Cuban-American Eva Mendes was born March 5th, 1974 in sunny Miami, but was uprooted and moved to the West Coast after the divorce of her parents. She was then raised by her mother, now an elementary school principal, in Los Angeles where she also attended high school (Hoover High School) and college (California State University).

Eva decided not to finish her marketing degree and opted to study acting under famed acting coach and producer Ivanna Chubbuck. At first, she only got exposures in commercials and music videos, but she soon got her long-awaited break after acting opposite Denzel Washington in "Training Day," where Denzel even bagged an Oscar. Eva has since played the lead female roles in "Hitch" and "Ghost Rider."