Daniela Ruah is reflecting on the year gone by as she prepares for a fresh start in the new year—just in time to celebrate her 41st birthday.
The Portuguese-American actress, best known for her role as Kensi Blye on NCIS: Los Angeles, marked her special day with a heartfelt post on Instagram. After saying goodbye to the show last May, following its cancellation after 14 seasons, Daniela has been embracing a year of growth and change. In her post, she shared a photo of herself walking along the beach and later jumping for joy.
“This is happy. This is fulfilled. This is still growing. This is learning. This is making mistakes,” she wrote in the caption. “This is still jumping for joy. This is loving. This is guiding. This is being guided. This is talking. This is listening. This is still figuring out parts of myself. This is evolving. This is mothering. This is wifing.” She ended with: “This is 41. Thank you for the beautiful messages I’ve received all day.”
Her followers were quick to share their well wishes, with many celebrating her talent and kindness. One fan wrote, “Happy Birthday to a great actor & director… and to an even greater person.”
Married to David Paul Olsen since 2014, Daniela has two children—11-year-old son River and 8-year-old daughter Sierra. The couple’s love story began when Daniela was introduced to David by his brother, NCIS: LA co-star Eric Christian Olsen.
Though NCIS: LA ended in 2023, Daniela remains connected to the franchise, recently directing episodes for both NCIS and the now-canceled NCIS: Hawai’i. She also starred in the Portuguese mini-series A Espia (The Spy), which premiered in 2020.
