Pauley Perrette

Pauley Perrette (born March 27, 1969) is a retired American actress and singer. She played Abby Sciuto in the television series NCIS from 2003 to 2018.

Early life Perrette was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Paul Perrett and Donna (née Bell) Perrett and raised throughout the southern United States. In a 2011 interview with the Associated Press, Perrette confessed her early ambitions were to work with animals, be in a rock and roll band, or be an FBI agent.

Perrette attended Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Georgia, where she studied criminal justice, and later moved to New York City to study at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. In New York, she held a variety of jobs: "Not only was I bartending in the club kids scene, with a bra and combat boots and a white Mohawk, but I also wore a sandwich board on roller skates passing out flyers for Taco Bell in the Diamond District." Perrette also worked as a cook on a Manhattan dinner cruise boat. On October 4, 2017, TV Guide reported that Perrette would be leaving the series at the end of the 15th season; she made her final appearance in the episode "Two Steps Back".

In addition to acting, Perrette is a poet and author (her short story "Cheers..." appears in the anthology Pills, Thrills, Chills, and Heartache: Adventures in the First Person). In 2007, she began production on a documentary about U.S. civil rights attorney and author Mark Lane. Entitled Citizen Lane, it was completed in 2013.

In a 2005 interview with Craig Ferguson, then host of The Late Late Show, Perrette said she has had a lifelong crime obsession. She was an undergrad student in sociology, psychology, and criminal science. She started her master's degree in criminal science before her career in the entertainment industry. Perrette began appearing in television commercials for Expedia.com in late 2010. She made a guest appearance as a judge on season four, episode six of RuPaul's Drag Race. As of winter 2018, her Q Score was 44, giving her the highest score of all current female television actors.

Perrette played the lead role as Jackie in the CBS sitcom Broke, which aired in 2020. In May 2020, Broke was cancelled after one season. On July 7, 2020, Perrette retired from acting.

Music Perrette recorded her song "Fear" (co-written with Tom Polce) under the name "Stop Making Friends". The song was recorded for NCIS: The Official TV Soundtrack which was released on February 10, 2009. "Fear" was featured in the NCIS episode "Aliyah" (season 6 episode 25), according to the soundtrack's website.

Prior to this, Perrette was the lead singer in the Los Angeles-based all-female band Lo-Ball, using the stage name "Pauley P." The song "Can't Get Me Down" by Lo-Ball is heard in the film Legally Blonde. Perrette appeared in "The Unnamed Feeling" video for heavy metal band Metallica from their album St. Anger. In 2011, Perrette was the featured vocalist on a song called "Fire in Your Eyes" by B. Taylor, a Las Vegas-based hip-hop artist. She also sang on the 2011 single "Attention Please" by DMC.

Personal life

Perrette married Canadian actor and musician Coyote Shivers in 2000; the couple separated four years later, with their divorce becoming final in 2006. She was granted restraining orders against him, alleging that he subjected her to physical, emotional, and sexual abuse during and after their marriage.

Perrette worked with America's Most Wanted in February 2004 to present the city of Prattville, Alabama, with a check for $10,000, to be used to supplement the reward offer for information leading to the arrest of the person who killed Shannon Paulk. Paulk was from Prattville, near where Perrette had once lived as a child. Perrette also donated $10,000 to Detroit law enforcement officials in 2007 to be used as a reward for information regarding the disappearance/murder of Raven Jeffries, a seven-year-old Detroit girl. (Perrette's then-partner was from Detroit.) The story originally aired on America's Most Wanted on September 8, 2007, on Fox. She also asked them for help in finding the person(s) who killed her friend Lisa Williamson, who was murdered in 2007 after her Detroit home was set on fire. In 2009, Perrette worked with America's Most Wanted on the case of Tammy Vincent.

Perrette supports many charitable organizations, including animal rescue organizations, the American Red Cross, civil rights organizations, and LGBT rights organizations. Perrette opposed the California ballot initiative Proposition 8 in 2008, writing a public letter in the fall of that year urging votes against the measure. She is a member of the Hollywood United Methodist Church.

She dated cameraman Michael Bosman for four years before their engagement; however, the two did not marry, saying they would wait until everyone can get married in the United States. They instead filed for all the legal protections that are available to same-sex couples. Bosman did not propose until the legalization of same-sex marriage in California in June 2008. The couple campaigned very publicly against Proposition 8. Perrette and Bosman split, and in December 2011 she announced her engagement to former British Royal Marine Thomas Arklie. She had again announced that the couple would not marry until Proposition 8 is invalidated.

Perrette, who is a natural blonde, was hospitalized in 2014 after "a severe allergic reaction to her [character's] trademark ink-black [hair] color." She told CBS News in Los Angeles that her face had swollen to twice its size and warned that "anyone out there [who] dyes their hair, particularly black, you need to be aware of the symptoms."

On November 12, 2015, Perrette was assaulted by a homeless man outside her Hollywood Hills home. Los Angeles Police arrested and charged the suspect with felony battery. Perrette later told Entertainment Tonight that she does not blame her attacker nor does she hold ill will against him.

Perrette co-owned Donna Bell's Bake Shop, named for her mother, in Manhattan, New York City. The shop closed in December 2020 after nearly 10 years of business.

On June 7, 2019, Perrette said she left NCIS due to an on-set dog-biting incident and alleged multiple physical assaults. She also stated that she was "terrified" of her former co-star Mark Harmon.

Perrette defended NCIS costar Michael Weatherly after he had been accused of sexual harassment by Eliza Dushku.

In September 2022, Perrette revealed that she had suffered a stroke in September 2021.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1997 The Price of Kissing Renee 1998 Hand on the Pump Hi-Girl Hoofboy Short film 2000 Civility Carolyn Almost Famous Alice Wisdom 2001 My First Mister Bebe 2002 The Ring Beth Red Skies Patty Peirson Hungry Hearts Cokie Conner 2003 Ash Tuesday Gina Mascara Brother Bear Female Lover Bear Voice 2004 Cut and Run Jolene A Moment of Grace Dr. Grace Peters 2005 Potheads: The Movie LuLu 2008 The Singularity Is Near Ramona 2010 Satan Hates You Marie Flowers 2011 Pride Angela Short film 2012 I Am Bad Mom Superman vs. The Elite Lois Lane Voice, direct-to-video 2016 People's Choice Awards Favorite Crime Drama TV Actress NCIS BTVA Special/DVD Voice Acting Awards Best Female Vocal Performance in a TV Special/Direct-to-DVD Title or Theatrical Short Scooby-Doo! And Kiss: Rock and Roll Mystery 2017 People's Choice Awards Favorite Crime Drama TV Actress NCIS