Eva Mendes’ breakthrough performance came in 2001 when she starred in Training Day along side Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke. With Will Smith in Hitch in 2005, Eva and Will were the first minority actors to play leads in a hit romantic comedy. In 2008, Eva played the role of Sand Seraf in the movie The Spirit. Some of her costars include Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson.

More recently, in 2012 Eva starred in The Place Beyond the Pines. During filming, Eva began dating her costar Ryan Gosling. And after nearly a year of dating, it is rumored that he is set to propose to her.

Eva Mendes has done her share of modeling as well. She appeared in Will Smith’s video for Miami and the Aerosmith video for Hole in My Soul. Eva appeared nude in an ad for Calvin Klein’s Secret Obsession perfume. It was banned from airing in the US because there was a shot of her exposed nipples. She’s also modeled for Cartier, PETA, and Magnum brand ice cream. Eva has graced the cover of Maxim magazine twice.

Eva runs a home décor line called Vida. She has released a line of bed linens and dinnerware to be sold in Macy’s stores.