|
Biography
Eva Longoria Parker was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, to Mexican-American Catholic parents, Enrique Longoria Jr. (born in Rachal, Brooks County, Texas) and Ella Eva Mireles (married in Falfurrias, Brooks County, Texas).
She has three older sisters: Elizabeth Judina, Emily Jeannette, and
Esmeralda Josephina. The family lived and worked on farmland that had
been handed down to them from past generations, but they often had very
little money; Enrique and Ella struggled for many years to give their
children a decent upbringing. Eva showed viewers an introspect into the
hardship she faced in her formative years growing up poor on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2006;
she took cameras on location to the family farm, and showed how spartan
they were still living. Longoria admitted that things looked slightly
better for them financially, only when she made it in show business.
In an interview with Dateline's Stone Phillips,
Longoria also revealed the snubbing she received from her siblings. She
said "I grew up as the ugly duckling. They used to call me 'la prieta
fea,' which means 'the ugly dark one.'"[2]
For middle school, Longoria attended Marvin Baker Middle School.
She attended Roy Miller High School and received her Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology at nearby Texas A&M University-Kingsville.
During this time, she won the title of Miss Corpus Christi, USA in
1998. After completing college, Longoria entered a talent contest that
led her to Los Angeles; shortly after, she was spotted and signed by a theatrical agent. With many family members still living in Corpus Christi, she still returns to her home town for visits. Eva Longoria's Career
Longoria landed her first television role in 2000, guest-starring in an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210. 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. 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.
Longoria was on the cover of the September 2006 issue of Maxim Magazine. She sat down with Maxim
and discussed how contrary to belief, her life really is normal. "Tony
[Parker] and I spend most of our time in San Antonio. We have such a
normal life there. I mean, we hang out and have breakfast, go to his
parents', go to my parents'. Do laundry."
Longoria recently won a People's Choice Award for Best TV Actress.
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.
Longoria also hosted the 2007 NCLR ALMA Awards on June 5, 2007, on ABC.
In 2007, the ladies of Desperate Housewives each renewed their contracts with ABC for four years, worth $40 million.
|
