Ziva David |

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Ziva
◄ Go home: NCIS

Ziva David is played by Cote de Pablo


Occupation/Title:
Former Mossad Liaison Officer
As of Season 7: NCIS Probationary Special Agent

Hometown: Israel

Past Work:
Before joining Mossad Ziva was in the Israeli mossad 'Tzahal' for two years as is compulsory for all Israeli women. During her time at Mossad Ziva was part of a Special Operations Unit known as 'Metsada' or 'Kidon.' This unit specialised in assassinations, paramilitary operations, sabotage & psychological warfare. Ziva's position was Control Officer. Ziva has been involved in operations in Cairo, Egypt (where she met Jenny Shepard), in Iraq before its liberation, Paris where she worked with partner Namir Eschel & directly prior to working with NCIS Ziva was working on counter-terrorist operations in the UK for six months and before that in Eastern Europe along side Jenny Shepard. Her most recent work with Mossad was working undercover in Morocco as a singer at a bar. She came back to NCIS and then went back to Israel and stayed to get inside a terrorist camp in Somalia, but is captured and tortured.

Personality type:
Aggressive, sometimes caring, hides emotions

Signature look:
Casual, wears cargo pants often, dresses for practicality rather than style. Only jewelery worn is a Magan David (Star of David) necklace and occasionally earrings. In the end of season 5 and in season 6 she seems to dress more feminine.

Abilities:
Fluent in Spanish, French, Arabic, English, and of course Hebrew. Speaks at least some German, Italian, Turkish, and Russian. Sharp shooter.
Can kill a person 18 different ways with a paperclip, can kill someone with a credit card, easily intimidates guys, can take down a mental person who is on steroids, a very good cook


Endearing Traits:
Crazy ninja chick, crazy driving, hates being called ma'am


Annoying Traits:
She mixes up English idioms, but it' hard to say that's annoying,doesn't empathise with people very well

Blog Links:
Why I Like Ziva
Damon Werth - Love Interest for Ziva?
Favorite Ziva-isms
7.04 Good Cop, Bad Cop

Talk about Ziva!



CHARACTER CONNECTIONS

Family Members:
  • Ari Haswari, her older half brother (from her father's side). At Mossad she was Ari's control officer and when he was accused of shooting Special Agent Caitlin Todd flew to America to help him. Their plan was to meet each other in Paris. Eventually Ziva makes the difficult decision to save Gibbs' life and shoots Ari before he can kill an unarmed Gibbs.
  • Eli David, Ziva's father is Director of Mossad. Ziva calls him Papa. When she joined NCIS he was the Deputy Director but got a promotion between season's 3 and 4. She has barely spoken to him since joining NCIS. She is confused about him and whether what Ari said about him is true. Ziva's father cares about his daughter enough to put her under surveillance when she won't talk to him so he can keep up-to-date on her. He loves her very much and wishes she didn't have to go through life fighting. Eli describes Ziva as the 'Sharp end of the Spear. When she was younger he never attended any of her dance recitals.Ziva recalls him taking his children into the forest for 'fun' blindfolded and asking them to find their way back.
  • Talia 'Tali' David, Ziva and Ari's younger sister who was killed in a suicide bombing at the age of 16. According to Ziva, Tali had a lot of compassion for others.
  • Neta/Netanya 'Nettie', Ziva's Aunt. She lives in Tel-Aviv and talks to Ziva in English on the phone. She likes to play Mah Jong and Ziva gives her advice on breaking up with her elderly Mah Jong partner. It is unknown which side of the family Nettie is from.
  • In one episode she mentions an Uncle who breeds Arabian horses. In 'Identity Crisis' Courtney and Ziva are talking, and Ziva mentions the idiom she has learned 'get back on the horse.' Courtney obviously doesn't understand and mentions horse riding; Ziva tells her that her uncle bred Arabians.
  • Ziva's mother, first mentioned in the season 6 episode 'Silent Night.' She tried to encourage Ziva to play with dolls when she was younger, but Ziva ended up liking her G.I. Joe the best and playing 'boy' games such as Battle Ship. It is unknown whether she is alive or dead or if she is or is not married to Director Eli David. Ziva's mother is also the mother of Ziva's younger sister Talia, 'Tali,' who was killed in a suicide bombing and a step-mother to Ari Haswari who was killed by Ziva in defense of Gibbs.
Romances:
  • Roy Sanders 'Dead man walking' (deceased). Roy and Ziva had the same jogging route. She fell for him when he asked NCIS for help because someone poisoned him. Before Sanders died, he gave Ziva the orange cap he used when he went running.
  • Michael Locke 'Recoil' a suspect in a murder investigation. Ziva sleeps with him then helps him find his girlfriend.
  • Micheal Rivkin 'Last Man Standing' , 'Nine Lives' , 'Knockout' 'Legand (1)' 'Legend (2)' 'Semper Feildis' 'Alyiah'
(deceased) her partner at Mossad, though she doesn't call it a 'relationship.' He travels often. Ziva probably went to see him during her trip to Israel; in 'Nine Lives' has a photo of him shirtless on the deck of a boat or near a port indicating that either or both Ziva and Micheal have a fair amount of money, also indicated by her flying first class in 'Nine Lives' which Tony has seen and the same photo on her phone which she showed to Tara in 'Knockout'. Is sleeping with him and has a obvious romantic relationship with him in 'Legend(1)' and 'Legend(2)'. Tony was very jealous of him. Tony killed him in self defence after a fight as Micheal appeared to be not that Kosher 'Semper Fieldis'. In 'Alyiah' Ziva hid her emotions and didn't perform any death rituals. However she memorised Tonys report and admitted to strong feelings.

