Eva Mendes (born March 5, 1974) is an American actress, model and singer. She began acting in the late 1990s, and after a series of roles in B movies such as Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror (1998) and Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000), she made a career changing appearance in Training Day (2001). Since then she has co-starred in movies as including 2 Fast 2 Furious, Ghost Rider, We Own the Night. and the comedies Stuck on You, Hitch and The Other Guys.

She has appeared in several music videos and sung with CeeLo Green. Mendes has been a model and image person for Cocio chocolate milk, Magnum ice cream, Revlon, Calvin Klein, Cartier, Thierry Mugler perfume, Reebok, Campari apéritif, Pantene shampoo, Morgan and Peek & Cloppenburg clothes. She designed a fashion collection for New York & Company in 2013.

Mendes was born in Miami, Florida, to Cuban parents, and was raised by her mother in the Los Angeles suburb of Glendale after her parents’ divorce. Mendes was raised a Roman Catholic and at one time even considered becoming a Catholic Nun.

Her mother worked for an aerospace company and her father ran a meat distribution business. She attended Hoover High School in Glendale and later attended California State University, Northridge to study marketing, but left college and studied acting under Ivana Chubbuck.

Mendes began her acting career after a talent manager saw her photo in a friend’s portfolio. Her first film appearance was in the direct-to-video Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror. Mendes was disappointed in her performance and she hired an acting coach. She then appeared in the films A Night at the Roxbury, Mortal Kombat: Conquest, My Brother the Pig, The Disciples, Urban Legends: Final Cut and Exit Wounds.

Mendes’ breakthrough role came when she appeared in Training Day and led to roles in ‘All About the Benjamins’, ‘2 Fast 2 Furious’, ‘Once Upon a Time in Mexico’ (which earned her a nomination at the Teen Choice Awards), ‘Out of Time’ and ‘Stuck on You’. She was the female lead in the 2005 comedy Hitch and was one of the first minority actors to play the lead in a hit romantic comedy. She starred in The Wendell Baker Story, Guilty Hearts, Trust the Man, Ghost Rider, We Own the Night, Live! and Cleaner.

In 2008, she was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress for her performance in The Women. She appeared in The Spirit, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, The Other Guys, Last Night, Fast Five and the spoof video, Funny or Die. In 2012, Eva Mendes visited Sierra Leone and was featured in the PBS documentary Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. She starred in the 2013 movie The Place Beyond the Pines Entertainment Weekly described her performance as “quietly heartbreaking.”

Model and spokesperson.

Mendes appeared in Will Smith’s video “Miami” and the Pet Shop Boys’ music video for “Se a vida é (That’s the way life is)” in 1996 and Aerosmith’s video “Hole in My Soul” in 1997. She also appeared in the video for The End Has No End by The Strokes in 2004. Mendes was employed by Revlon Cosmetics as an international spokeswoman and participant in Revlon’s campaign to raise funds for breast cancer research. Mendes appeared nude in a print ad for Calvin Klein’s Secret Obsession perfume which was banned in the United States. In December 2007, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) used a nude photo of Mendes for their anti-fur campaign. She modelled in a Morgan campaign. Mendes was a spokesmodel for the 2008 Campari calendar. Mendes was announced as the international face of Australia’s 30 Days of Fashion & Beauty event in July 2008. She made guest appearances in that country at the month-long festival in September. Mendes has been a spokesperson for Calvin Klein, Magnum, and the chocolate milk brand Cocio. She also promoted Thierry Mugler’s Angel fragrance. Reebok shoes and Pantene shampoo. She appeared in a Peek & Cloppenburg clothing catalog in 2011.

Other.

Mendes has a line of bed linens and dinnerware that are sold at Macy’s. In 2010, Mendes sang on “Pimps Don’t Cry,” a song featured in The Other Guys and performed a duet with CeeLo Green on “Pimps Don’t Cry.” In 2011, she recorded a version of “The Windmills of Your Mind.”

Reception.

Mendes was voted as number four in the 2008 edition, and number one in the 2009 edition, of AskMen.com’s Top 99 Most Desirable Women. Maxim ranked Mendes number seven in its 2007 Hot 100 issue. She appeared on the cover of Maxim for the second time in November 2007. Maxim ranked Mendes #11 in its 2010 Hot 100 issue. People named her one of 2012 Most Beautiful at Every Age.

Personal life.

Mendes dated George Augusto from 2002 to 2010. In September 2011, she began dating her The Place Beyond the Pines co-star Ryan Gosling. On September 12, 2014, she gave birth to their daughter. Gosling and Mendes named their daughter Esmeralda Amada.

Mendes spent several weeks at the Cirque Lodge addiction facility in 2008 to address “personal issues” and refuses to disclose the details of her condition. Mendes practices Transcendental Meditation.

Filmography.
Last films performed.

Year Title Role Notes

2008 The Women Crystal Allen
2008 The Spirit Sand Saref
2009 The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans Frankie Donnenfeld
2010 The Other Guys Sheila Gamble
2010 Last Night Laura
2011 Fast Five Monica Fuentes (uncredited cameo)
2012 Holy Motors Kay M
2012 Girl in Progress Grace
2013 The Place Beyond the Pines Romina
2013 Clear History Jennifer
2014 Lost River Diana

Agencies/Various/Wiki/InternetPhotos/youtube/thecubanhistory.com
The Cuban History, Hollywood.
Arnoldo Varona, Editor.

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