Cote de Pablo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cote de Pablo
De Pablo at the 2011 ALMA Awards
Born	María José de Pablo Fernández Santiago, Chile
Nationality	Chilean, American
Education	Carnegie Mellon University (BFA)
Occupation	Actress, singer
Years active	1994–present
Known for	Ziva David on NCIS

María José de Pablo Fernández, known to many as Coté de Pablo, is a talented actress and singer from Chile and the United States. She was born in Santiago, Chile. When she was 10 years old, she moved to the United States and began studying acting.

At just 15, Coté helped host a TV talk show called Control. Later, she went to Carnegie Mellon University to study music and theater. After acting in several TV shows, she got a big role in 2005. She played Ziva David in the popular CBS show NCIS. For this role, she won an ALMA Award in 2011.

Coté also loves to sing! She performed a song called "Temptation" by Tom Waits for an episode of NCIS in 2008. She has also sung on a music CD by Roberto Pitre called Vivo En Vida.

Coté de Pablo's Early Life

Coté de Pablo was born in Santiago, Chile. Her parents are Francisco de Pablo and María Olga Fernández. She has a younger sister named Andrea and a brother named Francisco, who is a DJ.

When Coté was 10, her mom got a job in Miami, Florida, at a TV network that showed programs in Spanish. Coté went to Arvida Middle School and New World School of the Arts there. She studied musical theater, which combines acting, singing, and dancing.

In fifth grade, many people found it hard to say her first name, "María José." So, she asked them to call her "Coté," which is a common nickname for María José in Chile.

Later, Coté went to Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She studied music and theater and acted in many plays. In 2000, she earned a special degree called a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theater.

Her Acting Journey

Starting Out in Acting

Coté de Pablo began her career in entertainment when she was 15. She co-hosted some episodes of a talk show called Control from 1994 to 1995. She worked alongside Carlos Ponce, who was also a host.

After college, Coté moved to New York City to become an actress. She worked as a waitress and babysitter to support herself. In 2000, she appeared in TV shows like The $treet on Fox and The Education of Max Bickford on CBS. She also acted in plays and commercials.

Coté played Marguerite Cisneros in the TV show The Jury in 2004. This show only had 10 episodes. In 2005, she was almost in a Broadway musical called The Mambo Kings, but the show closed before it even reached Broadway.

Playing Ziva David in NCIS

Coté de Pablo in 2007

Coté de Pablo is most famous for her role as Ziva David on the TV show NCIS. Ziva was an Israeli officer who became an NCIS agent.

Coté sent in a video audition for the role. Two days after her Broadway show was canceled, she was asked to fly to Los Angeles for another audition. She acted with Michael Weatherly, who played Tony DiNozzo on the show. The producers wanted to see if they had good chemistry. Michael Weatherly went off script and brushed her hair back, saying she reminded him of Salma Hayek. Coté stayed in character and ignored him completely.

After the audition, the show's producer, Donald P. Bellisario, told her she got the part! Coté described Ziva as a strong character who was "completely different from anyone else on the show."

In 2006, Coté won an Imagen Award for Best Supporting Actress in Television for her role in NCIS. She was nominated for this award again in 2008 and 2009. She also received nominations for an ALMA Award in 2008 and 2009. In 2011, she won the ALMA Award for Favorite Television Actress.

On July 10, 2013, CBS announced that Coté would be leaving NCIS. She stayed long enough to finish Ziva's story at the start of season 11. Later, in 2016, Coté explained that she left because she felt the scripts for her character were not good enough.

Coté hinted that Ziva might return because her character did not die. However, in the season 13 finale, it seemed Ziva had died in an explosion.

But then, in 2019, during season 16, it was revealed that Ziva was alive and had been hiding! Coté made a surprise return in the last scene of the season 16 finale on May 21, 2019. Ziva appeared in Gibbs' basement to warn him that he was in danger. Producers confirmed that Coté would appear in the first two episodes of season 17, and then again in episodes ten and eleven.

After NCIS and New Projects

In 2014, Coté de Pablo acted in the movie The 33. This film was about the 2010 Copiapó mining accident in Chile. She played the wife of one of the trapped miners.

In 2015, she was also in a miniseries called The Dovekeepers, based on a book by Alice Hoffman. In 2016, there were plans for Coté to star in a new TV show called Prototype on Syfy. This show was about three people who find an invention that challenges science. However, Syfy decided not to go forward with the show.

On August 28, 2018, it was announced that Coté de Pablo and her former NCIS co-star Michael Weatherly would be executive producers for a new detective show called MIA. However, this series also did not get made.

In 2024, exciting news came out! Coté de Pablo will play Ziva David again in a new NCIS spin-off series. Michael Weatherly will also return as Tony DiNozzo. The new show is called NCIS: Tony & Ziva and will be on Paramount+ in 2025.

Coté de Pablo's Music

Coté de Pablo sang part of Tom Waits' song "Temptation" in an NCIS episode called "Last Man Standing." This episode first aired on September 23, 2008. Her full performance of the song, which includes some French lyrics, is on the NCIS: The Official TV Soundtrack, released in 2009.

She also sings on Roberto Pitre's album Vivo en vida. On this album, she performs "Samba in Prelude" and "Cry Me a River." Coté was also featured on the official soundtrack for the movie The 33, singing "Gracias a la Vida."

Coté de Pablo's Personal Life

Coté de Pablo was in a long-term relationship with actor Diego Serrano until June 2015.

According to a Spotify podcast called "NCIS: Off Duty," Coté de Pablo is now married and has a child.

Film and Television Roles

Other Media Appearances

Video Game Voice Role

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Coté de Pablo para niños