Eva Jacqueline Longoria Bastón (née Longoria; born March 15, 1975) is an American actress, producer, director, and businesswoman. After several guest roles on television, she gained popularity for her portrayal of Isabella Braña on the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless (2001–2003). Her breakthrough role as Gabrielle Solis on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives (2004–2012) earned her two Screen Actors Guild Awards and a Golden Globe nomination. She has appeared in the films The Sentinel (2006), Over Her Dead Body (2008), For Greater Glory (2012), Frontera (2014), Lowriders (2016), and Overboard (2018), winning an Imagen Award for the latter. She guest-starred on the Hulu mystery comedy-drama series Only Murders in the Building (2024), earning her a third Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.
In 2005, Longoria founded UnbeliEVAble Entertainment, a film and television production company. In 2023, the company was acquired by Hyphenate Media Group, a production company co-founded by Longoria and Cris Abrego. She also executive produced the Lifetime television series Devious Maids (2013–2016), the short-lived NBC sitcom Telenovela (2015–2016) in which she starred, and the films The Harvest (2010) and Food Chains (2014). Her directorial ventures include the television series Ashley Garcia: Genius in Love (2020), for which she was nominated at the Daytime Creative Arts Emmys, and the Oscar-nominated film Flamin' Hot (2023).
Eva Longoria received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2018. She has appeared in several advertising campaigns, including with L'Oréal, New York & Co, Pepsi, and launched her own fashion and perfumes brand in 2017. Her other business ventures include opening the restaurant Beso in 2008, investing in businesses and films such as John Wick (2014), and publishing a cookbook.
Longoria was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, on March 15, 1975, the youngest of the four daughters of her Tejano parents Ella Longoria (née Mireles) and Enrique Longoria Jr. One of her sisters has special needs. Longoria told Redbook in 2016:
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.
She was raised Roman Catholic. She did not speak Spanish growing up, and did not learn the language until 2009, so when she about 40. While in high school, she worked at a Wendy's restaurant part-time for three years, initially so she could raise funds for her quinceañera. Longoria previously told the press how her years in fast food as a teen shaped her work ethic, saying "I couldn't wait to get to work and make my own money." Longoria earned her Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. At that time (1998), she also won the title of Miss Corpus Christi USA. After completing college, she entered a talent contest that led her to Los Angeles; and shortly thereafter, was spotted and signed by a theatrical agent. While auditioning for roles, she worked as a headhunter for four years. Longoria has publicly credited Jennifer Lopez as being an inspiration to her early in her career. "Jennifer broke down so many doors so that we could walk through them," she told the magazine People. "And she kicked them down. They were not easy doors." She also described Tejana legend Selena as being "my idol, my inspiration" and "the reason I even dared to dream that a better life was possible." After three years at California State University, Northridge, she received her master's degree in Chicano studies in May 2013. "This place was probably the place I grew most in my life… I was exhausted the whole time I was here," she laughs. "I did night school. I would finish filming [Desperate Housewives] and come here 7 to 10 at night, and then, go home and do it all again. Be on set at 5:00 a.m. It fills my heart with my Mexican pride." Her thesis was "Success STEMS From Diversity: The Value of Latinas in STEM Careers".
Longoria guest-starred in an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210. Another guest appearance on General Hospital the same year led to a contract role on the CBS Daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless, where she portrayed Isabella Braña from 2001 to 2003.
After leaving that show, she appeared in the 2003 revival of Jack Webb's long-running Dragnet media franchise. She then starred in Señorita Justice, a poorly received direct-to-video film; and a television film, The Dead Will Tell.
In 2003, Longoria was cast as Gabrielle Solis in the ABC comedy-drama Desperate Housewives. She later commented, "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, she starred in a direct-to-video film, 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. That year, she received the ALMA Award, and was named entertainer of the year. She also starred opposite Michael Douglas and Kiefer Sutherland in the thriller The Sentinel (2006)—her first major role in a theatrical feature film—and played 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. She continues to be included in lists of Hollywood's Most Beautiful. She was listed as No. 1 in Maxim's Hottest Female Stars of 2005 and 2006, the first woman to top the list in two consecutive years. She was ranked No. 9 in the magazine's Hot 100 of 2007 list. In honor of Maxim's 100th issue in 2006, she was featured on a 75-by-110-foot (23 by 34 m) vinyl mesh replica of its January 2005 cover located in a Clark County, Nevada desert. More recently, she was ranked No. 14 of People's Most Beautiful 2011. People named her one of 2012 Most Beautiful at Every Age.
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. She also holds contracts with L'Oréal, and New York & Co. She 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. She 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, she was a judge on The Next Food Network Star; and in October, she 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. She topped the Forbes magazine's list of the highest-paid TV actresses for 2011.
In 2013, Longoria professed that she was 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 2014, she had a recurring role in the TV show Brooklyn Nine-Nine.