Eva Mendes born March 5, 1974 in Miami, Florida 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 and Hitch. As a child, Mendes was teased about her "buck teeth." 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
Mendes worked her way up through commercials to music videos (including an appearance in Will Smith's video "Miami" and a Pet Shop Boys music video in 1996) 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 been in two major movie projects, the more recent, 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 and # 7 in 2007.Mendes has been in a long-term relationship with filmmaker George Gargurevich. She lives in the Hollywood Hills. 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).

In early 2008, Mendes was reported to have been in a rehab facility in Utah for several weeks. In a statement, her representative said that she had been "working hard for the past year and made a positive decision to take some much-needed time off to proactively attend to some personal issues that, while not critical, she felt deserved some outside professional support. Out of respect for Eva's privacy, we do not wish to discuss further details."Mendes is in a relationship with Peruvian producer George Gargurevich. In 2008, Mendes was outspoken in her support for Barack Obama for President of the United States.