Eva de la Caridad Méndez, known professionally as Eva Mendes, was born on March 5, 1974, in Miami, Florida. She is the daughter of Cuban parents Eva Pérez Suárez and Juan Carlos Méndez. After her parents' divorce, she was raised by her mother in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Silver Lake.

Eva attended Hoover High School in Glendale and later studied marketing at California State University, Northridge, but left college to pursue acting.

Eva Mendez began her acting career in the late 1990s with roles in films such as Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror and Urban Legends: Final Cut. Her breakthrough role came in 2001 with the crime thriller Training Day, where she played the girlfriend of Denzel Washington's character.

This led to roles in commercially successful films like 2 Fast 2 Furious, Hitch, and Ghost Rider. She also appeared in dramatic films such as We Own the Night, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, and The Place Beyond the Pines.

In addition to her acting career, Eva has appeared in several music videos for artists like Will Smith and has been an ambassador for brands including Calvin Klein, Cartier, Reebok, and Pantene shampoo.

She has also designed a fashion collection for New York & Company and is the creative director of CIRCA Beauty, a makeup line sold at Walgreens.

Eva has been in a relationship with Canadian actor Ryan Gosling since 2011, and they have two daughters together. She has received various accolades throughout her career and continues to be a prominent figure in the entertainment industry.