Eva Mendes
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| Eva Mendes | |
| Born | March 4, 1974 (age 33) Miami Florida USA |
| Notable roles | Sara in Hitch Roxanne Simpson in Ghost Rider |
Eva Mendes (born March 5, 1974[1]) is an American actress. She began acting in the late 1990s, and became known after a series of roles in several major Hollywood films, including 2 Fast 2 Furious, Hitch, and her most recent film, Ghost Rider.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Mendes was born in Miami, Florida[2] (although many sources incorrectly state her birthplace is Houston, Texas) to "lower-middle-class"[2] Cuban parents and was raised in Los Angeles by her mother after her parents' divorce; Mendes has said that her mother "suffered so much to make my life OK" during her early years.[2] Her father is a car salesman and her mother, Eva, is an elementary school principal. As a child, Mendes was teased about her "buck teeth."[2] She went to Hoover High School in Glendale, California and later attended California State University, Northridge but dropped out to seek an acting career. She studied with Ivana Chubbuck. Mendes has a sister, Janet, who currently lives in Los Angeles.
[edit] Career
Mendes worked her way up through commercials to music videos (including an appearance in Will Smith's video "Miami") to guest roles in television soap operas and supporting film roles. She received her first big-screen break when she appeared in the award-winning and critically-acclaimed Training Day. That performance led to roles in Stuck on You, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, and as the female lead in the comedy Hitch opposite Will Smith. Her role in Once Upon a Time in Mexico also gave her a nomination at the Teen Choice Awards. She has two major movie projects pending, including Ghost Rider, in which she costars along with Nicolas Cage.
Mendes is a spokesmodel for Revlon. She has also worked in interior design and has written children's books. Maxim ranked her #27 in their 2006 Hot 100 issue.[3]
[edit] Personal life
Mendes has been in a long-term relationship with filmmaker George Gargurevich. She lives in the Hollywood Hills.[2] When not on the set she loves music, hiking, biking, skiing, mountain climbing and interior design. Her favorite movies are The Shining (1980) and Blowup (1966).
[edit] Filmography
- Red Heat (1988)
- Mortal Kombat Conquest (1998)
- Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror (1998)
- A Night at the Roxbury (1998)
- My Brother the Pig (1999)
- Scream 3 (2000) (cameo)
- Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000)
- Exit Wounds (2001)
- Training Day (2001)
- All About the Benjamins (2002)
- 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)
- Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003)
- Out of Time (2003)
- Stuck on You (2003)
- The End Has No End (2004)
- Hitch (2005)
- The Wendell Baker Story (2005)
- 3 & 3 (2005)
- Trust the Man (2006)
- Ghost Rider (2007)
- We Own The Night (2007)
- ''Live! (2007)
- Cleaner (2008)
[edit] Quotes
- "I wanted to go into art history. Acting fell into my lap when a neighbor took pictures of me and showed them to an agent." - Eva Mendes on how she began acting.[4]
- "I don't believe in the institution of marriage, for me. If you love somebody and have a commitment that is strong and spiritual, then I just don't think a piece of paper makes any difference. I'm part of that whole school of thought that says when homosexuals can get married, maybe I'll start opening my mind to it." - Eva Mendes on marriage plans.[5]
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Born in 1974 according to NY Times Movie Guide, although sometimes 1978 is listed, for instance at AskMen.com and as mentioned on Entertainment Tonight on March 5, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e Morgan, Sal. "Viva Eva - one gutsy, cool chick", The Sydney Morning Herald, 2007-02-19. Retrieved on 2007-02-18.
- ^ "Hot 100", Maxim. Retrieved on 2007-01-11.
- ^ "Drop...Dead...Gorgeous...", Maxim, February 2007. Retrieved on 2007-01-23.
- ^ "Eva Mendes: Fun Fearless Female of the Year", Cosmopolitan, February 2007. Retrieved on 2007-03-08.
