Childhood & Early Life
Eva was born Eva Maria LaRuy, on December 27, 1966, in Long Beach, California, to Marcie and Luis LaRuy. She grew up with her two sisters, Nika and Lara, and her brother, Luis Jr. She holds nationalities of Puerto Rico, France, the Netherlands, and Scotland
Eva is a staunch follower of the Bahá'í faith. She graduated from 'Norco High School' in 1985.
By 6, Eva had begun singing in commercials. Before graduating high school, Eva had won three beauty pageant titles: 'Little Miss California' (1973), 'Miss American Teenager' (1983), and the 'Miss California Empire' (1984).
After high school, Eva ventured into modeling and worked with the ‘Judith Fontaine Agency' and eventually with 'Frederick's of Hollywood,' a women’s lingerie retailer. In 1985, Eva appeared on the reality talent show 'Star Search,' and then she switched from singing and dancing to acting.
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Career
Eva made her first film appearance in 1987, as ‘Kara’ in the “sword and sorcery” movie 'The Barbarians.' The following year, she was seen in her first recurring role in the 'NBC' series 'Santa Barbara.' She appeared as ‘Margot Collins’ in 24 episodes of the series. In the subsequent years, Eva appeared in a handful of films and made brief appearances in several TV series.
Eva worked as a TV host in the hidden camera reality series 'Candid Camera.' Her first significant TV role was that of ‘Dr. Maria Santos Grey’ in the 'ABC' (later aired on 'The Online Network') soap opera 'All My Children.' Her stint on the show spanned 129 episodes, from 1993 to 2011. However, there were breaks in between. Eva was first approached to audition for the role of ‘Kendall Hart,’ which was later played by Sarah Michelle Gellar. After the audition, the casting panel found Eva a misfit for the role of ‘Kendall Hart,’ and about 2 weeks later, she was offered the role of ‘Dr. Maria.’
Eva bagged a 'Daytime Emmy’ award nomination for her outstanding performance in the series. Eva was also nominated for the ‘Daytime Emmy’ for ‘Outstanding Original Song’ for composing a song titled 'Dance Again with You,' which was used in 'All My Children’ as the background song for her lovemaking scenes with her on-screen husband, ‘Edmund.’
Eva has appeared in many TV movies, such as 'A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes: The Annette Funicello Story' (1995), 'Remembrance' (1996), 'Ice' (1998), and 'Cries in the Dark' (2006).
Eva has had brief recurring roles in the 'NBC' crime drama 'Third Watch' (as ‘Brooke’), the 'Showtime' drama 'Soul Food' (as ‘Josefina Alicante’), and the 'ABC' sitcom 'George Lopez' (as ‘Linda Lorenzo’). In 2005, she appeared in five episodes of the 'Style Network' show 'Modern Girl's Guide to Life.' The same year, Eva began portraying her next significant role, in the 'CBS' procedural drama 'CSI: Miami.'
Eva essayed the role of ‘Natalia Boa Vista’ in 'CSI: Miami,' from its fifth to tenth seasons, spanning 152 episodes. She had a recurring role in the fourth season. After playing single-episode characters in 'CBS’s 'Criminal Minds' and 'Fox’s 'Hell's Kitchen,' Eva joined the cast of the sitcom 'Fuller House.' She essayed the character ‘Teri Tanner’ in this revival of the 1987 'ABC' sitcom 'Full House.' The series premiered on 'Netflix' in 2016.
Apart from her regular stint on TV, Eva has had a few notable film credits, too, such as 'Ghoulies III: Ghoulies Go to College,' 'RoboCop 3,' and 'Lakeview Terrace.' She was also seen as ‘Dr. Lopez’ in the 2011 short 'Grace in Sara.' Eva was the narrator of the 2016 documentary titled 'World Peace - A Baha’i Vision.'
Eva lost both her grandmother and her great-grandmother to ovarian cancer and has a personal attachment to all cancer-related causes. She collaborated with the 'National Ovarian Cancer Coalition' (NOCC) as its spokesperson and launched an educational initiative, 'Eva's Divas,' to educate women regarding the disease. Eva is also associated with the 'Beckstrand Cancer Foundation' and is instrumental in improving the lives of cancer patients and their families.
Eva is also an entrepreneur. In 2012, she partnered with 'Jewel Source' to launch her signature jewelry line, ‘Eva La Rue - Fine Jewelry.’ Her designs symbolize spirituality and are mostly inspired by the Bahá'í 9-pointed star. Eva owns a 'YouTube' channel that primarily hosts parenting-related content.
Family & Personal Life
She was married to actor John O'Hurley from 1992 to 1994. After her divorce from John, Eva began dating her 'All My Children' co-actor John Callahan. They got married in 1996 and had a daughter, Kaya McKenna, in 2001.
After Eva divorced John in 2005, she began a relationship with a businessman named Joseph “Joe” Cappuccio. They got engaged in 2008 and were set to marry in June that year. Unfortunately, they called off the engagement. They reconciled in 2009. On June 26, 2010, Eva and Joe married on the beach of Zihuatanejo, Mexico. However, they got divorced in early 2014.
The biological child of ‘All My Children’ co-stars and actor couple Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, Michael Consuelos of ‘Riverdale’ fame, is Eva’s godson.
Eva had been the victim of the casting couch in her initial years. She once accused actor-producer Steven Seagal of sexually harassing her on the pretext of a screen test.
In her spare time, Eva enjoys horseback riding, gardening, and practicing Taekwondo. She owns two dogs, a Schnauzer/Poodle mix named Bingo and a teacup Pomeranian named Cholula.
