Eva Mendes Bio, Kids, Husband – Ryan Gosling, Baby and Other Family Facts

Quick Facts

Even though she has come to rub shoulders with the creme de la creme in Hollywood, American-born Cuban actress Eva Mendes, the beauty who warmed her way into many hearts with her skillful roles in films, never knew she will walk the path of showbiz while growing up.

Mendes decided to give acting a try after a talent manager convinced her to do so – after spotting her picture in a friend’s portfolio. To make sure nothing stood in the way of her star shining, Eva ditched her studies at the university and focused on acting but didn’t get any satisfaction from it at first. Notably, her debut, a film titled Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror was received with utmost disappointed by the actress who wasn’t impressed at her performance. As a result, she got an acting tutor to hone her skills instead of licking her wounds forever.

Apparently, it was the right call for the American actress who has not only become a household name in acting but also wears many other hats as a model, fashion designer, and businesswoman. Some of her remarkable roles can be seen in 2 Fast 2 Furious, Ghost Rider, Training Day, Stuck on You, Hitch and The Other Guys.

As a model, Eva Mendes has modeled and acted as an ambassador for a lot of top brands including Magnum ice cream, Cocio chocolate milk, Reebok, Pantene Shampoo, Calvin Klein, Revlon and a slew of others. She is also the designer behind a fashion collection for New York & Company.

Eva Mendes: Biography

The Cuban beauty was born in Miami, Florida on March 5, 1974. Her parents – Eva Pérez Suárez and Juan Carlos Méndez who are both from Cuba later got divorced after which Eva grew up under the care of her mother in the Los Angeles suburb of Glendale.

Growing up in a staunch Roman Catholic home, Eva Mendes nursed the idea of joining the convent as a Catholic nun, a dream which has evidently gone with the wind. She acquired her education at Hoover High School in Glendale and furthered as a marketing student at California State University, Northridge, However, she had to abandon her tertiary education for a career in acting.

After a few unsatisfactory performances, she began making waves in the industry with films like A Night at the Roxbury, My Brother the Pig, Urban Legends: Final Cut as well as Exit Wounds which came in her early years of joining the industry. She soon hit the jackpot with her appearance in the crime thriller Training Day which opened the floodgates of bigger roles and deserving recognition at the awards.

Between 2002 and 2003, Mendes graced the cast of films like All About the Benjamins, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Out of Time, Stuck on You, and Once Upon a Time in Mexico. The latter scored her a spot on the Teen Choice Awards nomination list. Her female lead role in the 2005 film Hitch can be described as her big break as she entered the list of first minority actors to portray a major character in a hit romantic comedy. Over the course of a successful burgeoning career which spans up to two decades, the Hollywood darling has numerous film credits attached to her name. The Wendell Baker Story, Guilty Hearts, Ghost Rider, Cleaner, The Spirit, Last Night and The Place Beyond the Pines are just to mention a few of her exploits in the movie industry.

As expected, she has been nominated for many prestigious awards in major categories and has equally walked away with the prize for some of them.

Eva Mendes has also graced the music videos of many top artists including the Pet Shop Boys in their music video for “Se a vida é (That’s the Way Life Is)” in 1996. She later appeared in Aerosmith’s music video for “Hole in My Soul” and ‘s music video for “Miami” in 1997 and 1998 respectively. Later in 2014, she made an appearance in the music video for The Strokes’ “The End Has No End”.

The sultry entertainer is also known for her modeling exploits some of which were done in the nude. Her print ad for Calvin Klein’s Secret Obsession perfume (nude) was banned in the United States while her nude picture was also used in 2007 by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for their anti-fur campaign. Additionally, she has worked with other top brands like Revlon, Morgan de Toi, Reebok, Peek & Cloppenburg, Magnum, Campari, chocolate milk brand Cocio and many others too numerous to mention.

Husband, Kids, Baby and Other Family Family Facts

Eva Mendes was born into the family of Eva Pérez Suárez (mother) who worked at Mann’s Chinese Theatre and an aerospace company at different times, and Juan Carlos Méndez (father) who managed a meat distribution business. Her parents later went their separate ways.

Among her siblings are an older sister (Janet) and an older brother who died in 2016. Juan Carlos Méndez, Jr., her deceased brother, was born in 1963 but later died as a result of throat cancer. From her father’s latter relationship, Eva has a younger half-brother named Carlos Alberto “Carlo” Méndez.

Though they are yet to get married, Eva Mendes and Canadian actor have been an item since 2011. The couple shares two daughters. The thespians and their kids – Esmeralda (born September 12, 2014) and Amada Lee (born April 29, 2016) are currently making a lot of people green with envy with their close-knit relationship. They are raising their kids to be bilingual and bicultural.

The actress was romantically linked to George Augusto from 2002 to 2011.

Also Read: Top 10 Richest People in the world with full biography and details.