Eva Longoria
Eva Jacqueline Bastón is an American actress, producer, director, activist, and businesswoman. After a number of guest roles on several television series, Longoria was recognized for her portrayal of Isabella Braña on the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless, on which she starred from 2001 to 2003. She is most known for her role as Gabrielle Solis on the television series Desperate Housewives, which ran from 2004 to 2012 and for which she received Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. She has also appeared in The Sentinel, Over Her Dead Body, For Greater Glory, Frontera, Lowriders, and Overboard. From 2015 to 2016, Longoria starred as Ana Sofia Calderón on the short-lived NBC sitcom Telenovela, and served as an executive producer for the Lifetime television series Devious Maids. She has also served as an executive producer of social issue documentaries, including Food Chains and The Harvest.
Longoria has appeared in several advertising campaigns. She has been named one of Hollywood's most beautiful women by several publications, including People en Español and People magazines. She currently holds modeling contracts with L'Oréal and New York & Co, among others.
Early life and education
Longoria was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, the youngest of four daughters born to Mexican-American parents, Ella Eva and Enrique Longoria, Jr.One of her sisters had special needs. She told Redbook in 2016: She was raised Roman Catholic. She did not speak Spanish growing up, and did not learn the language until 2009. While in high school, she worked at a Wendy's restaurant part-time for three years to help earn money for her quinceañera. Longoria previously told the press how her years in fast food as a teen shaped her work ethic. Longoria earned her Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology at 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. While auditioning for roles, Longoria worked as a headhunter for four years.
She received her master's degree in Chicano Studies from California State University, Northridge, in May 2013 following three years of study. Her thesis was entitled, "Success STEMS From Diversity: The Value of Latinas in STEM Careers".
Career
Longoria landed her first television role in 1999 after meeting Executive Producer Gary Ghiaey at a political reception in Los Angeles. Longoria guest-starred in an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210. Another guest appearance in General Hospital the same year brought her big break on the CBS Daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless, and she portrayed Isabella Braña from 2001 to 2003.After leaving The Young and the Restless, Longoria appeared in the Dick Wolf revival of Dragnet. Following Dragnet, she starred in Señorita Justice, a poorly received direct-to-video film, and a television film titled The Dead Will Tell.
premiere of Pan's Labyrinth
In 2003, Longoria was cast as Gabrielle Solis in the ABC comedy-drama Desperate Housewives. Later she commented on her success, saying, "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 direct-to-video film titled Carlita's Secret, for which she was also co-producer.
In 2006, she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy, along with her co-stars in Desperate Housewives. Longoria was awarded the ALMA Award and named entertainer of the year that same 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 feature movie. In 2006, she played the character Sylvia in Harsh Times, starring Freddy Rodríguez and Christian Bale.
In the 2000s, Longoria appeared in several high-profile advertising campaigns and numerous men's magazines, reaching No. 14 in the FHM "Sexiest Women 2008" poll. She was also featured on the cover of various international women's magazines, including Vogue, Marie Claire and Harper's Bazaar. People en Español listed her among its "Most Beautiful People" for 2003. Longoria continues to be included in lists of Hollywood's Most Beautiful. She was listed as No. 1 in Maxim
In January 2007, Longoria was chosen to be the first face of Bebe Sport. She appeared in the Spring/Summer 2007 campaign, photographed by Greg Kadel. The actress also holds contracts with L'Oréal, and New York & Co. Longoria also contracts with Magnum Ice-Cream, and Heineken. She was a part of Microsoft's "I'm A PC" ad campaign. She and Tony Parker have appeared together in campaigns for London Fog. Longoria became a spokesperson for L'Oréal Paris in 2005 and was still being featured in L'Oréal TV commercials and print ads as of 2016. In the summer of 2010 Longoria served as a judge on The Next Food Network Star. In October, Longoria hosted the MTV Europe Music Awards 2010 in Madrid, Spain.
Based on her earnings from June 1, 2009 to June 1, 2010, Longoria was ranked No. 4 on Forbes Prime Time's 10 Top-Earning Women with an estimated $12 million. Longoria topped the Forbes magazine's list of the highest-paid TV actresses for 2011.
In 2013, Longoria professed that she is a "cat lady" and appeared as a spokesperson for Sheba cat food.
