Eva Longoria

Born on March 15, 1975, in Corpus Christi, Texas, Eva Jacqueline Longoria is the youngest of four sisters. As surprising as this may seem, Eva was considered the "ugly duckling" of her family -- her siblings would tease her because she was the only one with dark eyes, dark hair and dark skin. Growing up on a ranch in the southeastern Texas city, Eva was drawn to acting but kept up her studies throughout high school. Following graduation, she attended Texas A&M University-Kingsville and earned her Bachelor of Science in kinesiology. As a college grad, Eva had intentions of pursuing a career in science, but her lingering feelings for the performing arts did not dissipate. As a result, she entered a talent contest, which led her to Los Angeles.

Once there, "Miss Corpus Christi 1998" -- an ugly duckling no more -- was spotted by a theatrical agent who signed her immediately. Eva Longoria settled in L.A. and tried her hand at acting. Her agent got her an audition for the comedic play What the Rabbi Saw, which she nailed. After a string of performances in this show, she landed a guest appearance on Beverly Hills, 90210 in 2000. Another guest appearance in General Hospital the same year brought her big break on the popular American soap opera The Young and the Restless, in which she played psychotic Isabella Braña Williams from 2001 to 2003. People en Español listed her among its "Most Beautiful People" for 2003. After leaving The Young and the Restless, she was seen on the now-cancelled Dick Wolf revival of 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 has never considered her career to have jumped off so suddenly, "I think it’s funny when people say I’m an overnight sensation, because I’ve been working at it for 10 years." 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 neither Longoria nor any of the rest of the cast won, she was awarded the prestigious ALMA AWARD and named entertainer of the year. She also starred opposite Michael Douglas and Kiefer Sutherland in the 2006 thriller The Sentinel, which was 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 #1 in Maxim's Hottest Female Stars of 2005 and 2006, becoming the first woman to top the list in two consecutive years. She was ranked #9 in the magazine's Hot 100 of 2007 list. In her most recently released film, Harsh Times, she plays the character Sylvia and co-stars with actors Freddy Rodriguez and Christian Bale. In her interview with Ryan Seacrest on The Interview with Ryan Seacrest on E!, 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." She has also stated multiple times that she will not renew her Desperate Housewives contract once it is up. Instead, she has set her sights on the film industry.

At the time of her statements, the length of her contract was not known, but she has since revealed it to be 10 years, starting from the first season.

In 2006, Longoria appeared in Jessica Simpson's music video "A Public Affair" along with Christina Milian, Christina Applegate, Ryan Seacrest, Maria Menounos, and Andy Dick. In January 2007, Longoria was chosen to be the first face of Bebe Sport. She will appear in the Spring/Summer 2007 campaign, photographed by Greg Kadel. The actress also holds model contracts with L’Oreal and Hanes, New York & Co. On June 14, 2007, the Spurs won the 2007 NBA Finals in Cleveland, Ohio against the Cavaliers, and Parker was honored as the Finals MVP for the series. Longoria was shown wiping many tears as Parker was awarded the trophy.