Ziva David

NCIS character


rank=Officer
name=Ziva David
gender=Female
hair=Dark brown
eyes=
home=
tv=Cote de Pablo
first=Kill Ari (Part 1)
last=

Ziva David (Hebrew: זיוה דוִד, pronounced "ZEE-va da-VEED", Ziva: "Splendor", David: "Beloved" in Hebrew) is a fictional character in the TV series "NCIS" and is played by Chilean-born actress Cote de Pablo. The character was introduced to the series in the third season premiere. De Pablo became a regular cast member from episode "Silver War" onwards.

Character story

Officer Ziva David is a Mossad agent sent to NCIS following the murder of Special Agent Caitlin Todd by a rogue Mossad operative named Ari Haswari. She was Ari's control officer and half-sister; they shared the same father, who was the Deputy Director of Mossad (he has since been promoted to Director). During "Kill Ari (Part 2)", NCIS Special Agent Gibbs is cornered by Ari, but then Ziva emerges and kills Ari. After Ari's death, she asked to be assigned as a liaison for Mossad at NCIS, where she subsequently joined Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs' team.

Ziva is Jewish, though the episodes' plots rarely draw attention to this, and it is only lightly touched on during the series. She keeps kosherFact|date=September 2008, and is consistently seen wearing the Star of David on her necklace.De Pablo describes the character as someone who is "completely different from anyone else on the show" and that because "she's been around men all her life; she's used to men in authority. She's not afraid of men." [Mason, Dave, " [http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060103/news_lz1c03ncis.html De Pablo adds spice to 'NCIS'] ", "The San Diego Union-Tribune", January 3, 2006. Retrieved on October 7, 2007.]

When her younger sister, Tali, was killed in a Hamas suicide bombing, Ziva was already a Mossad operative at the time and states that she was in the Israeli army for an unspecified time (The audience is allowed to assum that this time was at least two years as that is the minimum compulsory service all Israeli women undertake), whilst claiming that no one recruited her, that she volunteered for Mossad."Kill Ari (Part 2)", "NCIS", Season 3 Episode 2.]

Ziva speaks at least seven languages fluently: English, Hebrew, ["Kill Ari (Part 1)", "NCIS", Season 3 Episode 1.] Spanish, ["Iced", "NCIS", Season 3 Episode 19.] Arabic,"Faking It", "NCIS", Season 4 Episode 4.] Turkish ["Hiatus (Part 1)", "NCIS", Season 3 Episode 23.] and French, including Belgian French. ["NCIS", Season 4 Episode 20.] She is also able to speak basic German, Italian and Russian. An on-going thread in the series is Ziva frequently misusing, misunderstanding or just completely mangling many English slang words or sayings.

In the end of the fifth season of NCIS, Ziva's liaison position was terminated under the orders of newly appointed Director Vance following the death of Director Shepard. At the start of the sixth season, she returns to NCIS. Leon Vance, the newly appointed Director, asked Ziva's father if she could return.

Ziva and Tony often try to outdo each other in verbal and physical competitions.Fact|date=September 2008 Ziva taunts Tony in much the same way Caitlin Todd did before she was killed. Some aspects of Ziva's personality disturb him, such as the fact that she sleeps with a gun in her hand.Fact|date=September 2008

In "Shalom", Ziva learns that the Mossad, apparently on her father's orders, has been spying on her for several months; the surveillance reveals that Tony has been visiting Ziva at her apartment at least once a week for the past 3 months.

In the Season 4 finale, 'Angel of Death', Ziva shows concern for Tony when he fails to show when the team meet for a drink at a local bar. Donald Bellisario, the now former writer and producer of the show, commented that Ziva was beginning to realise her feelings for Tony.Fact|date=September 2008

In the Season 5 finale, "Judgement Day Part 2", Tony and Ziva have a conversation about Jenny and Gibbs' 'inevitable' relationship while working together in Paris.

In season 6's first episode Last Man Standing we finally meet Director Eli David, Ziva's father.

References

External links

* [http://nciswiki.cbs.com/page/Ziva+David Ziva David] - CBS's Official NCIS Wiki