She was born in Miami, Florida (although many sources incorrectly state her birthplace is Houston, Texas) to Cuban parents, and was raised in Los Angeles. Eva Mendes went to Hoover High School in Glendale, California. Eva Mendes later attended California State University, Northridge but dropped out to seek an acting career.
Mendes was determined not to let her career be defined by a cheesy horror flick, so she began taking acting lessons and got serious about success. She landed newcomer acting gigs in commercials and music videos and added a few more feature films to her resume including "Night at the Roxbury" (1998) starring Will Farrell and Chris Kattan, and "Urban Legends: Final Cut" (2000). Mendes finally got a profile boost in the critically acclaimed "Training Day" (2001) starring Denzel Washington, which generated some buzz over the actress' nudity.
In 2003, Mendes' career took off, with the actress taking on large roles in an ecclectic quartet of high-profile films. In 2_Fast_2_Furious she played a customs agent working with Paul_Walker to bring down a Miami drug cartel. Out of Time found her reteaming with Training_Day costar Denzel_Washington. Flexing her comedic chops, Mendes was the love interest of half a pair of conjoined twins in the Farrelly brothers' Stuck on You. And in Once Upon a Time in Mexico she played another government agent, this time opposite Johnny_Depp.
