Desperate Housewives (Sundays, 9:00-10:00 p.m., ET)
EVA LONGORIA PARKER
Gabrielle Solis on the ABC Television Network's "Desperate Housewives"
Golden Globe nominee and two-time ALMA Award-winning Eva Longoria Parker stars as Gabrielle Solis on the ABC hit "Desperate Housewives." 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 Parker starred in Fox/Regency/Further Films' "The Sentinel," opposite Michael Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland and Kim Basinger, and alongside Christian Bale and Freddie Rodriquez in the indie film "Harsh Times." She lends her voice, along with Charlie Sheen, Wayne Brady and Hilary Duff, to the Lions Gate animated film "Foodfight!," and stars in Gold Circle Films' "Over My Dead Body," with Paul Rudd, Lake Bell, Jason Biggs, Lindsay Sloane and Stephen Root. In addition she hosted and produced the National Council of La Raza ALMA Awards on ABC in 2006 and 2007, which honors Latino artistic achievement in the television, film and music industry.
The youngest of four sisters who grew up on a ranch in Corpus Christi, Texas, Longoria Parker 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, where she was spotted and subsequently signed by a theatrical agent.
After landing roles on "The Bold and the Beautiful," "General Hospital" and co-starring on "Beverly Hills, 90210," Longoria Parker won the role of Isabella on "The Young and the Restless," which earned her an ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama in 2002. This was followed by a role as Detective Gloria Duran on Dick Wolf's "LA Dragnet."
Longoria Parker 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 Parker 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 volunteered for the Kerry-Edwards and Clinton-Gore campaigns, educating Latino voters about the Presidential candidates, and 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 Parker 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. She was also the recipient of the 2006 NHLI Mujer/Chair Award, presented to her by the National Hispana Leadership Institute for her significant contributions to the empowerment and wellbeing of the Hispanic community. The Larry King Cardiac Foundation, in partnership with the American Heart Association, presented her with the Corazones Unidos Award for her philanthropic efforts. In addition, she donated an entire house to one of the victims of Hurricane Katrina through the Oprah Angel Network
PERSONAL INFORMATION
HOMETOWN Corpus Christi, TX
BIRTHDATE March 15
