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"I've always hated criminals and crime. Life is hard enough without someone walking into your life on purpose and making it worse." Pauley Perrette is an American actress who is most well-known for portraying Abby Sciuto on NCIS. Perrette has been working in the entertainment industry since 1994, and she has appeared in notable projects such as Almost Famous, Brother Bear, and Superman vs. The Elite. Perrette is slated to star in her own television series in 2020 titled Broke.

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Early Life and Education

Pauley Perrette was born on March 27, 1969, in New Orleans, Louisiana. As a child, Perrette spent the majority of her life traveling throughout the southern half of the United States. In an interview with Craig Ferguson, Perrette revealed that she had lived in California, New Jersey, New York, both Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee.

Before stepping away from her private life in order to embrace the world of celebrity, Perrette attended several prestigious institutions while pursuing her education. After moving to Valdosta, GA, Perrette would go on to attend Valdosta State University. While in attendance at the university, Perrette pursued a degree in criminal justice. Valdosta State University, commonly shortened to VSU, is one of the four major universities in the University System of Georgia. Valdosta State University has been in operation since 1906. Notable alumni from the university include Ray McKinnon,  6lack, and Deborah Fordham.

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After moving from Georgia to New York, Perrette would transfer to the John Jay College of Criminal Justice to continue her studies. The John Jay College of Criminal Justice, often shortened to just John Jay, is a public college located in the Big Apple. As one of the few liberal arts colleges with a criminal justice focus, John Jay is an immensely popular institution. The school first opened its doors in 1964 and has since gone on to produce a number of notable scholars, politicians, performers, and law enforcement professionals.

Award Winning Work on NCIS

While attending school in New York City, Perrette would spend a significant portion of her time working at odd-jobs just to make ends meet. Perrette would work as a bartender, a sandwich board advertiser, and even a skater who passed out flyers for a number of retail shops in the city.

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While Perrette made her professional acting debut in the early 90s, it wouldn't be until 2001 that Perrette found momentum on her side. After being cast as a recurring character in Special Unit 2, Perrette would gain the attention of the casting team behind NCIS (2003). As a result, Perrette would be brought onboard to read for Abby Sciuto, the eccentric and intelligent forensic scientist that fans have grown to love over the years. The character had been crafted by Donald P. Bellisario as someone who was extremely alternative and extraordinarily intelligent. Bellisario had wanted an actress who could portray the 'smartest character on television'.

During Perrette's time as Abby Sciuto, she would become one of the wealthiest and most well-known actors on television. Perrette would appear in 354 episodes for the program before having her character written off to explore other projects. By the time that she hung up the forensic scientist gloves, Perrette had tied Tom Hanks and Morgan Freeman with the best Q Score in the entertainment industry. Furthermore, Perrette was the only woman to make the top 10 list. For those that don't know, a 'Q Score' is a marketing metric that associates fan reaction to a specific brand. Perrette's high score showed that she was an iconic and well-liked performer for a very long time.

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Outside of her work on NCIS, Perrette has made a name for herself as an activist and a prominent supporter of law enforcement, animal rights, and LGBTQ rights. Perrette also has begun to expand her business empire with her own store, Donna Bell's Bake Shop in Manhattan.