Why Roberta Deeks on ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’ Looks So Familiar

Roberta Deeks is not just Special Investigator Marty Deeks’ mother on NCIS: Los Angeles. Pamela Reed began portraying Deeks’ eccentric mother on the during Season 7. For the remainder of the series, she appeared in an additional 13 episodes. Whether it was to embarrass her son or meet her adoptive granddaughter, Roberta always came in swinging. She also made things interesting at times, and seeing Deeks squirm because of some of her actions was also the icing on the cake.

Before she portrayed Roberta Deeks, Reed had an extensive filmography going back to 1976. In 1977, she had a series regular role in the short-lived CBS drama The Andros Targets. She portrayed Sandi Farrell, the assistant to an investigative reporter who specializes in uncovering corruption. The series only lasted for 13 episodes, airing from January to May 1977.

Pamela Reed would then go on to appear in a number of films on the big and small screen. One of those included the fan-favorite action comedy Arnold Schwarzenegger-led film Kindergarten Cop as Detective Phoebe O’Hara in 1990. She also lent her voice to The Simpsons during the early seasons in multiple episodes as the Simpsons’ next-door neighbor, Ruth Powers. Other projects include The Home Court, JAG, Life of the Party, and L.A. Law.

Perhaps one of her more notable roles is as Gail Green in the CBS post-apocalyptic drama Jericho. Running for two seasons between 2006 and 2008, the series centered on the residents of the fictional Jericho, Kansas after a nuclear attack on 23 major cities in the U.S. While the network canceled the series after its first season due to low ratings, a fan campaign persuaded the network to bring the series back for a second season. After it was canceled again after the seven-episode Season 2, Jericho continued in the form of a comic book series for Seasons 3 and 4.

After Jericho, Pamela Reed had a memorable recurring role on Parks and Recreation as Leslie’s mother, Marlene Griggs-Knoppe. Also a major political figure in Pawnee’s school system, Marlene was a cunning politician who would do anything to get her way. While the two have very different standards, Leslie, of course, always saw her mother as a source of inspiration. Reed only appeared in nine episodes of the NBC workplace sitcom, but it was entertaining each time.

As of now, NCIS: Los Angeles is her most recent project, but according to IMDb, she has two projects in the works. The Burial will be premiering at Toronto International Film Festival next month, and Asleep at the Wheel is in production. With the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, it could be a while until the latter comes out, but fans should know that Pamela Reed isn’t slowing down any time soon. Though it will be sad to no longer see her as Roberta Deeks on NCIS: Los Angeles.