  • Brent Langer 'Tribes' she "langer leered" and commented on his ass. It is unkown if it went anywhere. When Langer saw Zivaon the live statalite feed after the bomb blast in Moroco he was visably distressed. He was killled by Michelle Lee in 'Last Man Standing'.
  • Mitch Wilkins 'Bounce' has seen Zivas knife collection two years pre episode and was her friend on facebook and was possibly her maybe plans in 'Witch Hunt'. He was arrested at the end of the episode though he and Ziva appear to have lost contact before this point.
  • James Landis 'Ravenous' a park ranger whom Ziva shows an intrest in Tony also shows an intrest in Landis female partner (who later after realising the woman doesn't shave Tony makes up a dead wife to get out of a date with her) Landis asks her out on a date she initally rejects saying she doesn't want to seem sleazy (McGee and Tony correct her and explain the differance between sleazy and easy) However at the end of the episode it is revealed that Landis is the bad guy and Gibbs shoots him in the buttox.
  • Tony DiNozzo ALL THE TIME of course they obviously flirt even if they're in other relationships, they care for each other, and can comfort each other and make them smile. Can you say perfect.
Friends:
  • Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo:
    • Ziva's relationship with her partner & senior field agent Anthony DiNozzo is a complicated one. They play cat-and-mouse and constantly flirt with one another. Tony is often jealous that even though he out-ranks Ziva, she is more skilled than him in many ways. This often leads to him embarrassing himself in front of her. When not flirting, they enjoy tormenting their partner Special Agent Timothy McGee. Between Seasons 3 and 4, Tony used to visit Ziva at least once a week according to Mossad agent Michael Bashan. After Season 3's episode 'Boxed In', Ziva cooked for Tony at his place as an apology for not inviting him to her dinner party. In season 5 'Judgement Day', Ziva and Tony drink together, and it is insinuated that they have drunk together before. When Tony was dating Jeanne Benoit for an undercover mission, Ziva was concerned for him, believing he was having a relapse of Y-Pestis. When Ziva was dating Michael in Season 5's episode 'Recoil' Tony was similarly worried about her and tried to get her to come for a drink with him to cheer her up. Tony thinks Ziva should try and have more fun. He often skirts around her more serious questions. In Season 6's episode 'Dagger' it is discovered that Tony knows about a tattoo Ziva has in an intimate location of her body. According to an interview with Cote de Pablo, she and Michael chose to play the characters with tension and hints that they may have a relationship. Tony is very jealous of Ziva's relationship with Michael Rivkin.
  • Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs:
    • Ziva and Gibbs are more similar than they think. They both rarely show emotion and are extremely skilled at what they do. Ziva and Gibbs both speak Russian and can sneak up on DiNozzo without him noticing. Ziva often finds it difficult to follow Gibbs' orders due to her having been a control officer at Mossad. The second reason is her close relationship with NCIS former director Jennifer Shepard. Ziva was often torn between her friend and her loyalty to Gibbs leading him to at one point ask "I don't know Ziva, are you with me?" Ultimately though their relationship is one of mutual respect and Gibbs trusts Ziva completely. Gibbs also understands Ziva's nature & often pulls her into line when she is going to act harshly. In Season 5, Internal Affairs, he must remind her to slash a suspect's tires, not their throats. He also reminds her that not everyone is like her father & Ari, that some people don't lie. Gibbs is there for Ziva when she breaks down when he loses his memory and in the episode 'Recoil' he tells her to never second guess herself. Gibbs is the first person Ziva calls when she is being hunted by the FBI, Mossad & NCIS. He is number two on her speed dial. When Gibbs sees that Ziva had been in a bomb in Morrocco he immediately tries to find her, and is concerned for her. He misses Ziva and tells her so. When she returns to NCIS, Gibbs, who, like Ziva, doesn't often show emotion, is only to eager to give her a welcome back hug. Gibbs has been to Ziva's house at least once, as he was invited to her dinner party in season 3. He admits that she is a good cook.
