Eva Mendes

Eva de la Caridad Méndez, known professionally as Eva Mendes, is an American former actress. Her acting career began in the late 1990s with roles in films like Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror (1998) and Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000). A turning point in her career came with her role in Training Day (2001). Alongside her film work, Mendes has engaged in modeling, product endorsements, and business ventures in fashion and cosmetics.

Mendes was born on March 5, 1974, in Miami to Cuban parents Eva Pérez Suárez and Carlos Méndez. Following her parents' divorce, she was raised by her mother in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles. Her mother worked for Mann's Chinese Theatre and an aerospace company, while her father managed a meat distribution business. Mendes attended Hoover High School in Glendale and studied marketing at California State University, Northridge, before leaving to study acting under Ivana Chubbuck.

Her career started after a talent manager saw her photograph in a friend's portfolio. After early roles in A Night at the Roxbury (1998), My Brother the Pig (1999), Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000), and Exit Wounds (2001), Mendes achieved her breakthrough in Antoine Fuqua's crime thriller Training Day (2001). Portraying the mistress of a corrupt police officer, her performance led to increased visibility and larger film offers.

During the 2000s, Mendes appeared in numerous feature films. Her prominent works include All About the Benjamins (2002), 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003), Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003), Out of Time (2003), and Stuck on You (2003). She starred opposite Will Smith in the romantic comedy Hitch (2005) and took parts in comic book adaptations Ghost Rider (2007) and The Spirit (2008). Her filmography also features dramas such as We Own the Night (2007) and Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009), as well as the comedy film The Women (2008).

In 2010, Mendes starred in the action comedy The Other Guys and the romantic drama Last Night. She subsequently appeared in Girl in Progress (2012), Holy Motors (2012), and Derek Cianfrance's drama The Place Beyond the Pines (2012). She also visited Sierra Leone to participate in the 2012 PBS documentary Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. Following roles in the HBO film Clear History (2013) and Ryan Gosling's directorial debut Lost River (2014), Mendes retired from acting.

Outside of acting, Mendes appeared in music videos for artists such as Will Smith and The Strokes. She served as an ambassador for brands including Calvin Klein, Revlon, Cartier, Reebok, and Pantene. Mendes launched a fashion line with New York & Company in 2013 and served as creative director of CIRCA Beauty. In her personal life, Mendes was in a relationship with music producer George Augusto from 2002 to 2011. In late 2011, she began dating Ryan Gosling, with whom she has two daughters.