Former 'NCIS' Star Pauley Perrette Traded Her Iconic Jet-Black Locks For 'Rainbow' Colors & Couldn't Look More Different

Jun 29, 2023 by apost team

“NCIS” has been on the air for nearly two decades. The television series first aired back in 2003 and has increasingly grown in popularity over the years, resonating with plenty of fans all across the United States. The show has also inspired a handful of spin-off series, and its stars have gone on to lead great lives filled with successful career ventures.

Pauley Perrette is most known for her role as Abby Sciuto in “NCIS,” a part she portrayed from 2003 until 2018. Fans were devastated by her departure from the show, but Perrette has stood by her choice to leave. The actress previously acted in minor roles in a few other TV shows. She is also known for her work as a singer and musician, with some of her music appearing in “NCIS” as well as other creative projects.

Perrette was born on Mar. 27, 1969, in New Orleans, Louisiana, and she was raised throughout the southern United States. She has lived in a plethora of places, including Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, New York, New Jersey and California. She studied criminal justice in Georgia and New York before she picked up a variety of jobs to make ends meet.

Perrette's childhood dream was to work with animals, be in a band or become an FBI agent. Fortunately for Perrette, she has been able to live out many of her dreams and help others while doing so. Today, Perrette is 54 years old and has proven that she is beautiful both inside and out as she continues to use her platform to speak out about important issues. 

Perrette has time and again shown just how important helping others is to her. In May 2018, Valdosta State University – Perrette’s alma mater – announced that the actress established the Pauley Perrette Scholarship to help female students majoring in criminal justice.

In a conversation with Punk Globe, Perrette said that she’s most proud of “doing good works, helping people, being a civil rights activist, serving my community” and “being an awesome pet owner.” She is also a supporter of many charitable organizations, including animal rescues, LGBTQIA+ rights groups and the American Red Cross. 

Perrette said in the interview that she became an actress by accident. She had been bartending and working in New York City clubs when she overheard someone say they made $3,000 doing a commercial; Perrette was intrigued.

“There was a director that took a liking to me and put me in a bunch of music videos and commercials,” she said. “That’s how it started.”

For 15 years, “NCIS” fans grew to know and love Perrette as forensic scientist Abby Sciuto, best known for her gothic style and her high enthusiasm and interest in her work. The role earned Perrette fame and recognition, making her one of the most popular actresses back in the early 2010s. She has also played Abby in a few episodes of “NCIS: Los Angeles” and “NCIS: New Orleans.”

Fans were heartbroken when Perrette announced her departure from the series back in 2018. The actress opened up about struggling to talk about all of the reasons why she chose to leave “NCIS,” but cited “multiple physical assaults” as the main factor in her decision. She tweeted: “Stay safe. Nothing is worth your safety. Tell someone.”

apost.com

Perrette later expressed her gratitude for all of her fans who have shown her love and support. She said:

“I hope that the fans will remember everything that Abby has taught all of us over the course of this entire run. I have learned from my fans just such an incredible love and support. Abby fans are incredible, they really are the best. I can’t imagine a fan group being any better than that.”

Before her final episode aired, Perrette spoke with People about how she’s always been interested in learning about cases, with her interest first piqued during her childhood.

“I was way too young to be obsessed with these things, but I would cut out every article – I really don’t like bad guys,” Perrette said. 

She has also worked closely with the Los Angeles Police Department and with John Walsh from “America’s Most Wanted.”

“(John and I) have so much in common because we are both obsessed with catching bad guys,” she said. “That’s how it all started. I really don’t like criminals. Life on planet Earth is hard enough.”

Today, Perrette is 54 years old and is continuing to prove just how beautiful she is both inside and out. While she explained in the past that her jet black hair and tattoos seen on “NCIS” were fake, her inner beauty has always been real. She is still involved with many charitable organizations and has continued to show an interest in helping others with her extensive knowledge of criminal justice. 

On television, fans have gotten to know and love Perrette as a variety of characters, but will continue to adore her for her long-time role as Abby on “NCIS,” staying on the show from 2003 to 2018. During this time, Perrette also acted in a few other shows including “Fantasy Hospital,” “When We Rise” and “FCU: Fact Checkers Unit.” She also lent her voice to the “Scooby Doo! And Kiss: Rock and Roll Mystery” video, as well as a few films.

Prior to “NCIS,” Perrette had already worked hard at trying to establish herself as an actress. In the mid to late 1990s, she was in “That’s Life,” “Moloney,” “Frasier” and “Murder One.” She was also in the movie “Almost Famous” alongside Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Patrick Fugit and Kate Hudson.

After leaving “NCIS,” Perrette appeared to take a short break from the entertainment world, but was back at it just a few years later in 2020 with the TV series “Broke.” While she made a name for herself in crime and police procedural series, Perrette proved that her acting abilities were very versatile as she performed well as Jackie Dixon in the sitcom “Broke.” 

Perrette played the role of the single mother who worked as a bartender while attempting to start her own business. In the series, familial troubles later ensued, leading to further character development. The show also starred Jamie Camil, Natasha Leggero and Antonio Raul Corbo. Unfortunately, it only aired from April 2020 to June 2020, and was canceled after just one season.