  • Special Agent Timothy McGee
    • Ziva has had a good relationship with McGee since her start at NCIS. It resembles one of brother and sister. McGee was the first one to really welcome Ziva into the team saying that he was glad she was there because he wasn't the newbie anymore. McGee also lives near Ziva, in Silver Springs. McGee helped Ziva when she first came to DC by showing her the quickest ways to work. Ziva sees McGee as a shy, yet good agent. Frequently she will team up with Tony against McGee. McGee is both scared and in awe of Ziva. He is impressed with Ziva's photographic memory and her quick thinking such as buying sun glasses that contain lenses that detect different rays of light, i.e. lasers, in Season 3's 'Undercovers.' He doesn't always see Ziva as a normal woman and is surprised when he sees a picture of Ziva in a bikini during season 5. When Ziva was in Israel between seasons 5 and 6, she and McGee e-mailed each other once a week. McGee has been to Ziva's house at least once as he was invited to her dinner party in season 3.
  • Forensic Scientist Abigail Sciuto
    • Originally Abby loathed Ziva. She believed that Ziva was taking the place of her good friend, Special Agent Kate Todd. During the course of her hate, Abby was known to draw on pictures of Ziva, mispronounce her surname and get annoyed when Ziva was being praised. She particularly resented McGee's fascination and admiration for Ziva. Throughout season 3, Abby and Ziva seem to become closer. Ziva helps Abby out putting a bomb back together to find out information from it and Abby is worried about Ziva when she is lost because she and Tony are stuck in a shipping container together. Abby is also invited to Ziva's dinner party before the episode 'Boxed In', and Abby thinks Ziva is an excellent cook. Ziva also remembers Abby's birthday and buys her black roses. At the end of season 3 everything comes to a head and Abby tells Ziva she has no emotions and they slap each other, however she apologizes later, though only because of Tony's prompting them to do so. By season 4, their relationship has grown. Abby is only too willing to help Ziva by giving her Gibbs' number when she needs to contact him and also keeps her secret that she phoned. Abby also tells Ziva that she is always there for her to talk to after Ziva's love interest Roy Sanders dies. By seasons 5 and 6, Abby and Ziva are firm friends. When Ziva and Tony got to L.A. with the the Director, Abby makes a pretend Ziva to keep her company, she also has Ziva's number in her phone and uses the phone to take a picture of Ziva for her to keep. Abby tells Ziva that she (Ziva) "kicks butt and manages to look great at the same time." In Season 6, Abby misses Ziva while she's in Israel and has Ziva's picture up in her lab so she can still see her everyday. When Ziva's house gets fumigated, Abby is only too happy to let Ziva stay at her place, and Ziva buys Abby a chocolate cupcake to say thank you.
  • Dr Donald 'Ducky' Mallard
    • Ducky, like McGee, treated Ziva normally from the beginning of her time at NCIS and they have always had a good relationship. Like with all women, Ducky treats her with respect, often lending a hand even when one is not needed. Ducky is impressed with Ziva's knowledge that goes beyond her work as an assassin and a field agent. Ducky is also Ziva's confidante and she has been seen talking to him down in autopsy over a cup of tea.
  • Director Leon Vance
    • In the beginning, like the rest of her colleagues Ziva resents Vance for breaking up Gibbs' team. However he reveals that he has a good reason and she doesn't seem to hold a grudge against her boss. Vance and Ziva went Christmas shopping together at the beginning of 'Silent Night' and seemed to enjoy each other's company. They also share a love for the board game 'Battle Ship.' It is insinuated that he bought something for her during their shopping trip as she says "I enjoy shopping, especially when it's not my money." Vance also sees Ziva as an attractive woman; in season 5, when he caught McGee looking at pictures of Ziva in a bikini, he said, "Makes me miss California already." Vance is also close to Ziva's father and seems to have a more friendly relationship with Director David than Jenny did.
Enemies:

