Daniela Ruah

Early life

Ruah was born in Boston, U.S., to Jewish parents from Portugal, where her mother is an otologist and her father is an ENT surgeon. When Ruah was 5, the family moved back to Portugal, where she attended St Julian's School and, at 16, began acting in telenovelas. She won a Portuguese-television dance competition.

Ruah moved to the UK at the age of 18 and earned a Bachelor of Arts in performing arts from London Metropolitan University. She returned to Portugal where she continued acting, and in 2007 moved to New York City to study at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute.

Ruah stated that she grew up in an environment that was both Sephardic and Ashkenazi; her father is of Portuguese-Jewish ancestry, and her mother's Jewish roots are in Russia, Ukraine and Portugal. She holds Portuguese and American citizenship.

Career

Ruah started acting in Portuguese soap operas when she was a teen. She made her acting debut at 16, when she played Sara on the soap opera Jardins Proibidos ("Forbidden Gardens").

At 18, Ruah moved to London to attend college. After graduation, she returned to Portugal to pursue her acting career. She was the winner of the celebrity dance 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 starred as Special Agent Kensi Blye in NCIS: Los Angeles, which first aired on September 22, 2009. In 2011, she portrayed the character in a crossover guest appearance on the series Hawaii Five-0.

In 2013, Ruah appeared in David Auburn's play Proof at Los Angeles' Hayworth Theatre.

On January 8, 2018, it was confirmed that Ruah would co-host the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 in Lisbon, Portugal alongside Catarina Furtado, Sílvia Alberto and Filomena Cautela.

Personal life

Ruah has a distinguishable birthmark in her right eye, called the nevus of Ota.

Ruah married David Olsen, the older brother and stunt double of Ruah's NCIS: Los Angeles co-star Eric Christian Olsen, in an interfaith ceremony on June 19, 2014. Olsen is Lutheran. They have a son, River Isaac Ruah Olsen (born December 30, 2013), and a daughter, Sierra Esther Ruah Olsen (born September 4, 2016).

Filmography

Acting

Directing

References

References

1. "Daniela Ruah profile". [[TV Guide.
2. Sancton, Julian. (August 8, 2011). "Daniela Ruah Officially Checks In". [[Esquire (magazine).
3. (October 19, 2009). "Hollywood movie and major LA pilot for London Met graduate". [[London Metropolitan University]].
4. Henerson, Evan. (November 8, 2012). "Film Fest celebrates Sephardim". [[The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles.
5. "IMDB Daniela Ruah".
6. Gostin, Nicki. (February 29, 2012). "Meet the 'NCIS:LA' star who won 'Dancing' in another country". [[CNN]].
7. Ventura, Maria Ana. (November 1, 2011). "Daniela Ruah – Shoot for the stars".
8. Gonzalez, Sandra. (September 7, 2011). "'NCIS: LA' exec producer spills on Kensi's trip to 'Hawaii Five-0', possibility of another crossover".
9. King, Susan. (May 7, 2013). "The Whitmore family will never grow out of this stage". [[Los Angeles Times]].
10. (January 8, 2018). "Quatro mulheres apresentam Festival Eurovisão da Canção em Lisboa". Rádio e Televisão de Portugal.
11. "Here come the girls! Presenters of Eurovision 2018 revealed!". European Broadcasting Union.
12. Miller, Gerri. (August 28, 2014). "NCIS: Los Angeles' Daniela Ruah on Interfaith Marriage and Motherhood".
13. Frith, Vanessa. (June 19, 2014). "'NCIS: LA' Daniela Ruah & David Olsen Marry". Enstarz.com.
14. Ruah, Daniela. (June 21, 2014). "Just lived the best week of my life; I married my best friend. [...]".
15. Rizzo, Monica. (September 16, 2013). "Baby Boy on the Way for Daniela Ruah". [[Meredith Corporation]].
16. (January 5, 2014). "Daniela Ruah Welcomes Son River Isaac". [[Meredith Corporation]].
17. Ruah, Daniela. (September 7, 2016). "Apparently she thought Labor Day weekend [...]".
18. (September 7, 2016). "Daniela Ruah Welcomes Daughter Sierra Esther". [[Meredith Corporation]].
19. Soll, Lindsay. (June 14, 2010). "Teen Choice Awards 2010: First Round Of Nominees Announced".
20. "Rabo de Peize". moviepilot.de.