Eva Mendes

Eva Mendes was born on March 5, 1974 and hit the popularity charts with major Hollywood block-busters and box office grossers like 2 Fast 2 Furious, We Own the Night, Children of the Corn V-Fields of Terror and Hitch. She hails from Miami and is Cuban-American. Her childhood memories are full of her mother's struggle to ensure that little Eva had a good life. After her parents' divorce, her mother shifted to Los Angeles. Her father is an automobile salesman and her mother, an educationist. Eva is the youngest of four and actually aspired to be a nun, when she was very young. Her childhood memories are also those of being teased for her 'buck teeth'.

Eva Mendes completed her education at the Hoover High School, California and later attended California State University to major in Marketing. However, her meeting with boyfriend Zedrick Threatt, gave the world the Magic of Eva Mendes. Zedrick Threatt helped her to pursue an acting career. Her debut was not in any lead role but as an 'extra' and the prime aim was to make the little extra spending money. She appeared as an extra in various films, till she caught the fancy of an agent who convinced her that she had what Hollywood wanted in a star. It was at this time that Eva began to pursue acting more steadily and she worked on every project that came her way.

She appeared in a number of popular commercials and music videos. She appeared in 'Miami' with Will Smith and 'Se a Vida e' with the Pet Shop Boys. Eva can also be seen in the Aerosmith 1997 music video 'Hole In My Soul'. She has even appeared in guest roles in various soap operas and as a supporting actor in a number of films. Mendes struck big time with her roles in Children of the Corn V - Fields of Terror and A Night at the Roxbury. In the latter, she starred opposite Chris Kattan and Will Ferrell. She did admit to the media though that the main aim in being a part of the 'A Night at the Roxbury' team was to have fun!

She received acknowledgement for her appearance in the award-winning and critically-acclaimed film 'Training Day', and since she has never turned back. She has starred in box office grossers like Stuck on You and Once Upon A Time In Mexico. Her role as female lead in the comedy Hitch saw an increase in her fan following and demands on her performances. She was nominated at the Teen Choice Awards and went on to costar with Nicholas Cage in Ghost Rider and share the screen with Robert Duvall, Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Wahlberg in We Own The Night. Along with her acting career, she is playing Brand Ambassador for Revlon Cosmetics and has thus joined the line with the likes of Halle Berry and Cindy Crawford.

Eva Mendes is a supporter and active participant in the fight against breast cancer. She has graced the cover of Maxim twice over and ranks Number 7 in the 2007 Hot 100 polls issue. Mendes became a media hottie with her refusal to the Playboy magazine and naked appearance in Flaunt instead. She answered the media and fans by mentioning that although readers did get to see her bare back and buttocks, she was actually covering herself and dared only because she loved the magazine. She went on to declare that she found the whole affair liberating and fun.

Mendes posed nude for PETA or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals in their anti-fur campaign. She posed alongside the tagline: "Fur? I'd rather go naked!" She has shared the screen with Meg Ryan and Annette Benning in The Women, in 2008. The film is a joint venture of industry giants like HBO and New Line Cinema. Eva Mendes is Brand Ambassador for the 2008 Calendar of Campari, by reputed photographer Marino Parisotto.