Daniela Ruah Biography

Daniela Sofia Korn Ruah (born December 2, 1983) is an Luso-American actress best known for playing NCIS Special Agent Kensi Blye in the CBS series NCIS: Los Angeles.

Early life and family

Ruah was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to the Portuguese citizens Dr. Moisés Carlos Bentes Ruah, and his wife, Katharina Lia Azancot Korn. Her father was a resident in Otolaryngology (Ear, Nose, and Throat) in the Boston University-Tufts University Program. When Ruah was five years old, her father completed his Residency, and the family returned to Portugal where her parents divorced and she attended an international, English-medium school.

Ruah's father is from a prominent Portuguese-based Sephardic Jewish family. Ruah's maternal grandfather was an Ashkenazi Jew who was born (1922) in what is now Wroc"?aw, Poland. Ruah's maternal grandmother, Vera, was born in Lisbon, Portugal; Vera's father (Ruah's great-grandfather) was of half Sephardic Jewish and half Spanish ancestry, and Vera's mother (Ruah's great-grandmother) was a Ukrainian Ashkenazi Jew from Odessa. She is the great-grand niece of the captain Artur Carlos de Barros Basto. She also has distant ancestors from São Tomé and Príncipe.

Ruah attended St Julian's School in Carcavelos, near Lisbon. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from London Metropolitan University.

She was an active member of the Portuguese Jewish community in Lisbon, of which her father's second cousin, also a doctor, was the head. In 2003, the Jewish Telegraph Agency (JTA) ran a piece about an annual gathering of Jewish young people from 32 countries sponsored by European Union of Jewish Students. Ruah, then 19 and still living in Lisbon, was one of the students the JTA interviewed. She said, "I've never been around as many Jews in my entire life. Here, you don't feel the need to explain to people who you are. I am meeting people who eat kosher for the first time ever."

Personal life

She has a distinguishable birthmark in her right eye, called the Nevus of Ota. Her left eye is hazel, giving her eyes a unique appearance as the other one is brown/blackish.

Ruah speaks three languages fluently"?Portuguese, English, and Spanish.

She is left-handed although she was seen writing with her right hand in the NCIS: Los Angeles Season 1 episode, "Past Lives", and left-eye dominant.

Ruah announced in September 2013 that she is expecting her first child, a boy, with fiancé David Paul Olsen, the elder brother of and stunt double to Ruah's NCIS: Los Angeles co-star Eric Christian Olsen.

Career

Ruah started acting in Portuguese soap operas when she was a teen. Her first acting role came at the age of 16, when she auditioned for the soap opera Jardins Proibidos ("Forbidden Gardens") and won the role of Sara. Ruah kept working on diverse projects while she was finishing high school. At the age of 18, she moved to London to study at the London Metropolitan University, where she earned a First in Performing Arts. She got extremely good grades while in school, and became the best well known movie and sports star. Ruah returned to Portugal to pursue her acting career. She was the winner of the celebrity dancing competition Dança Comigo (the Portuguese version of Dancing with the Stars) and got main roles in television series, short films, and theatre. In 2007, she moved to New York to study at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute.

Ruah stars as Special Agent Kensi Blye in NCIS: Los Angeles, which first aired on September 22, 2009. Season 2 aired on September 21, 2010, and airs Tuesdays at 9:00 pm on CBS, following NCIS at 8:00 p.m. Season 3 aired on September 20, 2011. She later portrayed the character in a guest appearance on the series Hawaii Five-0.

In April 2013 Ruah made her debut at Hayworth Theatre in LA as Catherine in "Proof", a play by David Auburn.

Filmography

Films

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2012	Red Tails	Sofia

Short Films

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2006	Canaviais	Margarida	Portuguese short film
2008	Blind Confession	Woman
2009	Safe Haven	Angela Bowery
2009	Midnight Passion	Sophie
2011	Tu & Eu	Sophia	Asians on Film Festival Award for Best Ensemble Cast - Short Film

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2000"2001	Jardins Proibidos	Sara	Main Cast Portuguese soap opera broadcast by TVI
2001	Filha do Mar	Constança Valadas	Main Cast Portuguese soap opera broadcast by TVI
2001	Querida Mãe	Zezinha	Portuguese television film broadcast by SIC
2001	Elsa, Uma Mulher Assim	Mónica	Portuguese miniseries broadcast by RTP Season 1, Episode 11
2004	Inspector Max	Verónica Botelho	Portuguese TV series broadcast by TVI 1 episode, "Marcas do Passado"
2005"2006	Dei-te Quase Tudo	Rita Cruz	Main Cast Portuguese soap opera broadcast by TVI
2006	Dança Comigo	Herself	Portuguese version of Dancing with the Stars broadcast by RTP Winner of the first season
2006"2007	Tu e Eu	Daniela Pinto	Main Cast Portuguese soap opera broadcast by TVI
2008	Casos da Vida	Rita	Portuguese TV series broadcast by TVI 1 episode, "Passo em Falso"
2009	Guiding Light	Gigi	Season 1, Episode 15628
2009	NCIS	Kensi Blye	2 episodes, "Legend (Part I)" and "Legend (Part II)" She was part of a guest cast including Chris O'Donnell, LL Cool J and Louise Lombard
2009"present	NCIS: Los Angeles	Kensi Blye	Series regular, 96 episodes Portuguese Golden Globe award for Newcomer of the Year TV Action Icon Award 2011 of Celebrity & Stuntwomen's Awards Nominated-Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Action Actress.
2011	Hawaii Five-0	Kensi Blye	Crossover with NCIS: Los Angeles 1 episode, "Ka Hakaka Maika'i"