From 2013, she served as one of the executive producers of Devious Maids and directed the season two premiere, "An Ideal Husband". In 2016, she also starred in the fourth season, in the episode "Once More Unto the Bleach". She is also an executive producer of the documentaries The Harvest and Food Chains, for which she won a James Beard Foundation Award.
In 2015, NBC announced plans for a sitcom called Telenovela in which Longoria starred as a popular telenovela actress. It was filmed with a single camera. It ran for only one season.
In 2017, Longoria directed the season three finale episode of the ABC comedy Black-ish.
In 2018, Longoria attended the premiere for her new film, "Dog Days" with co-stars Vanessa Hudgens and Nina Dobrev on August 5, 2018.
Other ventures
In March 2008, Longoria opened the restaurant Beso in Hollywood, along with partner and celebrity chef Todd English. The restaurant is located on Hollywood Boulevard and is accompanied by Kiss, a Victorian-themed nightclub on the floor above. The Hollywood Beso was scheduled to be the focus of a pilot episode for a tentative reality series called Beso: Waiting on Fame, to air on VH1 in late 2010.In 2009, Longoria and various investor-partners opened a Beso restaurant, with a nightclub called Eve above it, in the Crystals retail and entertainment district of CityCenter in Las Vegas.
In 2011, the corporation Beso LLC, owner of the Vegas restaurant-and-nightclub venture, with listed assets of about $2.5 million and Longoria as a 32 percent shareholder, filed for Chapter 11 protection, entering bankruptcy proceedings, in order to restructure nearly $5.7 million in debt and other liabilities. On July 28, 2011, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for Nevada ordered Longoria to appear in Las Vegas on August 20 in order to be examined about the bankrupt restaurant's finances.
Her first book, Eva's Kitchen: Cooking with Love for Family and Friends, was published in April 2011. In terms of food-related promotions, in 2012 and 2013, Longoria paired with Iron Chef Michael Symon for a promotion for PepsiCo's Lay's potato chips contest called "Do Us A Flavor". The promotion encourages consumers to submit new flavor ideas and fans to vote for their favorite on Facebook. The person who creates the winning flavor is awarded $1 million or one percent of chip flavor's net sales.
In 2015, Longoria announced that she had teamed up with sportsware manufacturer Sunrise Brands to create a women's apparel collection, set to launch Fall 2016.
In March 2017, Eva Longoria launched her clothing line website on her official site.
Philanthropy
In 2006, Longoria founded Eva's Heroes, a charity which helps developmentally disabled children. She is the national spokesperson for PADRES Contra El Cancer. She signed shoes for the Spirit of Women Red Shoe Celebrity Auction. Longoria also supports the Clothes Off Our Back Foundation, OmniPeace, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the National Stroke Association, Project HOME and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Longoria is an executive producer of Shine Global Inc.'s documentary The Harvest which is focused on the 500,000 child migrant farm workers in the U.S. and promote awareness and support to enact the Children's Act for Responsible Employment.Her other charity, the Eva Longoria Foundation aims to close the education gap plaguing Latinas and confront Latino poverty. She has stated that, "The Eva Longoria Foundation supports programs which help Latinas excel in school and attend college. Additionally, we work to provide Latina entrepreneurs with career training, mentorship, capital and opportunity." The foundation offers nine-week "parent engagement" courses to help Latino parents and has a mentorship program for Latinas and other extracurricular activities as well as loans to help Latina-owned businesses. It is co-funded by philanthropist Howard Buffett son of investor Warren Buffett.
Longoria was named Philanthropist of the Year in 2009 by The Hollywood Reporter for 'her commitment to Latino causes and giving back to the community. She appeared on Fort Boyard in 2009, helping attract more than €20,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
in 2011
In 2009, Longoria enrolled in a Master's program in Chicano Studies and political science at Cal State University, Northridge. According to Longoria, "because of my involvement with the NCLR and my charity work, I really wanted a better, more authentic understanding of what my community has gone through so I can help create change." She graduated with a master's degree in Chicano Studies in May 2013.
In September 2009, Longoria was appointed to a bi-partisan commission called to determine to establish a National Museum of the American Latino. In October 2012, Longoria spoke at the McAfee Focus 2012 event, where the "theme of safety—beyond computers—emerged. Safety involving financial security, emotional security, and the other results from Longoria's philanthropic efforts."
