Who is Errick Lynne Williams, Jr.?

Who is Errick Lynne  Williams, Jr.? The professional football world knows him as Ricky Williams, he is a former American football running back who played for eleven seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and one season in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at the University of Texas, where he was a two-time All-American and won the Heisman Trophy. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints fifth overall in the 1999 NFL Draft and spent three seasons with the team before he was traded to the Miami Dolphins in 2002. He played for the Dolphins for three seasons, and retired for the first time from football in 2004. Due to his suspension from the NFL in 2006, he played for the Toronto Argonauts in 2006. He re-joined the Dolphins in 2007 and played with them until 2010, and spent the 2011 season with the Baltimore Ravens.

Early life

Williams was born May 21, 1977 (with his twin sister Cassandra) in San Diego, California, to 19-year old Sandy Williams and her husband, 18-year old Errick Williams.^[1] Growing up middle-class, his parents divorced in 1983 and Williams, at the age of 5, was taking care of his sisters by putting them to bed and even cooking for them.^[1] Perhaps due to his broken home and the fact that his father was gone at such an early age, Williams suffered from anger issues that eventually led his mother to send him to counseling.^[1] He also struggled academically, despite a test he took as a six-year old which revealed that he had the intelligence of someone twice his age.^[1] Williams himself once said, "I was always very bright, but not necessarily a hard worker. I think I was in eighth grade when I became really focused as a student and started getting good grades."^[1] By high school Williams was an honor roll student and was named to the San Diego Union-Tribune All-Academic team.^[1]
At San Diego's Patrick Henry High School, Williams primarily played baseball and football in addition to running track. Williams also wrestled, notably losing a match to future NCAA champion and three-time Super Bowl champion Stephen Neal.^[2]
Entering high school at 5'9" and 155 pounds, Williams added an additional 25 pounds of weight before his junior season.^[1] Due to his love of physical contact, Williams played outside linebacker and strong safety in addition to his primary position of running back.^[1] During his high school career he rushed for a total of 4,129 yards and 55 touchdowns, and in his senior season he ran for 2,099 yards and 25 touchdowns, totals which earned him the San Diego Union-Tribune's 1994 Player of the Year award.^[1] Among his senior year performances were a 200-yard effort in a loss to Helix High School, a 248-yard (on 24 carries) and three-touchdown game in a 26-3 win at Chula Vista, a 215-yard (21 carries) and two-touchdown showing in a 13-3 win against Mira Mesa, a 143-yard (18 carries) and two-touchdown game in a 28-10 victory over Point Loma, and a 129-yard (24 carries) and one-touchdown game against top-ranked Morse which included Williams totaling 47 of the 69 yards Patrick Henry accumulated during the game-winning drive in a 20-17 upset.^[1] Two weeks after the win over Morse, Patrick Henry clinched its first Eastern League title in 11 years with a 21-12 win against San Diego High School; Williams appeared to be on his way to a record-setting performance with 115 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter of the game but suffered a leg injury on the third play of the second quarter. After being helped off the field he re-entered the game and attempted one more carry but had to be carried off the field again, finished for the day.^[1] Following two weeks of rest, Williams was able to suit up in the first round of the CIF-San Diego Section Division 1 playoffs against San Dieguito and, playing through pain from the leg injury, post 94 yards on 25 carries in a 15-14 win.^[1] In the second round Williams ran for 110 yards in a 21-17 victory over Rancho Buena Vista, propelling Patrick Henry into the championship game at Jack Murphy Stadium for a rematch with Morse.^[1] However, in the title game Patrick Henry lost 13-0 and Williams would be held to a season-low 46 yards, with his team amassing just 62 yards of total offense.^[1]

