Born on 15th March 1975, Eva Longoria is a popular American actress, producer, and director. She started off her career as an actress through small guest roles on several TV series since 1999. However, it was not until 2004 that Eva got her big break and became publically known. Presently, it has already been over 2 decades since Longoria joined showbiz; yet the actress has never once failed to impress her fans.
Now, in addition to being a top-class Hollywood actress, Eva has explored her talents in a lot of other departments. On top of being one of the highest-paid actresses in America, Longoria is a businesswoman and philanthropist as well. Apart from working day and night on the big screen, she has dedicated some of her time to work for the betterment of others – especially, the Latina community.
So, what is Eva Longoria famous for? In this article, we bring you all known facts about her marvelous career as an actress, businesswoman, and philanthropist.
How Did Eva Longoria First Become Famous?
In the year 1975, Eva was born in the city of Corpus Christi, Texas. Today, this well-known actress grew up on a ranch farm with 3 elder sisters. As a young girl, she would often juggle her acting side with her studious side. After graduating high school, Longoria attended Texas A&M University where she would often appear in college plays – this was just the beginning of something very big!

Furthermore, with the intention to follow her passion for acting, young Eva stepped into the world of beauty pageants. Following this, in March 1998, she won the Miss Corpus Christi beauty pageant. This win came with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to compete in a talent show in LA. Moreover, this talented young woman won the show and stayed in California to chase her dreams of becoming a Hollywood actress.
Longoria’s Early Days In Movies
Almost a year after coming to LA, her dream of working on the big screen was slowly starting to take form. Moreover, in 1999, she landed her first-ever TV role as a guest star in one of the episodes of Beverly Hills, 90210. Following this, she appeared as a guest on several other shows as well. Her minor roles in the popular TV series, General Hospital and The Young and the Reckless are admired to this date.
Likewise, in the earlier days, she even appeared in one direct-to-video film, Senorita Justice, and a television film, The Dead Will Tell.

As a young woman in a big city, Longoria sure struggled a lot in her early days in Hollywood. Nevertheless, she is very determined and patient. After appearing in several demeaning roles, she got her big break in 2004, almost 5 years after she came to pursue her dreams.
TV series, Desperate Housewives Eva To Become Globally Famous
In 2004, Eva Longoria landed a deal that would be the reason for her success as an actress. She was given the role of Gabrielle Solis on the ABC drama series, Desperate Housewives. The TV show became an immediate hit, and Eva was thus recognized by people all around America. This lucky show of hers further aired for 8 years and led Longoria to become one of the highest-paid actresses nationwide.
Furthermore, only a year into Desperate Housewives, she started winning awards. In 2005, Longoria won Choice TV Breakout Performance at the Teen Choice Awards. Similarly, the cast of the ABC TV series won the Screen Actors Guide Award for their united outstanding performance. In addition to this, Eva also took home a Golden Globe Award for her best performance in the 2004 show. Not only this, but she also was once the American Latino Media Arts (ALMA) Person of the year; People‘s 50 Most Beautiful in 2005, and; #1 on Maxim‘s annual Hot 100 list consecutively for 2 years.
Thus, Eva became an acting sensation. Following her role as Gabrielle Solis, she was offered big parts in other Hollywood films. Harsh Times, The Sentinel, The Heartbreak Kid, and many more are some of Eva’s movies.
Similarly, she has also experienced some behind-the-screen work as well. Longoria once served as a producer for the dating reality show, Ready for Love. The show only aired for a few weeks in 2013. Likewise, she also worked on Devious Maids, a show on Lifetime Television, that aired from 2013 to 2016.
Eva’s Popular Movies & TV Shows
- Desperate Housewives
- The Young and the Reckless
- Harsh Times
- The Sentinel
- The Heartbreak Kid
- The Dead Will Tell
- Why Women Kill
Eva Longoria Is Also A Businesswoman
Apart from acting, Longoria has always been very open about her love for cooking and food. Keeping this in mind, in 2008, she opened up her first restaurant, Beso. Her former partner and celebrity chef, Todd English and Longoria worked together to make their eatery successful. The restaurant was lavish and had a Victorian-themed nightclub just above it. However, the place fell under bankruptcy just 3 years after its opening in 2011.

Following this, Eva also wrote and published her very-own book. Eva’s Kitchen: Cooking with Love for Family and Friends was published in April 2011.
Keeping her love for food aside, Longoria has also worked with several clothing brands. In 2015, she teamed up with a sportswear manufacturer, Sunrise Brands. The main motive for this was to create a women’s apparel collection, to be released in 2016. Likewise, the actress has even launched her own clothing line. Since March 2017, it has been introduced on Eva’s official site.
Longoria Is Also Famous For Her Philanthropic Work
Philanthropy is one of the other several areas that Longoria has worked on and has been successful in. After being crowned as the “highest-paid” actress in Hollywood through her show, Desperate Housewives, Eva began her journey to help others. Initially, she became a national spokesperson for Padres Contra el Cancer – a non-profit organization helping Latino children fight cancer.

Following her desire to make the world a better place, the actress established her own organization, Eva’s Heroes. To this date, this organization is working to offer various opportunities for developmentally challenged young people. Subsequently, the big-time TV series actress became the face of L’Oreal Paris, a spokesperson for Pepsi, and the face of Bebe Sport.
On top of philanthropy, Eva has also worked as a political activist. In 2012, she was the co-chair for the ex-president, Barack Obama‘s re-election. Furthermore, over the years, she also has shown an interest in the life of immigrants and has worked to encourage Latinos in politics. Not only this, but the actress has even protested against anti-immigration legislation. With the said objective, in 2014, Longoria founded the Latino Victory Project.
What Is Eva Longoria’s Net Worth In 2023?
In 2012, as the show, Desperate Housewives ended, Eva was earning around $400,000 per episode. This helped foster her growth in the industry and encouraged the actress to explore her talents in other career aspects as well. With that in mind, Longoria not only became the highest-paid actress in America but also a woman who was highly admired in the business as well as the philanthropic world. Thus, this fame of course introduced a hefty fortune in her life.
Therefore, in 2023, Eva has a net worth of $80 million dollars.
FAQs
She is famous as an actress, businesswoman, and philanthropist. Her work on the TV show, Desperate Housewives made her known worldwide.
Desperate Housewives and The Young and Reckless are the two main TV shows that Longoria is known for.
Eva earned $400,000 per episode of her show, Desperate Housewives.