming a father. The movie won New York Latino Film Festival Honorable Mention- Best Film.
Cote’s fans will be happy to hear that she completed the filming of her new project, entitled “The Crossing”, a short drama, in which she plays the lead role of Renata.
Love life and relationships
Cote has been the subject of various rumors about her romantic life, however, she’s one of those celebrities who prefer to keep their personal matters secret – Cote has no social media account. There are many under her name, but most of them are pages made by Cote’s fans.
It’s known that she was in a long-term relationship with Ecuadorian actor Diego Serrano; he’s perhaps known best for his role as Tomas Rivera in the series “Another World”, while movie lovers know him as Kyle Underhill in “The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green”. The two were in a relationship for years, however, they separated in June 2015.
Cote was romantically linked to many of her co-stars from “NCIS”, but most rumors revolved around her and Michael Weatherly, who played Tony in the series. The characters they played were a couple in the series, so since the energy between the actors was that strong, many assumed that Cote and Michael were dating in real life. However, the truth is that they are just friends, and although they both left the show, according to Cote, they are still close.
As of April 2023, it seems that Cote is single; she hasn’t been married or engaged and doesn’t have children.
Age, height, and net worth
Cote is 43 years old. Her trademark is long brown hair and tanned skin; the color of her eyes is dark brown. Cote has a slim but fit build, stands at a height of 5ft 6ins (1.69m) and weighs around 140lbs (64kgs), with vital statistics of 36-29-35.
Most of the income Cote has earned playing in the series “NCIS” – according to sources, her salary was around $120,000 per episode. Her net worth is reportedly estimated at over $6 million, as of mid-2023.