Eva Mendes was born in Miami, Florida but raised in Los Angeles of Cuban-American heritage. In college she began acting, studying underneath acting coach Ivana Chubbuck. This led to her desire to appear in feature films. Though taking many smaller roles in movies, she was little known until playing the girlfriend of Denzel Washington's character in Training Day (2001). Since then she has been featured in a wider range of roles, from comedic to dramatic. These gave her the ability to work with many highly regarded directors, such as Robert Rodriguez (Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003)), Carl Franklin (Out of Time (2003/I)), John Singleton (2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)), Antoine Fuqua (Training Day (2001)) and the Farrelly Bros. (Stuck on You (2003)).
Eva has co-starred in an independent film, The Wendell Baker Story (2005) with Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson and Will Ferrell, with Luke Wilson directing. Before that, her biggest movie was Hitch (2005/I), a romantic comedy that had her playing opposite Will Smith.
Along with acting, Eva is employed by Revlon Cosmetics as an international spokeswoman. She joins such elite actresses and models as Julianne Moore, Halle Berry and Cindy Crawford, who appear in Revlon's television and print ads. She is also a passionate supporter and active participant in Revlon's fight against breast cancer.
Eva's goals are to improve her acting skills by working with such contemporary directors/filmmakers as Steven Soderbergh, Spike Jonze and Pedro Almodóvar, and learning from such renowned directors as Federico Fellini and Michelangelo Antonioni.
Trivia
Was a marketing major at California State University Northridge where she dropped out to pursue acting.
Is Cuban-American.
Is writing a book titled "Crazy Leggs Beshee", inspired by her nieces and nephews, that introduces vocabulary, art, history and values through a medium kids understand.
Loves interior designing and would undertake this profession if not acting.
Her hobbies are music, sports (hiking, biking, skiing, and mountain climbing) and interior design.
Graduated from Herbert Hoover High School in Glendale, California. John Cho, Joseph Hahn and Alex Kalognomos were also students there.
Has a sister named Janet living in Los Angeles.
Has played Denzel Washington's wife/girlfriend twice, first in Training Day (2001) and again in Out of Time (2003/I).
Favourite films are The Shining (1980) and Blow-Up (1966)
Named #12 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2005 list.
Was among the guests at Jessica Simpson's 25th birthday party.
2005: Ranked as #53 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005" special supplement.
2002: Was featured as #54 in Maxim Magazine's "Hot 100 of 2002" supplement.
2004: Ranked as #80 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2004" special supplement.
2006: Named #44 in FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006" supplement.
Was the speaking voice ("Welcome to Miami, Bienvenido a Miami") in Will Smith's song, "Miami".
2007: Ranked #7 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 list.
Speaks Spanish fluently.
Was originally cast as Susan Ortega in Bruce Almighty (2003) but had to be replaced due to scheduling conflicts.
Has entered the Cinque Lodge rehab facility in Utah to battle substance abuse issues [February 7, 2008].
Ranked #7 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2008 list. (She was ranked #7 on the previous year's list, as well.).
Admires the film Network (1976), which inspired her to take up the film Live! (2007).
The youngest of four children. She has two sisters and one brother. She is the only member of her family to be born in the United States.
Frequently appears in Calvin Klein Underwear advertising campaigns with Irish male model Jamie Dornan (2009- ).
Was ranked #11 on Maxim magazine's Hot 100 of 2010 list.
Personal Quotes
. . . I feel I'll take on the responsibility of showing the world a whole different kind of Latin woman.
It's fun to be a woman. It's fun to flirt and wear makeup and have boobs.
The celebrity world can be so ugly. Everyone seems to have slept with everyone else and it's some sort of strange weird cycle. I don't want to get into that.
I don't go to premieres. I attend film openings I'm in, and that's about it. Fame and celebrity doesn't matter to me. The longevity of my career does.
I have the hugest . . . overbite. It's so big, my older brothers and sisters used to call me "Bugs". I looked like a bottle opener. But I've never fixed my bite because it's one of the things that makes me me. I used to get teased about the mole on my left cheek. In junior high the other kids would say, "You've got some chocolate on your face", and I fell for it every time. I said, "The minute I turn 18 I'm going to get that mole removed!" But I'm happy I didn't. My best feature is my big hips. I've got some nice childbearing hips, and I feel very proud of them. When I was younger I thought they were too big. I wanted to be slimmer. But now I totally embrace them.
I'm obsessed with Keira Knightley. I think that she's just got it down. She takes chances, she's edgy, but she's always a lady. She is so unconventionally beautiful.
I wanted to be a nun when I was very little. Well, that was until my sister told me that they don't get paid. Then I went off that idea quickly.
I know I walk a fine line between being a respected actor and being what they call a sex symbol. It's a hard one to walk if you want to be known as a real, credible actor. But I've never felt objectified. Nothing you see me do is an accident. I might act like it's an accident, but the opposite is true. I'm incredibly calculated when it comes to my career.