NCIS: Who Plays Ziva's Half Brother, Ari Haswari?
"NCIS" is one of those shows where just about every character has a dark secret or two, but even so, Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) stands out. This is not just because of her Mossad connections and private personality but also because her half brother, Ari Haswari, is a dangerous terrorist — which puts the siblings on the exact opposite ends on the sliding scale of Leroy Jethro Gibbs' (Mark Harmon) approval.
Haswari is just as good as Ziva is, but decidedly more villainous. He also has enough blood on his hands for Gibbs to consider him his worst enemy. As such, the role requires quite a bit from the actor playing Haswari, but fortunately, Rudolf Martin has what it takes ... and then some.
Martin is a German actor who's known for his villainous roles. He's portrayed Dracula in multiple projects, including an episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Haswari isn't his only creepy TV drama villain either, with the actor having played antagonists like Drazen syndicate assassin Jonathan Matievich on "24," serial killer Cameron Klinefield on "CSI," and Jürgen Richter on "S.W.A.T." Fans of "Dexter" may also remember him as Carlos Guerrero, a notable Season 6 villain whose deadly drug kingpin antics put him on a collision course with Sgt. James Doakes (Erik King).
Could Rudolf Martin return in the series' future?
Rudolf Martin's Ari Haswari might not make a realistic villain for the "NCIS" heroes, but it's hard to name a more memorable one. His cunning nature, charismatic portrayal, and past that offers insight into his brutal actions make for a memorable antagonist — and it doesn't exactly hurt that he's connected to Ziva, one of the more popular characters on the show. Ziva and Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly), aka Tiva, make for a fan-favorite couple, and with DiNozzo's return on "NCIS" Season 21, there's always a chance that Ziva might also make an appearance at some point down the line. But what about Haswari?
Unfortunately for fans who appreciate Martin's portrayal of Haswari, the dangerous "NCIS" villain is quite dead after the very accurately named two-part Season 3 finale, "Kill Ari." On the other hand, that hasn't kept the antagonist down. Haswari has already managed to creep back onto the show for the Season 9 episode "Life Before His Eyes," albeit in hallucination form. Considering how many times "NCIS" has mentioned him even after that, it wouldn't be half surprising if the character somehow managed to return for yet another on-screen role in one way or another.