College career

Williams accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Texas, where he played for the Texas Longhorns football team from 1995 to 1998. Williams holds or shares 20 NCAA records, and became the NCAA Division I-A career rushing leader in 1998 with 6,279 yards (broken one year later by University of Wisconsin's Ron Dayne). Williams had a sensational senior season, highlighted by rushing for nine touchdowns and 385 yards in the season's first two games; rushing for 318 yards and six touchdowns against Rice; rushing for 350 yards and five touchdowns against Iowa State; and rushing for 150 yards against Nebraska's Black Shirt defense. He helped beat longtime rival Oklahoma rushing for 166 rushing yards and two scores.
Williams broke the NCAA career rushing record during the annual rivalry game held the day after Thanksgiving (this particular year fell on November 27, 1998) between Texas and Texas A&M. Needing only 11 yards to break Tony Dorsett's 22-year old NCAA Division 1-A all-time rushing record (6,082), Williams approached the line of scrimmage with 1:13 left in the first quarter; taking the handoff, Williams spun through massive clearing blocks by left tackle Leonard Davis and left guard Roger Roesler. After surging past Texas A&M linebacker Warrick Holdman, Williams took advantage of a lead block by fullback Ricky Brown. That pushed him into the secondary as he streaked down the left sideline. Williams then powered through a tackle attempt by Texas A&M safety Rich Coady at the A&M 12. He then took advantage of a devastating downfield block by wide receiver Wane McGarrity, barging past cornerback Jason Webster's desperate tackle at the end zone.

The game was briefly stopped while Williams received the game ball and was honored by a group of dignitaries including Dorsett. Williams' record-breaking run gave Texas a 10-0 lead in its eventual 26-24 upset of sixth-ranked Texas A&M. He finished the game racking up 259 yards on a career-high 44 carries. He broke the NCAA Division I-A career rushing touchdowns and career scoring records in 1998 with 73 and 452 respectively (topped one year later by Miami University's Travis Prentice), and rushed for 200 or more yards in twelve different games (an NCAA record he shares with Dayne and USC's Marcus Allen). Williams won the 64th Heisman Trophy, becoming the second Texas Longhorn to win this honor, joining Earl Campbell.
Williams was sometimes known as the "Texas Tornado."^[3]

College statistics

• Note that table includes Williams' performances in bowl games, which prior to 2002 were not included in official NCAA career statistics.

		Rushing							Receiving
Season	Team	GP	Att	Yds	Avg	Yds/G	Long	TD	Rec	Yds	Long	TD
1995	TEX	13	178	1,052	5.9	80.9	65	8	16	224	49	0
1996	TEX	13	216	1,320	6.1	101.5	75	13	33	307	46	2
1997	TEX	11	279	1,893	6.8	172.1	87	25	20	150	27	0
1998	TEX	12	391	2,327	6.0	193.9	68	29	29	307	48	1
	Total	49	1,064	6,592	6.2	134.5	87	75	98	988	49	3

Professional career

New Orleans Saints

Williams was selected as the fifth pick of the 1999 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. Head coach Mike Ditka traded all of the Saints' 1999 draft picks to the Washington Redskins to get Williams, as well as first- and third-round picks the following year. This was the first time one player was the only draft pick of an NFL team. Williams and Ditka posed for the cover of ESPN The Magazine as a bride and a groom with the heading "For Better or for Worse." Master P's (a.k.a. Percy Miller's) organization "No Limit Sports" negotiated his contract, which was largely incentive-laden; he received an $8M-plus signing bonus with salary incentives potentially worth from $11 million to $68 million should he hit all of his incentives, with most of them requiring higher than top-level production to attain.^[4] The contract was criticized by legions of people, both sports agents and writers, who realized that Williams' position entitled him to much more in guaranteed money.^[5] Williams later fired "No Limit Sports" and made Leigh Steinberg his agent. Ditka was later fired for the team's poor performance.
Williams spent three seasons (1999–2001) with the Saints. He was moderately successful there, with two 1000 yard seasons in 2000 and 2001. In 2000 he rushed for exactly 1000 yards and scored nine total touchdowns in 10 games. He missed the team's last 6 games and the playoffs due to injury. The Saints finished the 2000 regular season with a 10-6 record and won the franchise's first ever playoff game against the St. Louis Rams. Williams' most successful statistical season with the team came the next year in 2001, when he rushed for 1245 yards, 8th in the NFL. He also caught 60 passes for 511 yards. It would be his last season with the Saints.

Miami Dolphins

First stint

Williams was traded to the Miami Dolphins on March 8, 2002 for four draft picks, including two first-round picks. In 2002, his first season with the Dolphins, he was the NFL's leading rusher with 1,853 yards, a First-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler.