CHARACTER BACKSTORY

Season 3:
  • Ziva makes her first appearance during this season's premiere. She and Jenny arrive on the same day. Her first encounter with NCIS HQ is finding Tony fantasizing about Kate. Ziva thinks that he is having phone sex. Her role is to stop Jethro from killing Ari. Jenny's role is the same, at this stage. The two women know each other from working together previously. There is a new axis of power in the NCIS hierarchy and one that excludes Gibbs.
  • Gibbs realizes he must convince Ziva of Ari's guilt. He sets himself up as a target and trusts Ziva to respond appropriately. Gibbs is right to trust Ziva, but the cost to Ziva proves far higher than Gibbs expected: there then exists a nexus between him and Ziva that excludes Jenny and the rest of his team.
  • Ziva takes Ari's body back to Israel and checks in with her bosses in Mossad. For the NCIS team, her role is over.
  • Ziva turns up again, unexpected by anyone but Jenny, and officially becomes part of the team during Silver War. Ziva is at NCIS to lick her wounds from Mossad duties. She is not a special agent but a liaison officer. As Gibbs complains to Jenny, Ziva is a killer, not a cop. Nevertheless, he starts teaching her. Until the end of this episode, she is not allowed to occupy Kate's desk. After this episode she becomes a permanent character, symbolized by taking over Kate's desk. She hands over the last relic of Kate: her sketchbook.
  • Ziva is, technically, the Probie and McGee is initially delighted that he will move out of that role. It soon becomes apparent that she is not a probie at all. Ziva is simply new to certain procedures of detective work, but she is very good at making judgements and acting upon them. In Silver War, she demonstrates her ability to handle a showdown with three armed opponents and win. By the time Gibbs and Tony turn up, she has the surviving villain covered with her weapon. Her smile when they arrive is of pleasure at her own accomplishment, not relief that help has arrived. Tony, with some foresight, remarks to Gibbs "Remind me never to piss her off" to which Gibbs replies "DiNozzo, you have no idea." .
  • Ziva's mistakes initially stem from her unfamiliarity with her new environment. She arrives late for work because she took the wrong bus and had to walk. She relies on McGee to show her shortcuts across town. Her driving is erratic at best (McGee "You know, Tony, her driving has really improved. We broke hardly any laws today."). She is used to Apple/Mac computers and is frustrated with her desktop PC. She mangles her English and cannot always explain her point.
  • The other mistakes are more fundamental. She is not programmed to dress up her opinions in polite fudges. She distrusts everyone. Gibbs points out that McGee does not know how to lie. She struggles with the meaning of compassion and her training means that she can never let people see when she is emotionally affected by events. This leads to a memorable fight with Abby after Gibbs is injured in Hiatus at the end of the season 3. To Ziva, McGee's uncertainty comes from a different world, but she never makes fun of him. He helps her with her driving, and she tries to help him with confidence. She is amused when he shows her sympathy over how she must feel when a suspect dies in her custody. She is not perturbed by the death, merely frustrated that she is not allowed to do anything other than paperwork while it is being investigated. When Tim kills, the emotional fallout is severe. When Ziva kills, she is no more distraught than if she had pruned a rosebush.
  • Ziva's father is Deputy Director David of Mossad. Ziva is also known for having been the control officer for Ari Haswari. Ziva was also an assassin for Mossad in Israel. Ari's story that her father set up the bombing of Ari's mother in Gaza, thus ensuring Ari's abiding hatred, disturbs Ziva so much that she cannot stay around her father or Mossad. Jenny has arranged a secondment of her to NCIS for an indefinite period. Officially, Gibbs killed Ari and for Ziva to stay safe, the fact that Ziva pulled the trigger must remain secret.
  • She spent 6 months in England prior to working in America. This is her excuse for driving on the left side of the road instead of the right.
  • She worked in Cairo, Egypt with Jenny, saving Jenny's life (Kill Ari 2).
  • She is excellent at collecting intelligence data that lead to successful 'eliminations of target'. She does not expect to grow old in her job: she points that out.
  • In Season 3's episode 'Boxed In' Ziva and Tony get stuck in a shipping container heading for the African country of Senegal. Tony asks her if she understands what the men are saying and she says she understands s little and that it is a complicated language. Senegal's two main languages are French and Wolof (spoken by 94% of Senegal's population). Since Ziva has made it known that she is fluent in French and is in fact better in French than English we can assume that she understands a Wolof. It is unknown whether she can speak it though.
  • In Season 3's episode 4 'Silver War' Ziva reveals that she has visited over 2 dozen (more than 24) embassies around the world.

