Eva Longoria Parker

Opinionated and outspoken, Desperate Housewives Latina starlet Eva Longoria Parker is almost as well known for her risqué sense of style as she is for her role as the oversexed nymph on the aforementioned ABC hit, on which she stars opposite television veterans Teri Hatcher, Marcia Cross, Felicity Huffman, and Nicollette Sheridan. Crediting her remarkable success in Hollywood to an unwavering determination to succeed and a strong sense of personal discipline, Longoria Parker has enjoyed a steady rise to fame that shows no signs of slowing anytime soon. Considered in her youth as the "ugly duckling" among her three siblings due to her dark complexion, the future sexpot nevertheless had a happy childhood growing up on her family's Corpus Christie ranch, and by the time she earned the title of Miss Corpus Christie in 1998, any insecurities that might have resulted from her unfortunate family title had long faded. Though Longoria Parker had numerous career options after earning her Bachelor of Science in kinesiology from Texas A&M-Kingsville, a new and empowering sense of self-confidence found the aspiring starlet opting instead to try her luck among the glitz and glamour of Hollywood.

Of course, it didn't take Tinseltown talent agents too long to notice a good thing when it came their way, and after procuring an agent and making her stage debut in a production of What the Rabbit Saw, Longoria Parker was soon cast in a small role on the hit television series Beverly Hills 90210. A subsequent stint on the long-running daytime drama The Young and the Restless found Longoria Parker's steady ascent to stardom perfectly on track, and although her trajectory may have been momentarily derailed due to roles in such forgettable efforts as the small-screen Dragnet revival in 2003 and a pair of throwaway straight-to-video features (Snitch'd and Señorita Justice), 2004 proved the year that everything came together for the determined actress. That fall, Desperate Housewives emerged as a surprise hit -- revitalizing an ailing ABC and setting breakout star Longoria Parker back on the fast track to fame. Her role as a glamorous former runway model who is having an affair with her 17-year-old gardener showcased both Longoria Parker's undeniable sensuality as well as her remarkable comedic skills, and fans were further impressed when she took the dual roles of star and producer in the hit comedy/variety show Hot Tamales Live.

The same year of her breakthrough success on Desperate Housewives, Longoria Parker appeared opposite Anne Heche in the made-for-television thriller The Dead Will Tell, with subsequent parts in Carlita's Secret and Harsh Times pointing to a lucrative feature career in addition to her success on the small screen. Briefly married to actor Tyler Christopher from 2002 to 2005, Longoria Parker moved further into the spotlight when she was chosen as the new face of cosmetics powerhouse L'Oréal in April 2005.

Her place in Hollywood firmly established, Longoria Parker next appeared in the 2006 thriller The Sentinel, alongside Michael Douglas, and then in the Ben Stiller comedy The Heartbreak Kid in 2007. This would prove to be an important year for the actress, as that summer she married to basketball star Tony Parker. She didn't take much time off to celebrate her nuptials, however -- the next year she starred in the comedy Over Her Dead Body, in which she played a woman who is accidentally killed by an ice sculpture on her wedding day, and proceeds to haunt her fiancé. Eager to continue to flex her comedic muscles, Longoria Parker then signed on for the family comedy Foodfight! ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide