Daniela Sofia Korn Ruah (born December 2, 1983) is a Portuguese-American actress best known for playing NCIS Special Agent Kensi Blye in the CBS series NCIS: Los Angeles.
Early years and family
Ruah was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the only child of 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-based school.[1]
Ruah's father is from a prominent Portuguese-based Sephardic Jewish family.[2][3] Ruah's maternal grandfather was an Ashkenazi Jew who was born (1922) in what is now Wrocław, 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 an Ashkenazi Jew from Odessa.[4] She is niece-great-granddaughter of the captain Artur Carlos de Barros Basto, the "Apostle of the Marranos"[5].
Ruah attended Saint Julian's School in Carcavelos, near Lisbon. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from London Metropolitan University.[6]
She was an active member of the Portuguese Jewish community, of which her father's second cousin, also a doctor, is 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."[7]
She has a distinguishable birthmark in her right eye, called the Nevus of Ota. Her one 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.
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.[8] 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. 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 had principal 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.[citation needed]
Ruah stars as Special Agent Kensi Blye in NCIS: Los Angeles, which premiered on September 22, 2009. Season 2 premiered on September 21, 2010, and airs Tuesdays at 9:00 pm on CBS,[9] following NCIS at 8:00 p.m. Season 3 premiered on September 20th 2011.[10]
Awards
- 2011 : She has been pre-nominated for an Emmy Award in June 2011.[11]
- 2011 : She won the TV Action Icon Award 2011 of Celebrity & Stuntwomen's Awards.
- 2010 : Portuguese Golden Globe award in category Revelation of the Year.
- 2010 : nomination Best TV Action female actress in the Teen Choice Awards.[12]
- 2006 - Winner of the 1 season Dança Comigo , RTP - portugueses version of Dancing with the Stars
Filmography
Films
Short films
- 2011 - Sophia in Tu & Eu
- 2009 - Sophie in Midnight Passion
- 2009 - Angela Bowery in Safe Haven
- 2008 - Woman in Blind Confession
- 2006 - Margarida in Canaviais
Television
Portugal:
- 2000/2001 - Sara in "Jardins Proibidos", TVI
- 2001 - Constança Valadas in "Filha do Mar", TVI
- 2001 - Zézinha in "Querida Mãe", SIC
- 2001 - Mónica in "Elsa, Uma Mulher Assim", RTP
- 2004 : Verónica Botelho in Inspector Max (Marcas do Passado), TVI
- 2005/2006 : Rita Cruz in Dei-te Quase Tudo, TVI
- 2006/2007 : Daniela Pinto in Tu e Eu, TVI
- 2006 - Winner of the 1 season Dança Comigo , RTP - portugueses version of Dancing with the Stars
- 2008 - Rita in "Casos da Vida", TVI
- 2010 - Daniela Pinto/Rute in "Tu e Eu", TVI
United States:
- 2011-2012 - Special Agent Kensi Blye in the Hawaii Five-0, CBS, crossover episode with NCIS: Los Angeles in 2011 and will star in a two-part Hawaii Five-0/NCIS: Los Angeles crossover in 2012.
References
- ^ Julian Sancton (August 8, 2011). "Daniela Checks In". Esquire. http://www.esquire.com/women/women-we-love/daniela-ruah-pictures-0911. Retrieved April 11, 2012.
- ^ http://www.malibumag.com/site/article/daniela_ruah_actress/
- ^ http://www.local10.com/entertainment/Meet-the-NCIS-LA-star-who-won-Dancing-in-another-country/-/1716846/9150678/-/v0bocsz/-/
- ^ http://www.geneall.net/P/per_page.php?id=1058990
- ^ Daniela Ruah calls for mobilization by Barros Basto, the "Apostle of the Marranos"
- ^ "Hollywood movie and major LA pilot for London Met graduate". London Metropolitan University. 19 October 2009. http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/news/latest-news/october-2009/hollywood-movie-and-major-la-pilot-for-london-met-graduate.cfm. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
- ^ Nate Bloom (February 24, 2010). Jewz in the Newz. 156. The American Israelite. p. 18.
- ^ Ruah, Daniela. "Daniela Ruah IMDb filmography". IMDb. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2079733. Retrieved July 17, 2009.
- ^ Matt Mitovich (24 June 2009). "Fall TV: CBS Announces Premiere Dates". TV Guide Online. http://www.tvguide.com/News/FallTV-CBS-premieres-1007227.aspx. Retrieved August 11, 2009.
- ^ "Breaking News - CBS Announces 2009-2010 Primetime Schedule" (Press release). CBS via The Futon Critic. May 20, 2009. http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?date=05/20/09&id=20090520cbs01. Retrieved August 11, 2009.
- ^ 2010 Teen Choice Award Nominees & * WINNERS
- ^ 14 June 2010. Teen Choice Awards 2010: First Round Of Nominees Announced
External links