NCIS: Los Angeles' Daniela Ruah Is California Dreamy

Fun in the sun with this fabulous secret agent woman

Like her character, Special Agent Kensi Blye, Daniela Ruah blends feminine mystique and tomboy tough—in fact, she's dabbled in doing her own stunts. Our investigation of NCIS: Los Angeles' sexy star reveals a fascinating and stunningly versatile actress, who gets even more gorgeous (if that's possible) in these fashion photos.

Scroll to see her glamorous pics for Watch! Magazine on location at the Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara, plus learn fascinating tidbits about Daniela Ruah.

Photography by Cliff Lipson. Originally published in Watch! Magazine, June 2012.

Watch NCIS: Los Angeles on Sundays at 9/8c on CBS and CBS All Access.

Heaven scent

Fun fact: Daniela Ruah never walks out of her set trailer without putting on perfume. One of her favorite fragrances? Bombshell.

Photography by Cliff Lipson. Originally published in Watch! Magazine, June 2012.

Watch NCIS: Los Angeles on Sundays at 9/8c on CBS and CBS All Access.

Let me entertain you

Born in Boston but raised mostly in her parents' native Portugal, Ruah decided early on that, despite coming from a family of doctors, she wanted to perform.

Photography by Cliff Lipson. Originally published in Watch! Magazine, June 2012.

Watch NCIS: Los Angeles on Sundays at 9/8c on CBS and CBS All Access.

Action figure

Like her character, Ruah prefers to be at the center of the action. She's been known to plead with the stunt coordinator to let her do as many of her own stunts as possible.

Photography by Cliff Lipson. Originally published in Watch! Magazine, June 2012.

Watch NCIS: Los Angeles on Sundays at 9/8c on CBS and CBS All Access.

Real character

"Kensi's not too far off from who I am. The longer I play her, the more we jell into each other."—Daniela Ruah

Photography by Cliff Lipson. Originally published in Watch! Magazine, June 2012.

Watch NCIS: Los Angeles on Sundays at 9/8c on CBS and CBS All Access.

Casting call

Daniela Ruah got her first big acting break on a popular Portugese soap opera.

Photography by Cliff Lipson. Originally published in Watch! Magazine, June 2012.

SUBSCRIBE: For More Stunning Photos Of Your Favorite TV Stars, Subscribe To Watch!

Watch NCIS: Los Angeles on Sundays at 9/8c on CBS and CBS All Access.

Soap dish

"A lot of people joke about soap operas, but there's no better training. In no [other] job will you have as many lines to learn, in as short an amount of time, with as complicated a plot. It was the biggest lesson of my life."—Daniela Ruah

Photography by Cliff Lipson. Originally published in Watch! Magazine, June 2012.

Watch NCIS: Los Angeles on Sundays at 9/8c on CBS and CBS All Access.

Dancing queen

Fun fact: Inspired by her love of dance, Ruah competed on—and won!—the first season of Danca Comigo, Portugal's version of Dancing with the Stars.

Photography by Cliff Lipson. Originally published in Watch! Magazine, June 2012.

Watch NCIS: Los Angeles on Sundays at 9/8c on CBS and CBS All Access.

Budding linguist

Besides acting chops, Daniela Ruah has great language skills. She's fluent in English and Portugese, and speaks conversational Spanish and French.

Photography by Cliff Lipson. Originally published in Watch! Magazine, June 2012.

Watch NCIS: Los Angeles on Sundays at 9/8c on CBS and CBS All Access.

California dreamin'

On her first trip to Los Angeles, which happened to be for her NCIS: Los Angeles call back, she got the gig.

Photography by Cliff Lipson. Originally published in Watch! Magazine, June 2012.

Watch NCIS: Los Angeles on Sundays at 9/8c on CBS and CBS All Access.

Sistine Chapel dreams

Fun fact: She is a big fan of Renaissance art, namely Michelangelo's.

Photography by Cliff Lipson. Originally published in Watch! Magazine, June 2012.

Watch NCIS: Los Angeles on Sundays at 9/8c on CBS and CBS All Access.

Memorable vacation

She loves to travel and besides home (Lisbon, Portugal), one of her favorite destinations is Cuba.

Photography by Cliff Lipson. Originally published in Watch! Magazine, June 2012.

Watch NCIS: Los Angeles on Sundays at 9/8c on CBS and CBS All Access.

Career ambition

"The goal is to work as much as possible in projects I respect and that will help me grow. No actor has a flawless career, but in the long term, I'd like my name to be synonymous with good quality." – Daniela Ruah

Photography by Cliff Lipson. Originally published in Watch! Magazine, June 2012.

Watch NCIS: Los Angeles on Sundays at 9/8c on CBS and CBS All Access.