Season 4:
  • Ziva begins the season in peril (Shalom) and her self-sufficiency will not help her. The rest of the team form a plan to defy the FBI and to rescue Ziva, even though, if caught, they may lose their jobs and face being sent to jail. Her contribution to the NCIS team is that she has learned her lessons well: "I am No longer just a killer, I am an investigator, too." In investigatory fashion, she recorded a confession of the terrorist's crimes before killing them. Because of this, she has evidence that she killed in self-defense.
  • Ziva begins to show that she is learning to empathize. In episode 12, Suspicion, she confronts Gibbs about why he allowed Tony to return to the city, when the rest of the team stayed in the boondocks. She quizzes Gibbs so intensely that he snarls "Oh, you and Tony got married and didn't tell me." Ziva, convinced that Tony is dying of a terrible disease that requires occasional visits to a hospital, demands info from Gibbs. Gibbs, with better insight into human behaviour, says dying is not the only reason for spending time at a hospital, but doesn't elaborate. It is not until episode 16, Dead Man Walking, when Ziva falls in love herself, that she truly starts to understand Tony. Ziva's love for a dead man walking makes her the object of sympathy from others. This is unfamiliar and she rejects it, except from Tony.
  • By the end of the season, Ziva and Tony have built a rapport and a familiarity with each others' ways. When the patterns are broken, Ziva's inner alarm bells ring. The rapport with Tony is not sexual. The relationship solidifies at a time when Tony has eyes for no one but Jeanne. In Under Covers, it seems that the two have been excellent at faking sex, to convince the people listening via the bugs planted in their hotel room. At the end of that episode, Tony demands "a divorce." We note that the person Tony fell in love with is the antithesis of Ziva. Jeanne is a doctor, not an assassin. The person Ziva fell in love with is the antithesis of Tony. He would have made a good marine, which could not be said of Tony. An alternate view being that Gibbs holds Tony to USMC Standards as his team note the "Rules." A counterargument could be that Gibbs says in one episode "You may not admire his methods, but you gotta love the results," indicating that he is a non-conformist. An opposing argument claims that Gibbs treats Tony well, once referred to Tony as "my son", so Gibbs may see Tony as a surrogate son.
  • While Ziva regards Tony as her work partner, she is seen working well with McGee, Gibbs, and having a strong rapport with Ducky. Jenny is outed as her conduit of information. Ziva seems adept at working with anyone who helps her achieve her goal.
  • In Grace Period, Ziva is deliberately cruel to Special Agent Paula Cassidy, whose team-mates have died, making Cassidy furious. Gibbs sends Cassidy out with Tony and asks Ziva if she is going soft. Ziva admits that she was needling Cassidy to help her stay angry and remain focused. Ziva agrees that the price of this is Cassidy's permanent anger, but believes she can deal with that. Ziva has no need to be liked, but she has become empathetic.

