Eva Mendes was raised in Los Angeles of Cuban-American heritage. In college she began acting, studying underneath acting coach Ivana Chubbuck. This led to her desire to appear in feature films. Though taking many smaller roles in movies, she was little known until playing the girlfriend of Denzel Washington's character in Training Day. Since then she has been featured in a wider range of roles, from comedic to dramatic. These gave her the ability to work with many highly regarded directors, such as Robert Rodriguez (Once Upon a Time in Mexico), Carl Franklin (Out of Time), John Singleton (2 Fast 2 Furious), Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) and the Farrelly Bros. (Stuck on You).

Most recently Eva has co-starred in an independent film, The Wendell Baker Story with Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson and Will Ferrell, with Luke Wilson directing. Before that, her biggest movie was Hitch, a romantic comedy that had her playing opposite Will Smith.

Eva is currently (2005) working on the sci-fi/comic book adaptation of Ghost Rider, starring Nicolas Cage, directed by Mark Steven Johnson and planned for release in 2006.

Along with acting, Eva is employed by Revlon Cosmetics as an international spokeswoman. She joins such elite actresses and models as Julianne Moore, Halle Berry and Cindy Crawford, who appear in Revlon's television and print ads. She is also a passionate supporter and active participant in Revlon's fight against breast cancer.

Eva's goals are to improve her acting skills by working with such contemporary directors/filmmakers as Steven Soderbergh, Spike Jonze and Pedro Almodóvar, and learning from such renowned directors as Federico Fellini and Michelangelo Antonioni.
Was a marketing major at California State University Northridge where she dropped out to pursue acting. Is Cuban-American. Is writing a book titled "Crazy Leggs Beshee", inspired by her nieces and nephews, that introduces vocabulary, art, history and values through a medium kids understand. Loves interior designing and would undertake this profession if not acting. Her hobbies are music, sports (hiking, biking, skiing, and mountain climbing) and interior design. Graduated from Herbert Hoover High School in Glendale, California. John Cho, Joseph Hahn and Alex Kalognomos were also students there. Has a sister named Janet living in Los Angeles. Has played Denzel Washington's wife/girlfriend twice, first in Training Day and again in Out of Time. Favourite films are The Shining and Blow-Up Named #12 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2005 list. Was among the guests at Jessica Simpson's 25th birthday party. 2005: Ranked as #53 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005" special supplement. 2002: Was featured as #54 in Maxim Magazine's "Hot 100 of 2002" supplement. 2004: Ranked as #80 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2004" special supplement. 2006: Named #44 in FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006" supplement. Was the speaking voice ("Welcome to Miami, Bienvenido a Miami") in Will Smith's song, "Miami". 2007: Ranked #7 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 list. Speaks Spanish fluently. Was originally cast as Susan Ortega in Bruce Almighty but had to be replaced due to scheduling conflicts. Was listed as a potential nominee on the 2008 Razzie Award nominating ballot. She was suggested in the Worst Supporting Actress category for her performance in the film Ghost Rider, she failed to receive a nomination however. Has entered the Cinque Lodge rehab facility in Utah to battle substance abuse issues [February 7, 2008].