In March 2017, Longoria was listed by UK-based company Richtopia at number 42 in the list of 200 Most Influential Philanthropists and Social Entrepreneurs Worldwide.
Politics and activism
Longoria has a keen interest in immigration. She accompanied a border patrol in Arizona and has immersed herself in the issues to understand the Mexican and the U.S. points of view. She has described Arizona's SB 1070 immigration law as unconstitutional.In 2012, Longoria was one of seven Californians named to the post of co-chair of Barack Obama's reelection campaign. On September 6, she spoke at the 2012 Democratic National Convention where she endorsed President Obama's reelection. In May 2014, she initiated the Latino Victory Project to raise funds for candidates and efforts to get out the vote. An executive producer of the documentaries The Harvest and Food Chains, she is a supporter of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.
Longoria spoke at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on July 26, 2016.
Personal life
Relationships
Longoria was married to actor Tyler Christopher, star of General Hospital, from 2002 to 2004.Longoria met Tony Parker, then the point guard for the San Antonio Spurs, in November 2004. On November 30, 2006, the couple became engaged. They married in a civil service on July 6, 2007, at a Paris city hall. They had a Catholic wedding ceremony at the Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois Church in Paris on July 7, 2007. On November 17, 2010, Longoria filed for divorce from Parker in Los Angeles, citing "irreconcilable differences". In the divorce petition, Longoria requested that her maiden name be restored. She also sought spousal support from Parker. The couple had a prenuptial agreement that was signed in June 2007, a month before their wedding, and amended two years later in June 2009.
Longoria told her friend Mario Lopez she had discovered hundreds of text messages from another woman on her husband's phone. Extra identified the other woman as Erin Barry, the then-wife of Brent Barry, Parker's former teammate, and revealed that the Barrys also were in the process of divorcing. In light of the divorce, Longoria canceled her scheduled appearance at the 2010 American Music Awards. On November 19, 2010, Parker filed for divorce from Longoria in Bexar County, Texas, on the grounds of "discord or conflict of personalities", thus establishing a legal battle over where the divorce case would be heard. Unlike Longoria's divorce petition, Parker's did not mention a prenuptial agreement and claimed that the parties would "enter into an agreement for the division of their estate". The divorce was finalized in Texas on January 28, 2011, the same day Longoria's lawyer filed papers to dismiss her Los Angeles petition. Longoria would later comment, "I didn't realize it at the time with Tony, but I had become my own version of a desperate housewife."
On December 13, 2015, Longoria reported her engagement to Mexican businessman José Antonio "Pepe" Bastón Patiño, then the president of Televisa, the largest media company in Latin America. Bastón and Longoria met on a blind date arranged by a mutual friend in Mexico City; at the time, Bastón did not know who Longoria was and originally declined the invitation to meet her because of his busy schedule. The couple were married in Mexico on May 21, 2016.
On December 19, 2017, it was reported that Longoria was pregnant with her first child. She gave birth to a son in 2018.
Ancestry
According to research done in 2010 by Harvard professor and Faces of America host Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Longoria's oldest identifiable Spanish immigrant ancestor is her ninth great-grandfather, Lorenzo Suárez de Longoria, who immigrated to the Viceroyalty of New Spain in 1603. His family was based in a small village called Llongoria, Belmonte de Miranda, Asturias, Spain. Longoria is the Castellanized form of this Asturian-language surname.In 1767, her seventh great-grandfather received almost of land along the Rio Grande in a land grant from King Charles III of Spain. The family retained this land for more than a century. After the US-Mexican border was moved southwards in the aftermath of the Mexican–American War, the land ended up on the American side of the border. Her family had to deal with the influx of United States settlers following the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War.
According to DNA testing, Longoria's overall genetic ancestry is 70% European, 27% Asian and Indigenous, and 3% African. After a computer compared the DNA results of Gates's dozen guests, tests showed that she is genetically related to cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who is of Chinese heritage. Since women have two X chromosomes and no Y chromosome, Longoria did not inherit her father's Y-DNA, but she did inherit her mother's mitochondrial DNA. Longoria's mtDNA belongs to the Haplogroup A2, making her a direct descendant of a Native American woman, a Mayan from the territory of Mexico long before it was Mexico. Her ancestors include many other Mayans on both sides of her family.
