Five Fast Facts About Beloved NCIS: Los Angeles’s Hetty Lange

She’s hobnobbed and liaised with the likes of George Hamilton and Frank Sinatra. She ruled Nicaragua for 72 hours. And the ease at which she manipulates those around her has her earned the designation “tea-sipping Svengali.”

NCIS: Los Angeles — A True Leader

But exactly how much do you remember about Henrietta “Hetty” Lange on NCIS: Los Angeles — the show’s most feared and revered character?

Who Is Hetty Lange?
Lange was born on February 29, 1948, in a Refugee Camp in Bucharest. Her father passed away two months before her arrival, and her mother two days after. Both adults had spent the previous two years as prisoners of war inside a German Death Camp. While still housed at the camp, Lange was fostered by a Romanian family named Pavelenco.

Work Experience
Lange was recruited into the CIA on December 12, 1963. Her first undercover assignment was to pose as a journalist chronicling the exploits of the Ho Chi Minh regime in Saigon, Vietnam. After the Vietnam War, Lange was asked to spearhead the CIA Clandestine Unit, whose purpose was to rescue servicemen abandoned behind enemy lines.

Subsequently, Lange served under the auspice of the NSA and served as a member of a joint CIA/NCIS task force. She assumed the post of Operations Manager of the Los Angeles branch of the NCIS in 2008, replacing Lara Macy who was demoted to a “Quonset Hut in Dijibouti.”

Family Matters
Though never blessed with children of her own, Lange formed her own family through adoption, fostering, and mentoring. She legally adopted Grace Stevens, Lauren Hunter, Sullivan, and Grisha “G” Callen and then trained them to become agents for various branches of the U.S. Government.

Take This Job And Shove It
Hetty has resigned from her post on a number of occasions only to find herself either cajoled, forced, or manipulated back into the position. She first penned her letter of resignation in 1999 when Sullivan was killed in the line of duty.

A Matchmaker?
Despite seemingly content with her solo existence, Lange once warned Agent Kensi Blye not to make the same mistakes she had made in her youth. “You’re going to want to come home to more than just a collection of antique weapons.” Lange has shown herself to be a (somewhat hesitant) proponent of Kensi’s subsequent romance with Marty Deeks and she’s even attempted to pair Callen with a number of eligible ladies.

NCIS: Los Angeles will return to CBS’s Sunday night lineup on November 8. Check your local listings for airtimes.