Eva Mendes Biography

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A fiercely independent actress who refuses to be pressed into a conventional mode or typecast, Eva Mendes was studying marketing in the late ’90s when an agent stumbled across her photo while perusing Mendes’s neighbor’s portfolio.

Soon appearing in an Aerosmith video and making her film debut in Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror, Mendes worked her way through the gamut of aspiring actors to appear in such high-profile films as Urban Legends: Final Cut and Once Upon a Time in Mexico.

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: Final Cut. 

Working against typecasting despite her teen horror resumé, Mendes next took roles in Exit Wounds, Training Day, and All About the Benjamins. Mendes next began work on a children’s book titled Crazy Leggs Beshee in which she wanted to introduce art, history, vocabulary, and values to children in a fun and easily comprehendable medium.

In 2003, Mendes’ career took off, with the actress taking on large roles in an ecclectic quartet of high-profile films. 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. Flexing her comedic chops, Mendes was the love interest of half a pair of conjoined twins in the Farrelly brothers’ Stuck on You. And in Once Upon a Time in Mexico she played another government agent, this time opposite Johnny Depp.

The year 2004 saw no signs of Mendes slowing down, with the Cuban-American beauty starring as the ex-girlfriend of Luke Wilson in The Wendell Baker Story, a film Wilson co-wrote with brother Owen Wilson and co-directed with sibling Andrew Wilson.

Mendes received her first big-screen break when she appeared in 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 earned her a nomination at the Teen Choice Awards. Mendes has also been in commercials for Fruit Gushers (where her head morphed into an enormous orange), Revlon, and the famous Levi’s “Superlow” commercial with the singing bellybuttons. Mendes costarred in Ghost Rider with Nicolas Cage, who she was to work with again in Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans in 2009, and also starred alongside Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, and Robert Duvall in the film We Own the Night, and Gabriel Macht, Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlett Johansson in The Spirit.

Along with acting, Mendes is employed by Revlon Cosmetics as an international spokeswoman. She joins such actresses and models as Julianne Moore, Halle Berry and Cindy Crawford, who appear in Revlon’s television and print ads. She is also a supporter and active participant in Revlon’s campaign to raise funds for breast cancer research.

Maxim ranked Mendes #7 in its 2007 Hot 100 issue. She also made her second Maxim cover in the November 2007 issue. Maxim ranked Mendes #11 in its 2010 Hot 100 issue.

Mendes appeared naked in Flaunt Magazine. Mendes said about the shoot, “I actually did a little nude shot. You won’t see anything. I was covering myself… but I love ‘Flaunt.’ I think their artwork is some of the best artwork out there as far as photography is concerned, so I took it off. I felt really comfortable, it was fun. There’s something really liberating about it.” She also appeared nude in an ad for Calvin Klein’s Secret Obsession perfume. The ad was banned from airing in the United States.

In December 2007, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) used a nude photo of Mendes for their anti-fur campaign alongside the tagline “Fur? I’d rather go naked.” Mendes is also a spokesmodel for the 2008 Calendar of Campari, inspired in fairy tales, by photographer Marino Parisotto.

Mendes was voted as No. 4 in the 2008 edition, and No. 1 in the 2009 edition, of AskMen.com’s Top 99 Most Desirable Women. After years of refusing to pose nude in any graphic way, Mendes did so for “Vogue Italy” in May 2008.

Mendes was announced as the international face of Australia’s 30 Days of Fashion & Beauty event in July 2008. She will make guest appearances in that country at the month-long festival in September.

On September 4, 2008, Mendes announced she was launching a line of bed linens that will be available in Macy’s stores later in the month. In October, she toured various stores in Europe including Harrods to promote Calvin Klein’s Seductive Comfort line of lingerie.

Mendes appeared in the music video “The End Has No End” by the Strokes. In August 2010, Mendes appeared in a Funny or Die video spoof, selling her “S.EX. tape”. She also sang for the Funny or Die music video “Pimps Don’t Cry,” a song featured in The Other Guys, released on August 6, 2010.