Williams was noted for his dreadlocks hair style, but he shaved them off during a trip to Australia. His shyness made Williams appear somewhat of an odd ball. "Ricky's just a different guy," former Saints receiver Joe Horn explained. "People he wanted to deal with, he did. And people he wanted to have nothing to do with, he didn't. No one could understand that. I don't think guys in the locker room could grasp that he wanted to be to himself - you know, quiet. If you didn't understand him and didn't know what he was about, it always kept people in suspense." Besides keeping to himself, Williams was known for conducting post-game interviews with his helmet on (complete with tinted visor) and avoiding eye contact. Williams was later diagnosed with clinical depression and social anxiety disorder.

Early retirement from football

It was announced on May 14, 2004 that he tested positive for marijuana in December 2003 and faced a $650,000 fine and a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy. He previously tested positive for marijuana shortly after he joined the Dolphins, along with former punter Andrew Tomasjewski. Shortly before training camp was to begin in July 2004, Williams publicly disclosed his intent to retire from professional football.
Rumored to have failed a third drug test before announcing his retirement, Williams made his retirement official on August 2, 2004. Williams was ineligible to play for the 2004 season, and studied Ayurveda, the ancient Indian system of holistic medicine, at the California College of Ayurveda that autumn in Grass Valley, California. The Dolphins finished the year with a 4-12 record.
Williams maintains that he does not regret the retirement decision. He thinks that it was the "most positive thing" he has ever done in his life, allowing him time to find himself.^[6]

Return to football

Williams officially returned to the Dolphins on July 24, 2005, paid back a percentage of his signing bonus and completed his four game suspension for substance abuse. At his return press conference, Williams expressed his apologies for leaving the team two days before the start of training camp, which had contributed to the Dolphins' having their worst season in years, only winning four games in the 2004 season. Williams finished with six touchdowns and a 4.4 yards per carry average on 168 carries and 743 yards during 2005. While he shared time with Ronnie Brown, he did run for 172 yards in week 16, and 108 yards in the 17th week.
On February 20, 2006, the football league announced that Williams had violated the NFL drug policy for the fourth time. His mother reportedly said she did not think it was another marijuana violation, and that he may have been in India when he was supposed to be tested. On April 25, 2006, Williams was suspended for the entire 2006 season. It has been suggested that the substance may have been a herb related to his interest in holistic medicine.^[7]

Toronto Argonauts

With Williams suspended for the entire 2006 NFL season, the CFL's Toronto Argonauts decided to put Williams on the negotiation list for the 2006 season.^[8] This guaranteed that the team would become the rightful CFL organization to negotiate with Williams if his NFL contract were to be terminated at any time.^[9] The Dolphins allowed Williams to play for the Argonauts on the condition that he would return to them in 2007.^[10]
On May 28, 2006 Williams became the highest-paid running back in the CFL when he signed a one-year C$240,000 contract with the Argonauts. He chose to wear the number 27 on his jersey.^[11]
The signing drew the ire of former Argonauts quarterback Joe Theismann. On May 30, 2006, Theismann was interviewed by Toronto radio station The Fan 590 whereupon he criticized the Argonauts for signing the suspended Williams. Theismann claimed he was disgraced to be associated with a team that would knowingly sign "an addict" such as Williams. The CFL had no substance-abuse policy currently in place, nor did it prohibit its teams from signing players suspended from other leagues, despite Williams being under contract with the Dolphins for the 2006 season.^[12]

