Gerald McRaney plays Admiral Hollace Kilbride on NCIS Los Angeles.

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‘NCIS: Los Angeles’: Who Plays Admiral Kilbride’s Assistant, Shyla?

NCIS: Los Angeles has an interesting cast of recurring and guest characters. One new guest cast member arrived on the scene. Here's who plays Shyla, Admiral Kilbride's assistant.

by Sheiresa Ngo

Published on July 14, 2022

2 min read

Shyla on ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’

Gerald McRaney | CBS via Getty Images

We’re first introduced to Shyla during NCIS: Los Angeles Season 13 Episode 14, titled “Pandora’s Box.” The first team member Shyla meets is Agent Rountree. Admiral Kilbride (played by Gerald McRaney) is frustrated with how long the coffee maker is taking, so he walks off.

Shyla steps in and assists Kilbride with getting the coffee. “He’s more of an ‘Admiral Killjoy before his first cup of Joe. Am I right?” jokes Shyla.

Shyla explains she’s usually in Washington, but the director (Director Leon Vance, played by Rocky Carroll) thought Kilbride could use some help. She says Kilbride would never admit that he needs help because he can be stubborn.

Rountree was surprised Kilbride had an assistant, so he looked her up. He found that she “technically” works for the NCIS director in Washington but she’s also an NSA analyst. He also found out that she loves Pilates.

Who plays Shyla on ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’?

Shyla Dahr is played by Kavi Ramachandran Ladnier. One of her first acting roles was in a 1997 episode of Cosby titled “Lucas Platonicus.” In 2004, Ladnier appeared in an episode of Law & Order titled “Enemy.”

Ladnier made her daytime drama debut in a 2012 episode of General Hospital in which she played Dr. V. In 2016, she played Elaine Simmons in an episode titled “Drive.” Some of Ladnier’s other acting roles include appearances in CSI: Miami, The Sex Lives of College Girls, Heroes, and Dwelling.

Shyla was featured in an unusual ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’ episode

So far, Shyla has been in four NCIS: Los Angeles episodes. One of the most unusual shows was season 13 episode 16 (titled “MWD,” which stands for Military Working Dog).

During this episode, Shyla briefs the agents on a case where a dog (Boomer) is at the center of the investigation. This isn’t just any dog. This is a military working dog with an official title (Marine Master Sergeant).

Everyone is in a panic after it is discovered that Boomer has been kidnapped. He’s considered to be a retired member of the military, so a lot of effort is put into finding him and returning him safely.

At first, agents Devin Rountree and Fatima Nawazi (played by Medalion Rahimi) have a tough time wrapping their heads around a case like this, but they soon accept Boomer as a member of the military family. They get to work and put all their energy into locating Boomer in time.

The process is tiring and requires talking to many suspects, but the NCIS Los Angeles team eventually puts the clues together and finds Boomer. They were able to rescue him before he was harmed in a dog fighting ring.

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