Season 5:
  • In the season premiere, Bury your Dead, she is the first to believe that Tony is dead. Despite not being visibly distraught, she takes Tony's letter opener. Her belief system does not lend itself to hoping for the best or believing in miracles, unlike McGee and Abby, who consciously choose to believe that Tony is okay. Ziva's tendency to expect the worse means that she stopped hunting for clues as to Tony's whereabouts. It is McGee and his obsessive belief that spurs her to help find the needed clues.
  • In later episodes, it becomes apparent she has romantic feelings towards Tony.
  • She also tells him that he is deeply troubled over Jeanne. She also states that the man he is becoming needs a woman, hinting at herself. She also becomes closer to Abby. Despite the initial antagonism, they seem to be close friends. Ziva is learning patience. Her grief at Jenny's death and the termination of Mossad's ties with NCIS leave Ziva unbalanced as the season comes to a close. Season 6 leaves much to be uncovered.

Season 6:
  • In the Season 6 opener, we find out that Ziva was sent back to Israel to complete a Mossad operation which NCIS Director Vance had got intelligence for. In this episode, Ziva's undercover mission includes her singing the song "temptation" which is the first time Cote ever sang anything on the show. This had a connection to an NCIS case and at the end of the premiere, she is reinstated with NCIS.
  • It was revealed in the Season 6 episode 'Dagger' that she has a tattoo on an intimate part of her body. Tony knows about it, it is unclear if any of the other team members know.
  • In Season 6's episode 'Road Kill' Ziva states that her first fight was at the age of 8. A boy named Shmuel Rubenstein told her that he liked her and she punched him. According to her he went down at the first punch.
  • She began a realtionship with a Micheal Rivkin her mossad partner during the summer between seasons 5 and 6. He worked undercover and pissed off Gibbs. He is killed by Tony in self defence in second last episode of the season - Semper Fidelis.
  • In the season finale, she stays in Israel and goes out to hit that terrorist camp in Africa. She is captured and tortured and left with a swollen left eye and bruises.



Season 7:
  • season 7 episode 3 she resigned from mossad
  • Season 7 episode 4 She has officially become an ncis special agent.
  • Now studying to become a U.S citizen.

