Eva Mendes, (a k a Mendez) was born in Houston, Texas on March 5, 1974. He parents are both Cubans. As a young child, her parents moved around a lot and she lived in Miami, Florida and Los Angeles, California.

Dropping out of school soon after being randomly discovered by an agent, Mendes appeared in a few made-for-television productions and hammed it up with Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan in A Night at the Roxbury before being cast in a prominent role in Urban Legends.

It was while Mendes was in college that she began her acting career. She began to study with the respected acting coach Ivana Chubbuck and soon thereafter, Mendes’ desire to appear on the big screen, became a reality.

Eva Mendes has proved she is adept in both comedic and dramatic roles. In a very short time, she has had the fortunate and unique opportunity to work with such esteemed directors as Carl Franklin, Robert Rodriguez, Antoine Fuqua, the Farrelly Bros. and John Singleton

She has appeared in such films as Training Day, 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.

After spending the last part of the 1990s in TV roles, music videos and small parts in movies such as A Night at Roxbury and Exit Wounds (both 1998), Eva Mendes had a career breakthrough co-starring with Denzel Washington in Training Day (2001, with Ethan Hawke).

In 2 Fast 2 Furious she played a customs agent working with Paul Walker to bring down a Miami drug cartel. Out of Time found her reteaming with Training Day costar Denzel Washington.

Mendes is a spokesmodel for Revlon. She has also worked in interior design and has written children's books. Maxim magazine ranked her #27 in their 2006