Eva Longoria is an American actress, director and producer. She made her first appearance in 1999 as a host on the television show L.A. In A Day and became best known for her distinct role when she was cast as Gabrielle Solis on the hit television series Desperate Housewives.

EVA LONGORIA BIOGRAPHY: AGE, EARLY LIFE, FAMILY, EDUCATION

Eva Longoria was born on March 15, 1975 (Eva Longoria’s age: 48) in Corpus Christi, Texas. Her parents are Ella Eva Mireles and Enrique Longoria Jr. She is the youngest of four daughters. One of her sisters grew up with special needs, but Longoria stated that “there was never any resentment, because I saw how hard my mother worked and all she did for my sister [with special needs], and I wanted to do whatever I could to help. We all did.”

Longoria was raised as a Roman Catholic. She didn’t speak Spanish growing up and hadn’t learned the language until 2009. Longoria worked at Wendy’s part-time for three years in high school in order to help her earn enough money for her quinceañera. Longoria has previously mentioned to the press how working at a fast food restaurant as a teenager helped to shape her work ethic and got her excited at the opportunity to go out into the field and start making her own money.

Longoria studied at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology. At the time, she also won the title of Miss Corpus Christi USA. After completing college, Longoria competed in a talent contest that led her to Los Angeles, where she wound up being spotted and signed by a theatrical agent. She worked as a headhunter for four years while auditioning for her roles. After three years at California State University, Northridge, Longoria received her master’s degree in Chicano studies in May of 2013.

EVA LONGORIA BIOGRAPHY: CAREER

After landing her first television role in 1999, Longoria guest-starred in an episode of Beverly Hills. She then landed another guest appearance on General Hospital not long after, which brought her big break on the CBS daytime soap opera, The Young and the Restless, where she played Isabella Braña from 2001 to 2003. She then went on to star in a wide variety of films, such as Foodfight!, Space Jam, The Boss Baby, Dog Days, Desperate Housewives, Dora and the Lost City of Gold, and more. In 2006, Longoria was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for best performance by an actress in a television series, along with her co-stars in Desperate Housewives. That year, she also received the ALMA Award and was named entertainer of the year.

In an interview with SXSW in 2023, Longoria reflected upon her experience as an up-and-coming actress.

“Weird,” Longoria said. “Because I didn’t grow up speaking Spanish, but I looked like this. So I got to Hollywood and I would go for the Latino roles and they were like ‘could you do it with an accent?’ And I was like ‘well, I don’t have an accent’. Rosie Perez. That’s what they always said. It was like a New York, very specific dialect, and I was like ‘I can’t do that accent.’ And then I would go for Spanish-speaking stuff, and I didn’t speak Spanish, but I was like, I could memorize it. I remember auditioning and then the casting director goes, ‘you don’t speak Spanish, do you?’ I was like, ‘no.'”

When asked what obstacles she had to overcome in directing, this is what Longoria had to say:

“Back then, you had to overcome the hurdle of, ‘you’re a dumb actor’ because most actors are dumb. I know,” Longoria chuckled. “I had to work really hard to gain the trust, mostly of DP’s that you work with in TV. On TV, you’re going onto their set, into their world. You’re just the visiting person. And so it was that, and the second biggest hurdle was being a woman. I mean there’s a lot of systemic sexism that still exists behind the camera for female directors, because people always go, ‘Oh I wonder why there’s not more female directors.’ I’m like the talent is there. It’s, you know, definitely difficult. I mean I’ve had many a DP’s like question me and go, oh you sure you want to do that? Yes I want to do that. Are you sure you want to put the camera there? Yes, could you please put the camera there, you know. And so that was tough. Now it’s less so because I have a body of work that they go oh okay, she kind of knows what she’s doing. And the biggest thing, every time I would finish an episode of TV, the DP goes, ‘wow, you really know what you’re doing. And I would be like thank you? Like I didn’t know how to take it, but I was like, yes thank you. I appreciate that.”

EVA LONGORIA BIOGRAPHY: PERSONAL LIFE

Eva Longoria currently spends her time in her luxurious home in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood with her husband, José Bastón, and their son, Santiago. She also spends time with her family in Mexico. Longoria was first married to American actor Tyler Christopher for about three years before the couple split in 2004. She then got engaged and married to NBA star Tony Parker before filing for divorce in 2010. The divorce was finalized just a few months later, Longoria later commenting that “I didn’t realize it at the time with Tony, but I had become my own version of a desperate housewife.”

Longoria has a keen interest in immigration and has immersed herself in the issues regarding the United State’s border patrol. She hosted the Democratic National Convention in 2020 and is a strong supporter of President Joe Biden. 

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