The Argonauts' ownership responded to Theismann's criticism, noting that Theismann's son, Joe, pleaded guilty in 2002 to a felony charge of possessing drug paraphernalia. He received a 10-year suspended prison term, was placed on five years of probation and fined. "It's really a delicate subject for him to attack someone if he has that in his own family," Argo co-owner Cynamon said. "If I was his son and he's calling [Williams] a drug addict and he should quit and he's a loser, I'd be shattered. This thing is really bothersome."^[13]
Williams made his official CFL debut on June 17, 2006, in a home game against the Tiger-Cats at the Rogers Centre. In that game, he rushed for 97 yards on 18 carries, with his longest carry for 35 yards in the fourth quarter. Williams caught two passes for 24 yards as the Argonauts defeated the Tiger-Cats by a score of 27-17.
On July 22, 2006, Williams suffered a broken bone in his left arm during a game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Regina, Saskatchewan.^[14] He underwent surgery on July 23, 2006 to repair the broken bone.^[15] Shortly after injuring his arm, Williams' suffered yet another injury after a door at the Argonauts' practice facility swung behind him and clipped the running back on his left achilles tendon requiring 16 stitches to close the gash.^[16] During his recovery, Williams received hyperbaric oxygen therapy in St. Catharines, Ontario to expedite his return from injury.^[17] In all, Williams missed two months of game action because of the injuries, returning on September 23, 2006 against the Calgary Stampeders.
In the 11 games that he played during 2006 CFL regular season, Williams rushed 109 times for 526 yards, scoring two touchdowns, with a long run of 35 yards. He caught 19 passes for 127 yards.^[18]
Williams stated his love for Toronto and mentioned the possibility of returning to the Canadian game during his professional career. "I was thinking it wouldn't be bad to come back up here and kind of follow the same steps as Pinner -- play here a couple years and maybe get a chance to coach up here," Williams said. "Because I really like Toronto, I really like this organization ... you can live here, you know? You feel like you have a life. I come to work, I go home, play with my kid, walk to the store. It's really nice. I get to teach. It's wonderful here."^[19] In another interview, he expressed further desire to remain in the CFL, "If I came back here, you can put me anywhere," he says. "Up here, I can play offense, defense, special teams. I can do everything. I can block, play tight end, running back, receiver — even play the line. The NFL is so structured — 'You do this.' Here I can do so much."^[20]
With the controversy over, the Argonauts signing Williams prompted outgoing CFL commissioner Tom Wright, in his final state of the league address, to introduce a new rule that would come in effect before the start of the 2007 CFL season that would prevent a player under suspension in the NFL from signing with a CFL club. This rule has been informally dubbed "The Ricky Williams Rule."
The new rule, however, was grandfathered so that players who were still playing in the league, such as Argonaut tackle Bernard Williams, who was suspended by the NFL for drug abuse and did not seek reinstatement when the ban ended, could continue playing.^[21][22]

Return to Miami

On May 11, 2007, an anonymous source reported that Williams had failed a drug test again. The source indicated that NFL medical advisors have recommended to the commissioner that Williams not be allowed to apply for reinstatement in September.^[23]

Williams adhered to a strict regimen of multiple drug tests per week in 2007 as part of his attempt to be reinstated by the NFL. He practiced yoga, which, he claimed, helped him to stop using marijuana.^[24] In October 2007, Roger Goodell granted his request for reinstatement. Williams returned for a Monday Night Football game on November 26, 2007. He rushed 6 times for 15 yards before Lawrence Timmons, a Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker, stepped on his right shoulder, tearing his pectoral muscle. The next day it was reported that he would miss the rest of the season,^[25] and on November 28, Williams was placed on injured reserve.
In the 2009 season, Dolphins starting running back Ronnie Brown suffered a season-ending injury and Williams became the starter for the remainder of the season. He reached 1,000 yards rushing in Week 15 and set an NFL record for longest span between 1,000-yard seasons at 6 years. He was 27 the last time he ran over 1000 yards and was 32 in 2009 when he broke the record and sported a respectable 4.7 yards per carry that year while splitting duties.
In the 2010 season Williams carried 159 times for 673 yards and 2 touchdowns for the Dolphins while splitting duties averaging 4.2 yards a carry at the age of 33.^[26]

Baltimore Ravens

Williams signed a two-year, $2.5 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens on August 8, 2011.^[27] Williams scored his first touchdown of the season against the Houston Texans on October 16. On January 1, 2012, Williams surpassed the 10,000 career rushing yards mark and became the 26th player in the history of the NFL to do so.^[28] On February 7, 2012, Williams informed the Ravens of his retirement from the NFL.^[29]

Dolphins franchise records

• Most rushing yards (season):1,853 (2002)^[30]
• Most rushing touchdowns in a season: 16 (2002)^[31]

Personal life

Williams has admitted being very shy and was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder, avoidance disorder, and borderline personality disorder,^[32] with which he struggled to cope during his football career. Williams was treated with therapy and medication.
Williams was briefly a spokesperson for the drug Paxil as treatment. He worked with the drug company GlaxoSmithKline to educate the public about the disorder.^[33] Williams later quit Paxil saying the drug did not agree with his diet.
Williams said that his marijuana use was a type of "psychotherapy," ^[34] has been a better treatment since it produced fewer side effects than Paxil.^[35] In an interview with ESPN, Williams stated, "Marijuana is 10 times better for me than Paxil."

