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.
Contents[]
[hide] *1 Early life
Early life[]
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.[2][2] Her mother worked for an aerospace company and her father ran a meat distribution business.[3] 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.[4]
Career[]
Actress[]
[1][2]Mendes at the 2009 Venice Film Festival
Mendes began her acting career after a talent manager saw her photo in a friend's portfolio.[5] 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.[6] 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[6] 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.[7] 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.[8] 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.[9] In 2012, Eva Mendes visited Sierra Leone and was featured in the PBS documentary Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide.[10] She starred in the 2013 movie The Place Beyond the Pines[11]Entertainment Weekly described her performance as "quietly heartbreaking."[12]
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.[13] Mendes appeared nude in a print ad for Calvin Klein's Secret Obsession perfume which was banned in the United States.[14] In December 2007, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) used a nude photo of Mendes for their anti-fur campaign.[15] She modelled in a Morgan campaign.[16] Mendes was a spokesmodel for the 2008 Campari calendar.[17] 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.[18] Mendes has been a spokesperson for Calvin Klein,[19] Magnum,[20] and the chocolate milk brand Cocio.[21] She also promoted Thierry Mugler's Angel fragrance.[22] Reebok shoes[23] and Pantene shampoo.[24] She appeared in a Peek & Cloppenburg clothing catalog in 2011.[25]
Other[]
Mendes has a line of bed linens and dinnerware that are sold at Macy's.[26][27][28] In 2010, Mendes sang on "Pimps Don't Cry," a song featured in The Other Guys[29] and performed a duet with CeeLo Greenon "Pimps Don't Cry."[30] In 2011, she recorded a version of "The Windmills of Your Mind."[31]
Reception[]
Mendes was voted as number four in the 2008 edition, and number one[32] in the 2009 edition, of AskMen.com's Top 99 Most Desirable Women. Maxim ranked Mendes number seven in its 2007 Hot 100 issue.[33] She appeared on the cover of Maxim for the second time in November 2007.[34] Maxim ranked Mendes #11 in its 2010 Hot 100 issue.[35] People named her one of 2012 Most Beautiful at Every Age.[36]
Personal life[]
Mendes had a relationship with George Augusto from 2002 to 2010[37][38][39] and began a relationship with actor Ryan Gosling in September 2011. Mendes spent several weeks at the Cirque Lodge addiction facility in 2008 to address "personal issues"[40] and refuses to disclose the details of her condition.[41] Mendes practices Transcendental Meditation.[42]
Filmography[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror | Kir | |
| 1998 | A Night at the Roxbury | Bridesmaid | |
| 1998 | Mortal Kombat: Konquest | Hanna | guest star, one episode |
| 1999 | My Brother the Pig | Matilda | |
| 2000 | The Disciples | Maria Serranco | |
| 2000 | Urban Legends: Final Cut | Vanessa Valdeon | |
| 2001 | Exit Wounds | Trish | |
| 2001 | Training Day | Sara Harris | |
| 2002 | All About the Benjamins | Gina | |
| 2003 | 2 Fast 2 Furious | Monica Fuentes | |
| 2003 | Once Upon a Time in Mexico | Ajedrez Barillo | |
| 2003 | Out of Time | Alex Díaz Whitlock | |
| 2003 | Stuck on You | April | |
| 2005 | Hitch | Sara Melas | |
| 2005 | The Wendell Baker Story | Doreen | |
| 2005 | Guilty Hearts | Gabriella | |
| 2006 | Trust the Man | Faith | |
| 2007 | Ghost Rider | Roxanne Simpson | |
| 2007 | Knocked Up | Herself | (uncredited) |
| 2007 | We Own the Night | Amada Juarez | |
| 2007 | Live! | Katy | executive producer |
| 2007 | Cleaner | Ann Norcut | |
| 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 |