She makes our TV screens smolder as the always-scheming Gabrielle Solis on the ABC hit Desperate Housewives, but don’t call Golden Globe nominee and two-time ALMA Award-winning Eva Longoria just another pretty, sexy face.

The youngest of four sisters who grew up on a ranch in Corpus Christi, Texas, Longoria attended Texas A&M-Kingsville, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology. After graduating from college, she entered a talent contest that brought her to Los Angeles..

After landing roles on The Bold and the Beautiful, General Hospital and co-starring on Beverly Hills, 90210, Longoria won the part of Isabella on The Young and the Restless, which earned her an ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama in 2002.

 

This People's Choice Award winner for Favorite Female TV Star was named one of 2005 People's 50 Most Beautiful, 2006's and 2007's 100 Most Beautiful People, one of Rolling Stone's People of the Year, and the #1 Hottest Woman in the World on Maxim's annual Hot 100 list two years in a row. She is the international face of L'Oréal Paris, a spokesperson in American and Latin markets for PepsiCo, Inc., and the face of BEBE SPORT.

Longoria currently lives in Los Angeles. She is the national spokesperson for Padres Contra El Cancer, a nonprofit organization committed to improving the quality of life for Latino children with cancer and their families. This past year she raised over $1M dollars for Padres, and donated her entire salary from one episode of Desperate Housewives to the charity as well.

In addition to Padres, Longoria works with the Special Olympics and recently founded the nonprofit Eva's Heroes, which provides an inclusive setting for individuals with developmental disabilities to interact, play and grow with their typically-developing peers, and also provides services to families such as counseling, parenting workshops and sibling support groups. She currently works closely with The United Farm Workers (UFW), The Mexican American Legal Defense Educational Fund (MALDEF), the Dolores Huerta Foundation and The National Council of La Raza (NCLR).

Longoria has been honored with the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts' Horizon Award. She received the Latina Visionary and Community Empowerment Award from the Hispanic Women's Corporation for her contributions to the Latin community at the 21st National Hispanic Women's Conference, the largest gathering of Latinas in the country, which provides leadership and professional development to more than 2,000 participants while raising funds for college scholarships.