Career

1999–2003: Career beginnings

Longoria landed her first television role in 1999 after meeting Executive Producer Gary Ghiaey at a political reception in Los Angeles. Ghiaey hired her to host the weekend destination segment of his television show "L.A. In A Day".^{[citation needed]} Longoria went on to guest star in an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210. Another guest appearance inGeneral Hospital the same year brought her big break on the CBS Daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless, portraying Isabella Braña from 2001 to 2003. After leaving The Young and the Restless, she was seen on the now-cancelled Dick Wolf revival of Dragnet. Following Dragnet, she starred in two ill-fated productions – Señorita Justice, a poorly received direct-to-video film, and a television film titled The Dead Will Tell.

2003–2006: Breakthrough

In 2003, Longoria was cast as adulteress Gabrielle Solis in the ABC comedy-drama Desperate Housewives, later commenting on her career success by stating, "I think it's funny when people say I’m an overnight sensation, because I’ve been working at it for 10 years." Shortly after her debut on Desperate Housewives, Longoria starred in a poorly received direct-to-video film titled Carlita's Secret, for which she was also co-producer. In 2006, she was rewarded for her performance as Gabrielle Solis in Desperate Housewives when she was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy along with her co-stars. She was awarded the ALMA Award and named entertainer of the year that year. She also starred opposite Michael Douglas and Kiefer Sutherland in the 2006 thriller The Sentinel, which was her first major role in a theatrical movie. In 2006, she played the character Sylvia in Harsh Times starring Freddy Rodriguezand Christian Bale.

In the 2000s, Longoria appeared in several high-profile advertising campaigns and numerous men's magazines, reaching No. 14 in the FHM"Sexiest Women 2008" poll, and appearing on the cover of various international women's magazines including Vogue, Marie Claire and Harper's Bazaar. People en Español listed her among its "Most Beautiful People" for 2003. Longoria continues to be included in lists of Hollywood's Most Beautiful and was listed No. 1 in Maxim's Hottest Female Stars of 2005 and 2006, becoming the first woman to top the list in two consecutive years. She was ranked No. 9 in the magazine's Hot 100 of 2007 list. In honor of Maxim's 100th issue in 2006, Longoria was featured on a 75-by-110-foot (23 by 34 m) vinyl mesh replica of its January 2005 cover located in a Clark County, Nevada desert.

2007–present

In January 2007, Longoria was chosen to be the first face of Bebe Sport. She appeared in the Spring/Summer 2007 campaign, photographed by Greg Kadel. The actress also holds contracts with L'Oréal and Hanes, New York & Co. Longoria also has a contract with Magnum Ice-Cream, and Heineken. She is a part of Microsoft's "I'm A PC" ad campaign, and she and Tony Parker have appeared together in campaigns for London Fog. Eva Longoria became a spokesperson for L'Oréal Paris in 2005 and has continued to feature in L'Oréal TV commercials and print ads until the year 2010. In the summer of 2010 Longoria served as a judge on The Next Food Network Star. In October, Longoria hosted the MTV Europe Music Awards 2010 in Madrid, Spain. Based on her earnings within June 1, 2009 to June 1, 2010 Longoria was ranked No. 4 on Forbes Prime Time's 10 Top-Earning Women with an estimated $12 million. More recently, she was ranked No. 14 ofPeople's Most Beautiful 2011. People named her one of 2012 Most Beautiful at Every Age.

After Desperate Housewives Longoria's first project is an independent drama titled Long Time Gone, in which she will play a mistress. Sarah Siegel-Magness, who produced the award-winning 2009 film Precious, will direct the film. Then, In Who Gets the Dog Longoria will play a woman named Olive who is at war with her ex over who keeps their beloved poodle. Besides starring in the film, she has also signed on as a producer for the comedy. Longoria will also star alongside Brendan Fraser as his wife in Four Kings, a historical drama set during the French and Indian War, which took place from 1754–1763. The drama, directed by Damian Lee, is about a wealthy British man who hopes to create a utopian society with his wife by backing the war between Great Britain and France. And then there is an animated series by Hulu, titled Mother Up!, in which Longoria will lend her voice to the lead role. Longoria's character is Rudi Wilson — an irresponsible New York record executive who loses her job because of a scandal and has move to the suburbs and improvise her way through parenting. Eva Longoria topped the Forbes magazine's list of the highest-paid TV actresses for 2011. In 2013 Longoria professed that she is a "cat lady" and appeared as a spokesperson for Sheba cat food.