TRIVIA

  • Tough and rarely shows emotions. When she does it is usually in private or with only one other person.
  • Speaks six languages fluently: Hebrew, Arabic, French (her French is better than her English), English, Spanish (she shares this ability with Tony) & Turkish. also able to speak German, Italian (another ability shared with Tony) and Russian (this ability is shared with Gibbs). She is also able to understand a little Wolof (a language spoken by 94% of the population of Senegal). That makes a total of 9 languages that she can speak and 10 that she can understand.
  • Jewish but does not keep kosher all the time, however talks about items not being kosher.
  • Constantly mixes up English idioms due to her extensive linguistic skills.
  • Has a photographic memory.
  • Her driving is fast and reckless as it is "The best way to avoid ambushes."
  • She carries at least three weapons at all times, a Sig on her left hip, a smaller gun as back up on her left ankle and a knife at her waist. Only Gibbs can tell when she is carrying and where they are hidden.
  • She slept with stuffed toys until at least the age of 12.
  • She goes for a run every morning and is used to coming into work at 0500 in Mossad.
  • Superstitious and believes in ghosts.
  • Likes the Latin American band Kinky and the Israeli band Hadag Nahash. The latter of which features on her iPod (a gift from Abby).
  • Likes the 'Sound of Music' and has seen 'Sleepless in Seattle'.
  • Snores loudly.
  • She drives a red Mini Cooper.
  • She is a human lie detector and can tell if a diamond is real or not.
  • Like Gibbs, she is not very computer literate. She is used to the MAC system in Mossad.
  • Plays the piano.
  • An excellent cook
  • Spent her summers in Haifa.
  • Her foot size is 7
  • Her age is 27
  • Likes to read. She reads a men's magazine called GSM (in Hebrew), 'On the Road' by Jack Kerouac, 'Moby-Dick' by Herman Mellvile and 'The Handbook of American Slang.'
  • She screams during sex.
  • Her star sign is Scorpio.
  • Her blood type is AB negative.
  • She used to take ballet as a child.
  • Former team mates at Mossad include Namir Eschel, her brother Ari Haswari, her father Eli David (boss) and Michael Rivkin.
  • Ziva and Gibbs share the opinion that sleeping with someone is a viable interrogation technique. She and Gibbs have both admitted to sleeping with someone to get information.
  • A friend of Ziva's who also worked with her was beheaded after infiltrating a Hamas cell in Ramallah. The terrorists sent it overnight express to her.
  • Never wants to be captured alive.
  • She had several nick names mostly given to her by Tony they are as follows: Zee-Vah, Pocahontas, Mossad Hunting Dog, Crazy Chick, Sweet Cheeks and Crazy Ninja Chick, Sick Chick, Drunken Sailor with Emphysema
  • She likes the perfume 'Haviar Christian Number Five.'
    •
  • She and Tony went out to dinner at a fancy restaurant in Season 3's episode 'The Voyeur's Web' she has also cooked dinner for him after the season 3 episode 'Boxed in.'
  • In 'Switch' she tells Gibbs that her father told her as a child that you "can never trully know a person or thier secrets" as a child she believed him wrong but as an adult she believed it the only time her father had been truly honest with her.
  • Had a uncle who bread Arabian horses.
  • Her father taught her a proverb which translates to "a little fire can burn a lot of corn" 'Frame - Up'




  • A lot of people owe Ziva favours. She also has many contacts around the world.
  • Calms her nerves by cleaning her gun. She says it calms her mind and gets her focused on what she's meant to be doing.
  • Favourite drink is Berry Mango Maddness.
  • Enjoys playing the board game 'Battle Ship.'
  • Her mother wanted her to play with dolls when she was younger. Ziva's favourite doll was G.I. Joe.
  • Enjoys shopping when she is spending someone else's money.
  • “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” Edmund Burke is her favorite quote
  • Very good with kids as when watching Franks' granddaughter.













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    UNFORGETTABLE CHARACTER QUOTES

    (see all here quotes on this pages for season 3 and season 4)
    Ziva: "...spick and Spam."
    Tony: "It's spick and span. Spam is a type of lunch meat."
    Ziva: "Oh, ok. So what is 'span' then?"
    Tony: "Span, it's... I'll get back to you on that one."

    Her favourite quote is "All it takes for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing", hence working for the intelligence agencies. Her love interest (the man in the orange hat) also had this as his favourite quotation and motivation for inspecting nuclear installations for a living.

    To Abby when Abby is dressed in mauve polyester suit with teeter-totter heels:
    Ziva: "Well, Abby, I think you look nice."
    Abby: (outraged) "Nice? You think I look nice? I look like...like..."(spluttering)
    Tony: (in shock/awe) "Career Girl Barbie."

    When Tony complains about Ziva re-entering a building in order to defuse the bomb perched up on the rafters:
    Ziva: (calmly) "Well why are you following me, then?"
    Tony: (scared) "I don't freakin' know!!"

    Ziva walks in.
    Ziva: "Lions and spiders and bears, oh my!"

    Gibbs is interrogating a suspect, while Ziva and Tony look in.
    Ziva: (scoffing) "She is such a turd."
    Tony: "A what?"
    Ziva: "You know... A geek."
    Tony: "You mean a nerd."
    Ziva: "Whatever."
    When Tony suggests that she knows Roy Sanders (Dead Man Walking) through Internet dating.
    Ziva: "I will kill you eighteen different ways with this paper clip."

