Eva Mendes Biography

Eva Mendes is an acclaimed American-Cuban actress, best known for her roles in ‘Hitch’ and ‘2 Fast 2 Furious’. This biography offers detailed information about her, childhood, life, works and timeline

Quick Facts

Birthday: March 5, 1974

Nationality: American

Famous: Hispanic Women College Dropouts

Age: 45 Years, 45 Year Old Females

Sun Sign: Pisces

Also Known As: Eva de la Caridad Mendez

Born in: Miami

Height: 5'6" (168 cm), 5'6" Females

Family:

father: Juan Carlos Mendez

mother: Eva Perez Suarez

siblings: Carlo Mendez, Janet Mendes

children: Amada Lee Gosling, Esmeralda Amada Gosling

U.S. State: Florida

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awards: 2008 - Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress

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A humble marketing student, Eva Mendes was spotted by a talent agent, who recognised her potential and persuaded her to choose a career in the entertainment industry. After a lot of reconsideration, she dropped out of university to enter the world of entertainment. She made her debut with the film ‘Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror’ and was disappointed with her own performance in the film. She worked hard and polished her acting skills and appeared in a number of low-budget movies, to prove her potential. It was not an easy path for this sultry American born Cuban actress, but her sheer willpower and patience was surely rewarded. She received recognition, fame and positive reviews for her performance in the move, ‘Training Day’, after which her career in the movies took off to greater heights. Some of her well-known films include, ‘2 Fast 2 Furious’, ‘Hitch’, ‘Ghost Rider’, ‘The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans’ and ‘Holy Motors’.

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Eva Mendes

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Childhood & Early Life

Eva Mendes was born in Miami, Florida to Cuban parents and grew up in Glendale, which is a suburb in Los Angeles. She was raised mainly by her mother after her parents got divorced.
She was educated at the Hoover High School, which was located in Glendale and later studied marketing at Northridge. However, she dropped out of University to pursue acting in 1997.
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Career

In 1996, she appeared in a music video, ‘Se a vida � (That's the Way Life Is)’ for the electronic pop band, ‘Pet Shop Boys’. She was also seen in the Will Smith video, ‘Miami’.
In 1998, she made her debut with the film ‘Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror’, in which she played the role of ‘Kir’. The film was directed by Ethan Wiley.
In 1999, she played the role of ‘Matilda’ in the adventure film, ‘My Brother the Pig’, which was directed by Erik Fleming. The film did not do much to her career.
In 2000, she acted in the film ‘Urban Legends: Final Cut’, in which she played the role of ‘Vanessa Valdeon’. The film was directed by John Ottman and was only a moderate success.
In 2001, she played the role of ‘Sara’ in the Academy Award winning crime drama film titled ‘Training day’, which was directed by Antoine Fuqua.
In 2003, she played the role of an undercover U.S. Customs Service agent, ‘Monica Fuentes’, in the film ‘2 Fast 2 Furious’. The film was directed by John Singleton and was an immense success at the box office. The film received positive reviews and earned her great recognition.
In 2005, she starred in the romantic comedy film, ‘Hitch’ opposite Will Smith. The film was directed by Andy Tennant and it was a box office hit and received great acclaim.
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In 2007, she played the role of ‘Roxanne Simpson’ in the supernatural film, ‘Ghost Rider’, which was directed and written by Mark Steven Johnson. Even though the film did not receive good reviews, it did well at the box office.
In 2009, she was seen in the crime drama film, ‘The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans’, starring Nicolas Cage. Directed by Werner Herzog, the film was premiered at the 66th Venice International Film Festival.
In 2010, she starred in the action comedy film, ‘The Other Guys’, which was directed by Adam McKay. The film received mostly positive reviews by critics and it did well at the box office.
In 2012, she played the role of ‘Kay M’ in the film ‘Holy Motors’, which was directed by Leos Carax. The film was screened at the Cannes Film Festival, the same year.

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Major Works

In 2005, she starred in the film, ‘Hitch’, which was an immense success at the box office, and earned a whopping $366.7 million. It received good reviews from The New York Times and BBC Movies.
She starred in the film ‘2 Fast 2 Furious’ which was immensely successful. The film earned a total of 236.35 million at the box office and became the 16th largest grossing film worldwide.
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Awards & Achievements

In 2005, she was the recipient of the Capri Global Award.
In 2005, Maxim magazine ranked her at the 12th position on their list of ‘Hot 100 of 2005’.

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Personal Life & Legacy

From 2002 to 2010, she was romantically involved with George Augusto.
In the year 2011, she began to date Canadian actor Ryan Thomas Gosling.
She practises the Transcendental Meditation technique, which is a kind of mantra meditation.

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Trivia