36 Facts About Eva Mendes

1.

Eva de la Caridad Mendez, known professionally as Eva Mendes, is an American actress, model and fashion designer.

2.

Eva Mendes's acting career began in the late 1990s, with a series of roles in films such as Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror and Urban Legends: Final Cut.

3.

Eva Mendes starred in Ghost Rider and The Spirit, both film adaptations of comics, and ventured into more dramatic territory with We Own the Night, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, Last Night, and The Place Beyond the Pines.

4.

Eva Mendes has been in a relationship with Canadian actor Ryan Gosling since 2011, and they have two daughters.

5.

Eva Mendes's mother worked at Mann's Chinese Theatre and later for an aerospace company, and her father ran a meat distribution business.

6.

Eva Mendes has an older sister, Janet, and a younger paternal half-brother, Carlos Alberto "Carlo" Mendez.

7.

Eva Mendes attended Hoover High School in Glendale, and later studied marketing at California State University, Northridge, but left college to pursue acting under Ivana Chubbuck.

8.

Eva Mendes began her acting career after a talent manager saw her photo in a friend's portfolio.

9.

Eva Mendes was disappointed in her performance and soon hired an acting coach.

10.

Eva Mendes subsequently took on the roles of a bridesmaid in the comedy A Night at the Roxbury, with Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan, a housekeeper in the fantasy family film My Brother the Pig, with Scarlett Johansson, and that of an ill-fated film student in the slasher film Urban Legends: Final Cut.

11.

Eva Mendes appeared in the Steven Seagal action thriller Exit Wounds, which made over US$73 million worldwide.

12.

Eva Mendes's breakthrough came later in 2001 with her performance as the mistress of a corrupt cop in Antoine Fuqua's crime thriller Training Day, alongside Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke.

13.

Eva Mendes reunited with Denzel Washington for the thriller Out of Time, in which she played the soon-to-be ex-wife of a well-respected chief of police.

14.

Eva Mendes starred as the love interest of a professional dating consultant, in her next film, Hitch, which made her one of the first minority actors to play the lead in a mainstream romantic comedy.

15.

Eva Mendes brings her game up so high you'd think she has had as many good parts as Smith.

16.

In 2005, Eva Mendes starred in the little-seen films The Wendell Baker Story and Guilty Hearts.

17.

Eva Mendes starred opposite Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Wahlberg in the thriller We Own the Night, as the girlfriend of an NYPD captain's brother.

18.

In 2008, Eva Mendes took on the role of a perfume salesgirl in Saks Fifth Avenue in the all-female comedy The Women, opposite Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Debra Messing, and Jada Pinkett Smith.

19.

Eva Mendes played the femme fatale Sand Saref in 2008's The Spirit, based on the newspaper comic strip of the same name by Will Eisner.

20.

Eva Mendes reunited with previous collaborators Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg for the action comedy The Other Guys, in which she portrayed the wife of a mild-mannered forensic NYPD accountant.

21.

In 2011, Eva Mendes appeared in an uncredited cameo in Fast Five, reprising her role from 2 Fast 2 Furious.

22.

Eva Mendes visited Sierra Leone and was featured in the PBS documentary Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, which aired in October 2012.

23.

In 2013, Eva Mendes appeared in the HBO comedy film Clear History, as a formerly heavy-set woman, and in 2014, she starred as a cabaret show performer in Ryan Gosling's directorial debut Lost River, which competed in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival.

24.

Eva Mendes appeared in the music video for The Strokes' "The End Has No End" in 2004.

25.

In 2005, Eva Mendes was employed by Revlon as an international spokesperson, and participated in their campaign to raise funds for breast cancer research.

26.

Eva Mendes appeared nude in a 2008 print advertisement for Calvin Klein's Secret Obsession perfume, an ad that United States network executives found too risque for broadcasting.

27.

Eva Mendes has been a spokesperson for Calvin Klein, Magnum, and the chocolate milk brand Cocio.

28.

Eva Mendes promoted Thierry Mugler's Angel fragrance, Reebok shoes, and Pantene shampoo.

29.

Eva Mendes has a line of bed linens and dinnerware that is sold at Macy's.

30.

Eva Mendes is the creative director of the makeup brand CIRCA Beauty, which launched exclusively at Walgreens in 2015.

31.

In 2010, Eva Mendes sang "Pimps Don't Cry," a song featured in The Other Guys, and performed a duet with CeeLo Green with the same song.

32.

Eva Mendes featured in the single "Miami" sung by Will Smith which was released in 1998.

33.

Eva Mendes ranked 54th, 12th, 7th, 7th, and 11th in Maxim magazine's Hot 100 issue in 2002,2005,2007,2008, and 2010 respectively, and appeared several times on the cover.

34.

Eva Mendes was voted number four in the 2008 edition, and number one in the 2009 edition, of AskMen.

35.

Eva Mendes was in a relationship with filmmaker George Augusto from 2002 to 2010.

36.

Eva Mendes is a pescatarian for both ethical and health reasons.