Eva Longoria

FilmEva Jacqueline Longoria, born March 15, 1975 is a Golden Globe Award-nominated American film and television actress.

Longoria is known for her role as Gabrielle Solis in the ABC television series Desperate Housewives. She has also become an internationally recognised model, appearing in several high profile advertising campaigns and numerous men's magazines. Eva announced her engagement to NBA star Tony Parker on November 30, 2006.
Longoria was born in Corpus Christi, Texas to Mexican-American Catholic parents Enrique Longoria Jr. and Ella Eva Mireles. The youngest of four daughters, she has three older sisters: Elizabeth, Emily and Esmeralda. She attended Roy Miller High School. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. During this time she won the title of "Miss Corpus Christi, USA" in 1998. After completing college, she entered a talent contest which led her to Los Angeles, shortly after she was spotted and signed by a theatrical agent.
Longoria landed her first television role in 2000, guest starring in an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210. It was a humble beginning, but there was soon more work. Another guest appearance in General Hospital the same year preceded her big break in popular American soap opera The Young and the Restless, in which she played psychotic Isabella Braña Williams from 2001 to 2003 and was listed in People en Español's "Most Beautiful People" for 2003.

After leaving The Young and the Restless, Longoria was seen on the now-cancelled Dragnet. Although it lasted only two seasons, the show gave Longoria another leading star credit to her name. Following Dragnet, she starred in two ill-fated productions - Señorita Justice - a poorly received direct-to-video film and a television film titled The Dead Will Tell.
In 2004 Longoria landed a role that elevated her to the A-List. She starred as adulteress Gabrielle Solis in the worldwide break-out ABC hit Desperate Housewives. As the show became an overnight sensation, Longoria's career was well and truly launched. But, she never considered her career to jump off so fast, "I think it’s funny when people say I’m an overnight sensation, because I’ve been working at it for 10 years,"
Longoria caused a stir at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards in Miami when she appeared in a one-piece bathing suit to introduce Mariah Carey's performance, and joked that she "wasn’t going to let a little hurricane keep me from wearing a bathing suit." She also became the face of L'Oreal internationally and signed a rumoured 6-figure deal to appear in the company's print and television ads.

Despite her success, she was snubbed at the 2005 Emmy Awards when she was the only female member of the Desperate Housewives main cast not be nominated. She satirized Housewives internal drama when she appeared on theThe Ellen DeGeneres Show, being interviewed from her supposedly-relegated-to worst-seats-in-the-house spot. She has joked about the unlikeliness of her character having been a top runway model, given her short stature.
Shortly after her debut on Desperate Housewives, Longoria starred in a poorly received direct-to-video film titled Carlita's Secret, for which she was also co-producer. In 2005, she was rewarded for her performance as Gabrielle Solis in Desperate Housewives when she was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy along with her co-stars.
Even though Longoria or the rest of the cast didn't win, she was awarded the prestigous ALMA AWARD, and named entertainer of the year She also stars opposite Michael Douglas and Kiefer Sutherland in the 2006 thriller The Sentinel, which is her first major role in a theatrical movie (both Douglas and Sutherland noted that much to their surprise, Eva whipped both of them in gun practice).

Longoria continues to be included in lists of Hollywood's Most Beautiful, and was listed as #1 in Maxim's Hottest Female Stars of 2005 and 2006, becoming the first woman to top the list in two consecutive years. In her most recently released film, Harsh Times, she plays Sylvia. She co-stars with actors Freddy Rodriguez and Christian Bale