Eva Mendes (born March 5, 1974) 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, Hitch, Training Day and We Own the Night.
Mendes was born in Miami to Cuban-American parents and was raised in Los Angeles by her mother after her parents' divorce; Mendes has said that her mother "suffered so much to make my life OK" during her early years. Her father is a car salesman and her mother, also named Eva, is now an elementary school principal. She is the youngest of four children (she has two sisters and a brother). She was raised Catholic and aspired to be a nun As a child, Mendes was teased about her "buck teeth".
Eva Mendes at Metropolitan Opera Opening Night apr2008 - wearing YSL:
