Background:

"I think what destroys Hollywood marriages is our work schedule, not so much infidelity." Eva Longoria

First noticed while playing psychotic Isabella Braña Williams on the long-running daytime soap “The Young and the Restless” (CBS, 2001-2003), Eva Longoria gained even more recognition due to her portrayal of trophy wife Gabrielle Solis on ABC's worldwide hit series “Desperate Housewives” (2004-2006). She has appeared on “L.A. Dragnet,” Carlita's Secret (2004), Hustler's Instinct (2005), Harsh Times (2005) and recently starred opposite Michael Douglas and Kiefer Sutherland in the espionage thriller The Sentinel (2006). She will lend her voice to an upcoming animated movie called Foodfight.

A 5' 1" tall, brown-haired, brown-eyed Latin beauty, Eva, who was named Miss Corpus Christi USA (1998) and was one of People en Español’s “25 Most Beautiful People” (2003), topped Maxim Magazine's list of “Hottest Female Stars) (2005 and 2006), becoming the first woman to top the list in two consecutive years. In 2005, she became the new face of cosmetics giant L’Oreal.

"I find it a turnoff whenever men aren’t into some kind of sport. And, no, video games don’t count. I dated a guy who was into video games and I wanted to shoot myself." Eva Longoria

On a more private note, Longoria is currently dating San Antonio Spurs player Tony Parker (born on May 17, 1982) and they reportedly plan to marry in 2007. Previously, Longoria was romantically linked to former NSYNC member J.C. Chasez (born on August 8, 1976), actor Hayden Christensen, “24” star Butch Klien, Screen Actors Guild president Sid Laura Horowitz, successful writer Milan Gracanin, and Life As We Know It star Sean Faris. She was once married to “General Hospital” star Tyler Christopher.

"To be with the same person for the rest of your life just sounds so drab." Eva Longoria


Prieta Fea

Childhood and Family:

"I grew up as an ugly duckling. They used to call me prieta fea, because I was the only one of my family's four girls with dark hair, dark eyes and dark skin. Growing up I was the ugly one, because I was the odd one." Eva Longoria

In Corpus Christi, Texas, Eva Jacqueline Longoria was born on March 15, 1975, to Mexican American Catholic parents Enrique Longoria Jr. and Ella Eva Mireles. The youngest daughter of the family, Eva has three older sisters: Elizabeth, Emily and Esmeralda. Eva grew up on her family’s ranch.

Eva attended Texas A&M University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology. During that time, she also began acting on stage in university theater productions. On January 20, 2002, Eva married “General Hospital” star Tyler Christopher, but they later divorced.


Young and Restless

Career:

"God blessed me with some great, unique features, some beautiful, in my eyes, and some not so beautiful. But I think we are all created this way for a reason, so I have no desire to tamper with that." Eva Longoria

Transforming into a stunning young woman, Eva Longoria began modeling and joining beauty pageants in her home state of Texas. She was crowned Miss Corpus Christi, USA, in 1998 and won an Infinity Model Search contest, where she was spotted and signed by a theatrical agent. Soon afterward, Longoria landed small parts on the small screen. She was seen in an episode of such TV hits series as “Beverly Hills, 90210” (FOX, 2000, as a flight attendant), "The Bold and the Beautiful" (CBS) and "General Hospital" (ABC, 2000). After some guest appearances, Longoria was eventually cast as psychotic Isabella Braña Williams on the long-running daytime soap opera, “The Young and the Restless” (CBS, 2001-2003), which earned her an ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama in 2002.

Meanwhile, TV viewers saw Longoria host the syndicated talent show “The Talent Agency” (2003) and perform in a critically acclaimed comedy/variety show, “Hot Tamales Live.” She also nabbed her first regular series role as Detective Gloria Duran on ABC’s “L.A. Dragnet” (opposite Ed O'Neill, 2002-2004). The modern-day take on the classic police drama was later canceled in April 2004.

"As soon as I read the script I knew it was pretty special. The creator of the show asked what I thought of the writing as a whole. I told him I had no idea because I'd only read my part. He laughed and told me I'd got the job. He thought my answer was completely Gabrielle." Eva Longoria (on how she got the part as Gabrielle Solis)

2004 proved to be Longoria’s big break. That year, she signed on to the worldwide break-out ABC hit “Desperate Housewives,” portraying Gabrielle Solis, the ex-model with a rich husband, a big house and a bad marriage. During the premiere of the series, more than 21 million people watched, skyrocketing it to the top ranking new show of the season. It became an overnight sensation and Longoria's career was well on her way. The show was highly praised and was nominated for five Golden Globes, including Best Television Series-Comedy. Longoria also received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy Series and won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (both in 2005). Other lead actresses of the series, Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross and Nicollette Sheridan, also received Golden Globe nominations.

"I'm totally blown away by the success of Desperate Housewives. It literally did happen overnight." Eva Longoria

During her stint in the ABC’s runaway hit soap, Longoria also appeared in the poorly received Direct-to-video film, Señorita Justice (2004) and starred on CBS’ supernatural mystery movie “The Dead Will Tell” (2004, alongside Anne Heche). She also played the title role of a young girl, who dreams of becoming a Broadway dancer, in director George Cotayo's film Carlita's Secret (2004, she also co-produced). She made her theater debut in the popular farce, "What the Rabbi Saw" in 2004. The following year, Longoria appeared in writer-director Umberto González's 17-minute movie, Hustler's Instinct, and writer-director David Ayer's tough-minded indie drama, Harsh Times (starring Christian Bale and Freddy Rodriguez).

More recently, in 2006, Longoria and her boyfriend Tony Parker appeared on "The Interview with Ryan Seacrest" on E!, where she stated: "I don't want to be on 7th Heaven; on for 20 years and no one's really watching and it's hanging on by a thread." Longoria has stated many times that she will not renew her Desperate Housewives contract when it is up because she wants to continue to pursue her career.

Longoria snagged her first major role in a movie, as Jill Marin, a tough, sassy and ambitious young agent, in the 2006 espionage thriller The Sentinel. In director Clark Johnson's adaptation of Gerald Petievich's novel, Longoria shared the screen with Hollywood A-listers Michael Douglas and Kiefer Sutherland, both of whom were impressed with Longoria’s skills on the set.

As for her upcoming project, Longoria will provide her voice for Lawrence Kasanoff's animated movie Foodfight (2007), with Charlie Sheen and Hilary Duff. It is also reported that Longoria and Jennifer Lopez are set to team up as sisters for a comedy movie, in which Lopez wrote the script.

In addition to acting, Longoria continued modeling. In April of 2005, she was presented with a $1.9 million contract to be the new face of cosmetics giant L’Oreal. Additionally, Longoria may branch out into writing to bring some of her sizzling, on-screen sexuality to a novel.

"I don't agree with all the boundaries we put on everything. Women are forever discounting men for all sorts of silly reasons; too old, too young, wrong haircut. Give the guy a chance and he may surprise you. I've definitely been pleasantly surprised by my choices and I've always had plenty of choice." Eva Longoria


Awards:

• National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts: Horizon Award, 2005
• Teen Choice Awards: Breakout Female Actress, 2005
• Screen Actors Guild: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, “Desperate Housewives,” 2005
• ALMA: Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama, “The Young and the Restless,” 2002