The former “NCIS” star has seemingly retired from acting and has instead redirected her focus to more philanthropic endeavors. Fortunately fans can still watch Perrette in videos on her YouTube channel, as she has uploaded several personal stories in video format over the years. People have also been able to see just how much Perrette has changed during her time in the spotlight.

Online, she has shown more of her charitable actions and work toward advocating for others, as well as just giving fans a small peek into her personal life. However, the channel has been used sporadically over the years, as there was a 9-year gap between two videos.

And while Perrette has shown time and again that she is excellent at catching bad guys on TV, she has unfortunately run into some pretty scary experiences in her real life. According to Extra TV, the actress was brutally attacked by a homeless man outside her Hollywood Hills home in November 2015. Perrette had been walking to her guest house to meet with an architect around 5 p.m. when the attack took place.

Needless to say, Perrette was very shaken up from the incident and went to Twitter to express her concerns. “On my street, I was jumped by a very psychotic homeless man,” she wrote, as per Extra TV. “He grabbed me so forcefully, pinned my arm and punched me in the nose and forehead. He (kept) repeatedly telling me he was going to kill me. Then he showed me how he was going to kill me.”

Sadly, it didn’t seem like anyone was there to help Perrette in her time of need, as she explained that a neighbor walked by shortly after the attack and his dog took notice of her, but neither of them did anything to help. She was later able to text her friend who lived next door and her other friend who was a cop and drew a sketch of her attacker to give to the police. The police found the suspect at a nearby convenience store and held him on a $100,000 bond, according to Extra TV.

Perrette reflected:

“I am shaked an traumatized. My house, my beloved Hollywood. My beloved homeless people that I spend my life protecting. My life changed tonight. My… I don’t know. We need full mental health care. We need housing and help for the homeless. We need to support our cops. We need to not walk alone. I need to heal. I almost died tonight.”

Unfortunately, Perrette was reminded of this 2015 attack a few years later in 2022 when she heard the news of a woman named Brianna Kupfer who was killed by a homeless man. The “NCIS” star went to Twitter to share her condolences for the woman and her personal worries about the area. 

She wrote:

“Murdered by a homeless man with a long crime record. November 2015… Me. A crazed homeless guy with a long record attacked and tried to kill me. The list of those attacked or killed by criminal homeless in L.A. is too long to type here. Hollywood is terrifying. RIP.”

Despite the horrifying incident she encountered in November 2015, Perrette has continued to use her platform to help those in need and to spread a positive message about giving back to others. In December 2020, Perrette did her part to help several families in need as they approached the holiday season and were still living in uncertainty regarding the pandemic. 

According to FOX 11, Perrette donated cash to a Los Angeles community alongside Fox 11 anchorman Elex Michaelson. The two friends have worked together for many years on a number of charity projects to give back to their community.

“Philanthropy and giving is more contagious than a virus,” Perrette said. She helped out a man named Jessie who had worked for the Special Needs Network for more than 10 years. In 2020, he was diagnosed with lymphoma and he was struggling to pay for his hospital bills along with buying gifts for his loved ones – including his grandchildren. Thankfully, the “NCIS” actress was there to help. “Thanks to Pauley… we’ve got $3,000 in cash,” Michaelson told Jessie.

Perrette and Michaelson also helped a woman named Sylvia, who had many family members who were sick throughout the year. Her husband was also injured and unable to work. Again, the pair of friends gifted the woman and her family $3,000, but Sylvia had other plans. “I hope Pauley doesn’t mind,” she said. “I’m going to give it back to my community. I’m going to help out.”

It looks like Perrette’s kindness has truly inspired others to follow in her footsteps!

While Perrette has continued to show just how kind-hearted she is over the years, her outer appearance has changed from time to time. Fans became familiar with seeing the actress with jet black hair for several years, but it wasn’t always as glamorous behind the scenes as it appeared on television.

According to CBS News, Perrette warned fans about potential dangers and health risks from hair dye after suffering a severe allergic reaction to it back in 2014. Surprisingly, Perrette is a natural blonde and had to dye her hair frequently to obtain her trademark color. She dyed her hair for 20 years. 

Perrette was taken to the hospital after breaking out in a rash and severe swelling. “The other half of my face had become twice the size of my head,” she explained. The actress continued, “The most important thing to me is that anyone out there that dyes their hair, particularly black, you need to be aware of the symptoms.” In addition, the allergic reaction prompted her to consider trying out wigs for future work endeavors.

However, the scare didn’t turn Perrette away from dyeing her hair later on. In November 2021, she posted a series of photos on Twitter showing off her bright, colorful rainbow hair. She mentioned that she did it herself in the tweet and wrote, “I’m a rainbow!!!”

And in June 2022, it looked like Perrette was still rocking her colorful locks. She posted a photo of herself with “NCIS” actor Brian Dietzen on Twitter, looking happy that they were able to reunite.

Although she hasn’t acted since 2020, there’s no telling how this 54-year-old actress will surprise fans next. We can’t wait to see what else Perrette does in the future! 

What do you think about Pauley Perrette’s career and her life dedicated to helping others? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to any “NCIS” fans you know!