Eva Mendes was born in Miami and raised in Los Angeles. Though taking many smaller roles in movies, she was little known until playing the girlfriend of Denzel Washington’s character in Training Day (2001). In addition to playing leading Hollywood roles with stars like Will Smith in Hitch (2005), she is a spokesperson for Revlon.
Excerpt from the book Cubans: An Epic Journey, the Struggle of Exiles for Truth and Freedom p. 412-414 published by Facts About Cuban Exiles by Sam Verdeja and Guillermo Martínez. English and Spanish editions are available in hard and paper back at amazon.com