Childhood & Early Life
Eva Longoria was born Eva Jacqueline Longoria on March 15, 1975, in Texas, USA. She is the youngest daughter of Mexican Americans parents, Enrique Longoria, Jr. and Ella Eva Mireles.
Raised a Roman Catholic, she studied at the ‘Texas A&M University-Kingsville’ and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology.
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Career
In 1998, Longoria became Miss Corpus Christi, USA, while pursuing her bachelor’s degree. After finishing her college education, she took part in another talent contest in Los Angeles, where she was spotted by a theatrical agent.
In 1999, she hosted a segment of the TV show ‘L.A. In A Day’ which was produced by Gary Ghiaey. This was her first appearance on television.
Subsequently, she appeared in a guest role in an episode of the famous show ‘Beverly Hills 90210.’ She also landed a guest appearance in the show ‘General Hospital.’
Following these guest performances, she was offered the role of ‘Isabella Brana’ in the soap opera ‘The Young and the Restless,’ produced by CBS Daytime. This catapulted her to great fame.
After this, she starred in the direct-to-video film ‘Senorita Justice,’ and the television film ‘The Dead Will Tell.’
Her career breakthrough came in 2003 when she was cast as ‘Gabrielle Solis’ in the comedy-drama ‘Desperate Housewives.’ Thereafter, she starred in another direct-to-video film titled ‘Carlita’s Secret.’
In 2006, the talented actor was cast opposite Michael Douglas in the thriller ‘The Sentinel.’ This was her first major role in a movie. The same year, she landed a role in the Christian Bale and Freddy Rodriguez-starrer ‘Harsh Times.’
In 2006, Longoria set up ‘Eva’s Heroes,’ a charity foundation to help developmentally disabled children. In 2007, Longoria made it to the ‘Hot 100 list’ of ‘Maxim’ where she was ranked ninth.
From 2005 to 2010, she endorsed ‘L’Oreal Paris’ and also served as its spokesperson.
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She was ranked fourth on ‘Forbes Prime Time's 10 Top-Earning Women’ list. Her ranking was based on her income, which was close to $12 million, from June 2009 to June 2010.
She hosted the ‘MTV Europe Music Awards’ 2010, held at Madrid, Spain. Besides acting, Longoria partnered with some of her friends to open a restaurant named ‘Beso’ in Hollywood.
She also ventured into writing and came up with her first cookbook ‘Eva's Kitchen: Cooking with Love for Family and Friends’ which was published in 2011.
She is also occupied with philanthropic activities. She has been involved with a number of organizations like ‘PADRES Contra El Cancer,’ ‘Clothes Off Our Back Foundation,’ ‘Project HOME,’ ‘OmniPeace,’ ‘National Stroke Association,’ ‘National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children,’ and ‘St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.’
In May 2013, she received her Master’s degree in Chicano Studies from ‘California State University, Northridge.’ Her thesis was titled ‘Success STEMS From Diversity: The Value of Latinas in STEM Careers.’
Longoria directed third season’s final episode of the ABC comedy ‘Black-ish’ in 2017. Eva Longoria launched her clothing line website on her official site in March 2017.
The following year, she was cast alongside Nina Dobrev and Vanessa Hudgens in a romantic comedy film titled ‘Dog Days.’
In 2019, she was seen in the adventure comedy film ‘Dora and the Lost City of Gold.’
Awards & Achievements
In 2006, Longoria was nominated for the ‘Golden Globe Award’ for ‘Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy’ for ‘Desperate Housewives.’
In 2006, she also received the ‘ALMA Award’ and was named the ‘entertainer of the year.’
She became the first woman to retain the No.1 position in the list of ‘Hottest Female Stars’ by ‘Maxim’ for two consecutive years (2005 and 2006).
This noted television personality was named the ‘Philanthropist of the Year’ by ‘The Hollywood Reporter’ for her service to the Latino community.
Personal Life & Legacy
From 2002 to 2004, Eva Longoria was married to Tyler Christopher, a television actor.
From 2007 to 2011, she was married to NBA star Tony Parker.
She is a Democrat and supported President Obama’s re-election in 2012.
In 2016, Eva got married to José Antonio Bastón, a Mexican businessman. The couple was blessed with a son in 2018.
