Eva Longoria's staggering success by the numbers

She’s an actress, producer, filmmaker, and activist — and a first-time mom to a baby boy born just two months ago. Impressive, right? But did you know that Eva Longoria’s rise to stardom actually started with her winning a pageant? In 1998, she was crowned Miss Corpus Christi USA — bow down!

Soon after her crowning moment, she started auditioning for acting roles and got a big break on a very well-known soap opera, The Young and the Restless. From 2001 to 2003, Longoria played Isabella Braña. Doesn’t ring a bell? Well, maybe the name Gabrielle Solis does? That was the name of her famous character on Desperate Housewives. Longoria was on all eight seasons of the show, which ran from 2004 to 2012. “Desperate Housewives was such a global phenomenon from Episode 1. It was something I had never experienced,” Longoria said. “I very quickly realized I was going to have this voice so I better have something to say.”

The Desperate Housewives series absolutely opened doors for Longoria, who in 2013 went on to executive-produce the show Devious Maids. Her talents also shone bright behind the camera. She’s directed episodes of Black-ish and Jane the Virgin. Not to mention her extensive movie career, which includes more than 18 films, plus the new Dog Days movie.

Outside of acting, TV, and films, Longoria has been instrumental in starting the #TimesUp movement and being a champion for diversity. In 2010, she launched the Eva Longoria Fund, designed to benefit children and Latinos. The following year she founded the Eva Longoria Foundation with a mission of empowering Latinas.

In 2016, she married her third husband, José Bastón, and in June 19, 2018, she welcomed her first son, Santiago. Longoria has quickly adapted to her new role of mom. She told Entertainment Tonight that famous friends like Kerry Washington have really shown their support: “I just have this amazing community of women around me that have really helped me transition into motherhood, and I think you need that.”

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