    Tony: [holding a letter] You ever lied to someone you love?
    Ziva: [pauses] yes.
    Tony: Did they ever forgive you?
    Ziva: They never found out

    Gibbs: (pauses) You wanna have children, Ziva?
    Ziva (splutters, guppy-style) Well..
    Gibbs: Its a simple question
    Ziva: I do not have a simple answer

    Tony: These are called feelings, Ziva
    Ziva: Feelings you need to let go
    Tony: That easy huh?
    Ziva: Tony, even if by some miracle Jeanne did forgive you, would you be willing to be Tony DiNardo full-time? To leave your entire life behind for her? You didn't think this through.
    Tony: Didn't you tell me that the heart wants what it wants?
    Ziva: No, actually I didn't.
    Tony: Well it does
    Ziva: Well it shouldn't.
    Tony: Really? This coming from the woman who fell in love with the dead man walking? (Ziva gives him the evil eye and yanks up his fly, hard)
    Ziva: You crossed the line, Tony. (she stalks out of the men's room)
    Tony: (incredulous) Oh!? I crossed the line?

    Ziva: Gibbs does not accept apologies. But I do.
    Tony: I'm sorry, Ziva, I know you were trying to help.
    Ziva: Did I?
    Tony: Um, I'll get back to you.

    Ziva: The dogs of war are about to taste the hair of the dogs.

    McGee: You know that's how Houdini died.
    Tony: Ziva, did you kill Houdini?
    Ziva: It is possible. I do not remember all their     names.

    Ziva: (being interrogated) I would hate to be misunderstood.
    Fornell: Does that happen often?
    Ziva: Once in a blue lagoon.

    Ziva: Uno mas, Si'l vous plait.
    Michael: You're mixing your languages.
    Ziva: And my liquors.

    Gibbs: Is that what this is about? You doubting your judgment?
    Ziva: I should have moved earlier.
    Gibbs: You woulda if you coulda.
    Ziva: I left it too late.
    Gibbs: You still took him out.
    Ziva: I almost died.
    Gibbs: But you didn't. You gotta trust your judgment Ziva. Moment you don't. It won't be almost.

    Ziva to Tony: (as he's gassing up the Mustang): "What do you want me to do - hold your nozzle?"

    Ziva: I am normal people!
    Tony: You're normal people like the people from "Ordinary People" are normal people.

    Ziva: If you want someone dead, you knock on their door, they answer you shoot them. Easy.

    Abby: Wanna talk knives?
    Ziva: Always.

    Ziva: Drip it!
    Ducky: Do you mean drop it or zip it?
    Ziva: American idioms drive me up the hall!

    DEFINING EPISODES | MEMORABLE SCENES
    • Kill Ari II: She is forced to face the corruption of both her brother and her father. She kills her brother to save Gibbs.
    • Hiatus: Ziva is unable to express her emotions over Gibbs injury to the rest of the team, resulting in the classic slap scene with Abby. However, in her effort to help Gibbs regain his memory she breaks down emotionally.
    • Shalom: When Ziva runs foul of the FBI and Mossad she tearfully calls Gibbs for help. The rest of the team pull together to help as well. It shows how much she has become a part of the team since her arrival.
    • Recoil: Killing a murder suspect and coming so close to death herself, affects Ziva in unexpected ways. She mistrusts her own instincts and perhaps wishes she could change her past.
    • Undercovers: While posing as husband and wife, Tony and Ziva let it get a little steamy!
    • Truth or Consequences: Ziva shows a strong emotional attachment to her team, she is willing to die for them
    • Reunion: Ziva is very emotionaly damaged, but wants to be part of the team and is willing to forgive everybody for lying to them
    In season 6 finale Aliyah, the closing scene is that of a captured Ziva in Horn of Africa, Somalia. She is being questioned for information on NCIS and has presumably been tortured since she is bound and has been beaten up and has a swollen eye.

    PHOTOS
    Ziva getting evidence
    Ziva David
    Frame Up
    Trying to save Ari
    Kill Ari Part 1
    Ziva armed
    Shalom
    Ziva laughing
    About Face
    Ziva
    Deception
    Ziva Season 6 Promo pic
    Season 6 Promo photo
    Season 4.01 Shalom
    Shalom

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