Longoria identifies as a "Texican"—a Mexican-American Texan.
Filmography
Films
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2000 | Beverly Hills, 90210 | Flight Attendant #3 | Episode: "I Will Be Your Father Figure" |
| 2000 | General Hospital | Brenda Barrett Lookalike | 1 episode |
| 2001–03 | The Young and the Restless | Isabella Braña | Regular |
| 2003–04 | Dragnet | Detective Gloria Duran | Regular |
| 2004 | The Dead Will Tell | Jeanie | Movie |
| 2004–12 | Desperate Housewives | Gabrielle Solis | Lead role |
| 2005 | Saturday Night Live | Herself / Host | Episode: "Eva Longoria/Korn" |
| 2006 | George Lopez | Brooke | Episode: "George Vows to Make Some Matri-Money" |
| 2008 | Childrens Hospital | The New Chief | Episode 1.10 |
| 2009 | Fort Boyard | Herself | French Version - Season 19 Episode 1 |
| 2010 | The Next Food Network Star | Herself | Season 6, week 8 |
| 2010 | MTV Europe Music Awards 2010 | Herself / Host | |
| 2013 | Masterchef | Herself | Season 4, Episode 13 |
| 2013 | Welcome to the Family | Ana Nunez | Episode: "The Big RV Adventure" |
| 2013 | The Simpsons | Isabel Gutierrez | Episode: "The Kid Is All Right" |
| 2013–14 | Mother Up! | Rudi Wilson | 13 episodes |
| 2014–15 | Brooklyn Nine-Nine | Sophia Perez | 4 episodes |
| 2015–16 | Telenovela | Ana Sofia Calderón | Lead role |
| 2016 | Lip Sync Battle | Herself | Episodes: "Channing Tatum vs. Jenna Dewan-Tatum", "Eva Longoria vs. Hayden Panettiere" |
| 2016 | Devious Maids | Herself | Episode: "Once More Unto the Bleach" |
| 2016 | Maya & Marty | Various | Episode: "John Cena, Nick Jonas, Eva Longoria and Ben Stiller" |
| 2016 | The Best FIFA Football Awards 2016 | Herself / Host | |
| 2017 | Decline and Fall | Margot Beste-Chetwynde | Miniseries |
| 2017 | Empire | Charlotte Frost | 3 episodes |
| 2017 | Celebrity Family Feud | Herself | Episode: "Eva Longoria vs. George Lopez" |
| 2018 | Jane the Virgin | Herself | Episode: "Chapter Seventy-Five" |
| 2018 | BoJack Horseman | Yolanda's Mother | Episode: "Planned Obsolescence" |
| 2019 | Grand Hotel | Beatriz Mendoza | 3 episodes |
| 2020 | Flipped | Fidelia | 2 episodes |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Artist |
| 1999 | "Shake Your Bon-Bon" | Ricky Martin |
| 2005 | "Unpredictable" | Jamie Foxx |
| 2006 | "A Public Affair" | Jessica Simpson |
| 2007 | Balance Toi | Tony Parker |
| 2009 | "Desde cuando" | Alejandro Sanz |
| 2011 | "I Like How It Feels" | Enrique Iglesias |
Producer
Director
Awards and nominations
| Year | Association | Category | Work | Result |
| 2002 | ALMA Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama | The Young and the Restless | |
| 2005 | Screen Actors Guild | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Desperate Housewives | |
| 2005 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actress: Comedy | Desperate Housewives | |
| 2005 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Breakout Performance – Female | Desperate Housewives | |
| 2005 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite New TV Drama | Desperate Housewives | |
| 2006 | Screen Actors Guild | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Desperate Housewives | |
| 2006 | ALMA Awards | Person of the Year | ||
| 2006 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy | Desperate Housewives | |
| 2007 | Bambi Awards | TV Series International | Desperate Housewives | |
| 2007 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Female TV Star | Desperate Housewives | |
| 2007 | Screen Actors Guild | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Desperate Housewives | |
| 2007 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actress: Comedy | Desperate Housewives | |
| 2008 | Screen Actors Guild | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Desperate Housewives | |
| 2009 | Screen Actors Guild | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Desperate Housewives | |
| 2010 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Female Red Carpet Icon |