15 Latinas We Love!

NAME: Eva Longoria

AGE: 36

ROOTS: Texican

Beauty Transformation: Eva Longoria

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Eva Longoria on Growing Up Latina

WHY WE LOVE HER:

Before Sofia Vergara sauntered into our hearts (and Modern Family), a lingerie-clad Longoria had already set tongues wagging as the sexy, smart and simply hilarious Gabrielle Solis on ABC’s Desperate Housewives, paving the way to this year becoming the highest paid Latina on TV at a not-too-shabby $325,000 per episode.

A class act all the way, she handled ex-husband Tony Parker’s cheating scandal (the San Antonio Spur was caught sexting with a teammate’s wife in 2010) with dignity and grace, and moved on quickly from their divorce, proving the old adage that living well is the best revenge.

This eighth generation Tejana’s identity is so deeply rooted in her Mexican heritage that in 2009 she earned a Masters in Chicano Studies to truly understand the plight of her people and help create change. And she’s doing just that: by raising money for Padres Contra El Cancer, serving on the commission of the National Museum of the American Latino, producing and hosting the ALMA Awards (September 16 at 8 p.m. EST on NBC) and basically championing Latinos every which way she can.

Even Martha Stewart is a fan of Eva’s famous guacamole! Surprised? Don’t be. Longoria has turned her love and mastery of Latin food into a growing culinary empire with a bestselling cookbook, titled Eva’s Kitchen: Cooking with Love for Family and Friends, to her name and locations of her popular Beso restaurant in Las Vegas and L.A.

ON GETTING THINGS DONE: “I was raised by independent, educated, strong women. My mom has seven sisters and I have three. People always tell me, ‘You work so much,’ but the women in my family worked 10 times as hard, so I’m not working hard enough, ever. I want to work hard now so I can relax later.”