Eva Mendes is like most Latina actresses that show up in Hollywood looking to become an instant star. Most women, like Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz, worked long and hard at finally getting noticed for both their beauty and their talent, but for Eva, it wasn’t very difficult. As the youngest of four underneath a Cuban household, Eva was born in Houston, Texas in 1978 and experienced a colorful childhood that took her from Miami to Los Angeles, where she later grew up. As a marketing major at California State Northridge, Eva wasn’t drawn to the glitz and glamour of Hollywood until after she appeared in a short film to earn some extra money. Even then Eva still wasn’t very interested in the allure of the red carpet, but after a theater agent saw a photo of the Latin beauty at her photographer neighbor’s house, he convinced her to finish school and pursue a career in acting instead.
It didn’t take very long before Eva was getting a healthy supply of acting gigs, including music videos for Aerosmith and Will Smith, TV guest spots on “ER” and a short role in the B-movie cult horror flick, “Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror.” Eva continued to make her rounds as a supporting actress in films like “A Night at the Roxbury” and “Urban Legends: Final Cut” before finally nailing the part of Denzel Washington’s wife in “Training Day.” After receiving a little bit of attention for her performance alongside Denzel and Ethan Hawke, Eva suddenly became typecast as the sexy, but tough woman that led to her future roles in “2 Fast 2 Furious” and “Once Upon A Time in Mexico.”
So we all know that Eva can get it down in front of the camera, but have we mentioned that she also just so happens to be incredibly hot? With a pair of eyes and a set of lips like that – not to mention a banging body – its no wonder she’s hit the top 50 list for two of the largest men magazines on newsstands and a dedicated “Eva Mendes Day” celebrated every March 8th in Miami, Florida. Eva is on quite a good roll right now with a few major roles already in the bag, but it is going to take a little longer before she garners any genuine critical attention. Until then, at least we can enjoy another stunning delivery from south of the border; keep them coming boys!
Eva Mendes on the Screen
Eva became a star literally overnight after starring in a handful of films that quickly showed off her talents and her physique. Eva has also proven that she can play a pretty good officer of law as well, and has appeared as a cop (in some form) in three of her past five films, including “2 Fast 2 Furious,” “Once Upon a Time in Mexico” and “Out of Time.” She also played the wife of a cop in “Training Day” and starred alongside Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear as a ditsy Hollywood actress in “Stuck on You.”
“The Place Beyond the Pines” (2013)
Eva stars in this crime drama opposite Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper.
Eva Says
On being a woman:
“It’s fun to be a woman. It’s fun to flirt and wear makeup and have boobs.”
On her career:
“I want to be considered for a role Gwyneth Paltrow will be up for as well as Salma Hayek.”