---
name: "Eva Mendes"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/eva-mendes"
fi1m_id: "eva-mendes"
imdb_id: "nm0578949"
tmdb_id: 8170
wikidata_id: "Q170606"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "5 March 1974"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 6
average_fi1m_score: 69
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 5
updated: "2026-10-05T12:01:08.592989+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Eva Mendes

## Identity

Eva Mendes

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/eva-mendes
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** eva-mendes
- **IMDb ID:** nm0578949
- **TMDB ID:** 8170
- **Wikidata ID:** Q170606
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eva_Mendes, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q170606, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0578949/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/8170

Actor. Born 5 March 1974 in Miami, Florida, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 5 March 1974, Miami, Florida, USA
- **Active:** 2001–2013
- **Also known as:** Eva de la Caridad Méndez
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 6: 5 acting, 1 other
- **Average Fi1m score:** 69, as actor, over 5 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 2000s 66 (3), 2010s 74 (3)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 69 to 66 across 5 titles
- **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 2 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 0 of 5 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Crime 4, Action 3, Drama 3, Thriller 2, Fantasy 1, Western 1
- **Screen time:** 10 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $488m across 5 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eva_Mendes, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q170606, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0578949/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/8170

## Streaming the US now

- **Pluto TV:** [*Holy Motors*](https://film.one/film/holy-motors.md) (84)
- **The Roku Channel:** [*Training Day*](https://film.one/film/training-day.md) (80)
- **Netflix:** [*2 Fast 2 Furious*](https://film.one/film/2-fast-2-furious.md) (61)
- **Tubi:** [*Once Upon a Time in Mexico*](https://film.one/film/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico.md) (56)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Eva Mendes

> Eva Mendes can hold our attention without a line of dialogue. We value her ability to communicate through behaviour, though too many films cast her for her looks and leave her with little else to do.

Eva Mendes has no dialogue as Kay M in *Holy Motors* (2012), yet she makes herself felt in a film dominated by Denis Lavant's changing characters. Her physical presence does work that another part might assign to a speech. We were frustrated by how little freedom Leos Carax gave her, because Lavant is allowed to keep changing while the women have much less to do. The writing limits her contribution, however effectively she uses what she has.

Her breakthrough as Sara in *Training Day* (2001) came in a film driven by Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke. Antoine Fuqua's police thriller makes Washington's corrupt authority persuasive, with Hawke giving him a substantial opponent. David Ayer's script lets the film down when it becomes more ordinary, but the central performances are reason enough to watch. Sara established Mendes in mainstream cinema; the later films give us more to discuss about her particular strengths.

The studio years brought *2 Fast 2 Furious* (2003) and *Hitch* (2005), with the latter giving her a high-profile romantic-comedy lead. Too many of her studio parts relied on her looks and offered little depth. *We Own the Night* (2007) marked a turn towards more character-driven drama, followed by the less conventional work of *Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans* (2009). The move towards *Holy Motors* makes sense for an actor who prefers to cut dialogue and communicate through actions. That preference gives us a better reason to follow her into these films than simply wanting to see her escape a familiar kind of casting.

Mendes has acknowledged that her early acting skills did not always match her taste for difficult material, a useful caution against blaming every thin performance on the casting. *The Place Beyond the Pines* (2013), in which she plays Romina Gutierrez, offers a later example of her natural presence in a supporting dramatic role. That performance deserves attention alongside the wordless appearance in *Holy Motors*. We recommend Carax's film warmly, with the caveat that anyone watching chiefly for Mendes will wish he had given her more to do.

## Biography

Eva Mendes, also credited as Eva de la Caridad Méndez, is an American actress. Born on 5 March 1974 in Miami, Florida, she began her acting career in the late 1990s with roles in films including *Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror* (1998) and *Urban Legends: Final Cut* (2000).

Her performance as Sara in *Training Day* (2001) marked a turning point and led to parts in *2 Fast 2 Furious* (2003), *Hitch* (2005), *Ghost Rider* (2007), *We Own the Night* (2007) and *The Place Beyond the Pines* (2012). She has also designed for New York & Company and served as creative director of the CIRCA Beauty makeup line.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (6)

### Performed in (5) — the average rests on these

- *The Place Beyond the Pines* (2013), Fi1m 66, as Romina Gutierrez — [page](https://film.one/film/the-place-beyond-the-pines.md)
- *Holy Motors* (2012), Fi1m 84, as Kay M — [page](https://film.one/film/holy-motors.md)
- *2 Fast 2 Furious* (2003), Fi1m 61, as Monica Fuentes — [page](https://film.one/film/2-fast-2-furious.md)
- *Once Upon a Time in Mexico* (2003), Fi1m 56, as CIA Agent Ajedrez — [page](https://film.one/film/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico.md)
- *Training Day* (2001), Fi1m 80, as Sara — [page](https://film.one/film/training-day.md)

