Eva Mendes

A growing interest in Latin American film and TV talent during the 1990s helped propel actress Eva Mendes from B movie supporting player to Hollywood star and sex symbol. Her supporting role as Denzel Washington’s girlfriend-on-the-side in “Training Day” (2001) put Mendes on the map and she continued to woo male fans with action offerings like “2 Fast 2 Furious” (2003) and “Once Upon a Time in Mexico” (2003). Mendes’ pop culture presence rapidly grew out of proportion to her actual on-screen time and she became a favorite fashion model, Revlon spokeswoman, and a boon to the animal rights cause