The Untold Story of Ziva David

“Cote, run!”

The words came from a fifth-grade teacher’s mouth, red-faced and full of faith in a quiet Chilean girl who barely spoke English. Cote de Pablo ran that day—and, in a sense, she never stopped.

Decades later, the world would be shouting her name again, this time begging Ziva David not to leave NCIS.

This is the story behind the woman who turned a one-off guest role into television’s most magnetic agent—and why her absence still lingers.

1. A Name Rewritten

Born María José de Pablo Fernández in Santiago, she found herself in a Miami classroom where no one could pronounce it. On impulse, she told her teacher, “Just call me Cote.”

A nickname meant to ease embarrassment became her identity—and later, her signature.

2. Learning by Running

When her family moved to the U.S., she knew just one English word: run.

A kind teacher saw her spark and placed her on the track team. “He would scream, ‘Cote, run!’ and that’s all I understood,” she recalled years later. “Before I knew it, I was a little track-and-field star.”

3. The Secretary Dream

As a child, she didn’t fantasize about red carpets. She wanted to be a secretary—organized, poised, indispensable.

“I had clips, markers, and an old typewriter,” she told TV Guide. “I liked following direction. Then I became an actor—so I’m still following direction.”

4. Finding Her Tribe

Performing arts became her way to speak before she could speak. She attended a magnet arts high school, then studied musical theater at Carnegie Mellon University.

“I wasn’t studying art to perform—I was studying it to connect,” she once said. “My friend told me, ‘You’ve found your tribe.’ And it was true.”

5. From Stage to Set

After college, de Pablo appeared in Shakespeare at New York’s Public Theater. But when NCIS called, she left Broadway behind. The script first described a “European agent.” Forty-eight hours before shooting, producers rewrote her as Israeli—and handed her a Hebrew monologue. She learned it phonetically overnight. The rest is NCIS history.

6. Fear Behind the Firearms

For all of Ziva’s ferocity, de Pablo confessed on Good Morning America that she’d never fired a gun—and was afraid of them. The contrast only made her portrayal more layered: courage as a performance of conviction.

7. The Exit That Broke Hearts

After eight years and more than 180 episodes, she left the show. “I wanted to stay for more episodes,” she told TVLine, “but had no choice.” Fans flooded CBS with petitions for her return.

“It was delicious to feel that kind of love,” she admitted. “I’m always grateful.”

8. When Ziva Sang

That haunting lullaby in Season 6 wasn’t scripted—it was Cote’s own voice, recorded live on the first take. The crew fell silent. For a moment, Ziva wasn’t an assassin or an agent; she was simply human.

9. Faith, Reincarnation, and Everything Between

Raised Catholic, she says her faith deepened when her grandmother battled cancer. Later, she spoke of a “very great God” and her belief in reincarnation. It’s not doctrine she clings to—it’s wonder.

10. No Stunt Double Required

De Pablo did most of her stunts herself. A neck injury once forced her into physical therapy, and eventually, yoga. “It keeps me centered,” she said. “You have to be very calm to play someone that fierce.”

11. Guarding Her Privacy

She avoids social media completely. “People complain about losing privacy,” she said. “But how much of yourself are you giving away? If you’re everywhere, you’ve already lost it.”

12. Against the Knife

De Pablo is vocal about Hollywood’s obsession with youth. “Television should reflect the world,” she’s said. “If they don’t hire me for my talent, I’m not interested.”

Aging, to her, isn’t a problem—it’s proof of life.

13. Anonymous at Home

Back in Chile, she walks unrecognized. Fame doesn’t follow her there, and she likes it that way. “It’s my refuge,” she once said.

14. Fluent in Change

English and Spanish come naturally, but Ziva also spoke Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, and German—thanks to crash-course scripts learned phonetically. “It never feels perfect,” she said, “but you give it everything.”

15. On Her Own Terms

De Pablo has built a career by trusting her instincts—leaving, returning, pausing when needed. She doesn’t chase trends. She makes choices, then stands by them.

16. What She Loves

Her tastes lean cinematic: Game of Thrones, strong women, long hair, corsets, layered stories. Offscreen, she finds her rhythm in cooking—especially with her mother. “She can open the fridge, pull out leftovers, and make risotto magic,” Cote said. “That’s art.”

The Legacy of Ziva David

Ziva wasn’t just written; she was inhabited. Every accent slip, every glare, every fragile moment came from a woman who learned to run before she could speak.

And even now, years after that final scene, NCIS fans are still running with her.

Sources:
TV Guide, Good Morning America, TVLine, YouTube interview archive, CBS archives.