### Also credited (1) — thanks, archive footage, uncredited

- *Fast Five* (2011), Fi1m 72, as Monica Fuentes (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/fast-five.md)

## Complete filmography (37)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Bluey Book Reads* (2024), series, as Reader
- *Bluey* (2018), series, as Yoga Instructor (voice)
- *Lost River* (2015), as Cat
- *Clear History* (2013), as Jennifer
- *The Place Beyond the Pines* (2013), as Romina Gutierrez — Fi1m 66, [page](https://film.one/film/the-place-beyond-the-pines.md)
- *Holy Motors* (2012), as Kay M — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/holy-motors.md)
- *Girl in Progress* (2012), as Grace
- *Fast Five* (2011), as Monica Fuentes (uncredited) — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/fast-five.md)
- *California Romanza* (2011), Director
- *Last Night* (2010), as Laura
- *The Other Guys* (2010), as Sheila Gamble
- *Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans* (2009), as Frankie Donnenfield
- *The Spirit* (2008), as Sand Saref
- *The Women* (2008), as Crystal Allen
- *Live!* (2007), as Katy
- *We Own the Night* (2007), as Amada Juarez
- *Cleaner* (2007), as Ann Norcut
- *Guilty Hearts* (2007), as Gabriella
- *Ghost Rider* (2007), as Roxanne Simpson
- *Trust the Man* (2005), as Faith Faison
- *The Wendell Baker Story* (2005), as Doreen
- *Hitch* (2005), as Sara
- *Stuck on You* (2003), as April
- *Out of Time* (2003), as Alex Diaz Whitlock
- *Once Upon a Time in Mexico* (2003), as CIA Agent Ajedrez — Fi1m 56, [page](https://film.one/film/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico.md)
- *2 Fast 2 Furious* (2003), as Monica Fuentes — Fi1m 61, [page](https://film.one/film/2-fast-2-furious.md)
- *All About the Benjamins* (2002), as Gina
- *Training Day* (2001), as Sara — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/training-day.md)
- *Exit Wounds* (2001), as Trish
- *Urban Legends: Final Cut* (2000), as Vanessa
- *The Disciples* (1999), as Maria Serranco
- *My Brother the Pig* (1999), as Matilda
- *Mortal Kombat: Conquest* (1998), series, as Hanna
- *A Night at the Roxbury* (1998), as Bridesmaid
- *V.I.P.* (1998), series, as Esmeralda
- *Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror* (1998), as Kir
- *ER* (1994), series, as Donna — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/tv/er.md)

## Gallery

- ![Eva Mendes](https://film.one/media/person/97394/gallery-d015e81f442e.jpg) Eva Mendes — Nicolas Genin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Eva_Mendes_2009.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Nicolas cage, Eva Mendes and Werner Herzog at the 66th Festival of Venice for the premiere of the film Bad Lieutenant - Port of Call New Orleans (2009)](https://film.one/media/person/97394/gallery-4b73478b53fc.jpg) Nicolas cage, Eva Mendes and Werner Herzog at the 66th Festival of Venice for the premiere of the film Bad Lieutenant - Port of Call New Orleans (2009) — [2], CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8a/Cage_Mendes_Herzog_Venice_Film_Festival_2009.jpg/1280px-Cage_Mendes_Herzog_Venice_Film_Festival_2009.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Eva Mendes in dress (2012)](https://film.one/media/person/97394/gallery-facf5901969f.jpg) Eva Mendes in dress (2012) — Robert Domondon, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Eva_Mendes.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![photographed by SeeSantana at Vanidades Magazine event 2013](https://film.one/media/person/97394/gallery-276a2f0fa17b.png) photographed by SeeSantana at Vanidades Magazine event 2013 — Santana10515, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Eva_Mendes.png?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Eva Mendes](https://film.one/media/person/97394/gallery-4fba102270d5.jpg) Eva Mendes — Image via TMDB
- ![Eva Mendes](https://film.one/media/person/97394/gallery-d36183d1693f.jpg) Eva Mendes — Image via TMDB
- ![Eva Mendes](https://film.one/media/person/97394/gallery-b996e4cdf60d.jpg) Eva Mendes — Image via TMDB
- ![Eva Mendes](https://film.one/media/person/97394/gallery-50186174329d.jpg) Eva Mendes — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Other awards — 1 won, 1 nominated

- Giffoni Film Festival 2009: Giffoni Film Festival (won)
- ALMA Award 2002: ALMA Award (nominated), for *Training Day*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/eva-mendes