Her first TV gig, wherein Cote went by the name Maria Jose de Pablo, was hosting the 1994 show “Control” alongside ET host Carlos Ponce. In 2000, Cote de Pablo made a guest appearance in the TV drama “The $treet,” followed by a small role in CBS TV drama, “The Education of Max Bickford.” In 2001, Cote appeared on the New York Public Theater stage, performing in a Shakespeare play “Measure for Measure” and went back to the small screen for small roles in “All My Children” and “When I Grow Up.” Cote de Pablo also voiced Melanie Sanchez for the video game, TOCA Race Driver.
By 2004, Cote de Pablo has been cast as Marguerite Cisneros in the FOX series “The Jury,” where she appeared in 10 episodes as Marguerite Cisneros. That same year, Cote also modeled for the “Rear View” ad campaign of Volkswagen. 2005 was a big year for de Pablo; Not only did she made a Broadway debut as Dolores Fuentes in “The Mambo Kings,” she was also cast for the role of Ziva David on the CBS drama, “NCIS.” Her work on the show led to a 2006 Imagen Award for Best Supporting Actress in Television. In 2008, Cote de Pablo was also nominated for another Imagen Award and an ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama TV Series.
Cote de Pablo will be appearing in the 2009 Western-style film, “The Last Rites of Ranson Pride,” a movie set in the early 1900s. Aside from working on film and TV gigs, de Pablo is also a songwriter and singer. She has performed a part of the Tom Waits song “Temptation,” which was featured on the NCIS episode “Last Man Standing.” Cote de Pablo’s performance of the whole song is included in the “NCIS: The Official TV Soundtrack,” which was released on February 2009. Cote also sings two songs on Robert Pitre’s “Vivo En Vida” album.