Williams admitted in a 60 Minutes interview that one of the reasons for his retirement was to avoid the humiliation of his marijuana use being made public with his third failed drug test.^[36] After his retirement he quickly went to California to get a prescription for medical marijuana. In 2006 he claimed he no longer needs marijuana but does not criticize others' choices on the matter.^[37] In April 2007, he reportedly tested positive for marijuana.^[23]
Williams is a qualified yoga instructor. He has stated that one of his main reasons for joining the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts was for the opportunity to teach free yoga lessons at a local Toronto yoga facility. He is Hindu.^[38] It has been reported that Williams uses a Hindu-based pranic healing similar to therapeutic touch to recover from injuries.^[39]
Williams is the father of five children by three different women. He married his long-time girlfriend Kristin Barnes on September 4, 2009.^[40] Williams is a vegan, and a supporter of PETA.

In the media

• He appeared in an infomercial for Natural Golf alongside Mike Ditka and appeared alongside him in a wedding dress on the cover of Sports Illustrated.^[46]
• HBO's Inside the NFL had a skit about Williams trying to return to the Dolphins. It featured him trying to raise $8.6 million, avoiding drug tests, and even asking Dan Marino to return with him.
• His likeness appeared on the cover of the original NFL Street, Williams did not appear in the sequel, NFL Street 2, or NFL Street 3. Both games were released during his suspended seasons (2004 and 2006).
• He played a cameo role in the feature film Stuck on You
• He makes an appearance on the third season of the physical reality game show, Pros vs. Joes on SpikeTV
• He is the subject of an ESPN Films documentary entitled "Run Ricky Run". It is part of ESPN's 30 for 30 documentary series.

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Who is Eva Jacqueline Longoria?

Who is Eva Jacqueline Longoria? The entertainment and acting world knows her a Eva Longoria, she is an American actress, best known for portraying Gabrielle Solis on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives. Longoria received a nomination for the 2006 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance on Desperate Housewives.
Longoria first became famous on television in the soap opera The Young and the Restless. She became nationally recognized in the 2000s after appearing in several high-profile advertising campaigns and numerous men's magazines, reaching #14 in the FHM "Sexiest Women 2008" poll, and having appeared on the cover of various international women's magazines including Vogue, Marie Claire and Harper's Bazaar.^[4]

Early life

Eva Jacqueline Longoria was born March 15, 1975 in Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Texas, the daughter of Tejano parents, Enrique Longoria, Jr. and Ella Eva Mireles.^[5][6] She was raised Roman Catholic.^[7] Longoria is the youngest of four daughters, her sisters being Elizabeth Judina, Emily Jeannette and Esmeralda Josephina.^[8] The Longoria family have resided in Texas since before the creation of the United States, predating the English-speaking settlers.^[9]
Longoria originally wanted to be a fashion model and sent in photos to a modeling agency but was declined because of her height. Longoria attended Marvin P. Baker Middle School and later Roy Miller High School; she subsequently received her Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology at nearby Texas A& M University-Kingsville. During this time, she won the title of Miss Corpus Christi, USA in 1998. After completing college, Longoria entered a talent contest that led her to Los Angeles, California; shortly after, she was spotted and signed by a theatrical agent.^[8]

Career

Longoria landed her first television role in 2000, guest-starring in an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210. Another guest appearance in General Hospital the same year brought her big break on the popular American soap opera The Young and the Restless, in which she played psychotic Isabella Braña Williams from 2001 to 2003.
After leaving The Young and the Restless, she was seen on the now-cancelled Dick Wolf revival of Dragnet. Although it lasted only two seasons, the show gave Longoria another leading star credit to her name. 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.
In 2004, Longoria landed a role that elevated her to the A-List. She starred as adulteress Gabrielle Solis in the worldwide break-out ABC hit Desperate Housewives. As the show became an overnight sensation, Longoria's career was well and truly launched. But she has never considered her career to have jumped off so suddenly: "I think it’s funny when people say I’m an overnight sensation, because I’ve been working at it for 10 years."^[10]

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. Even though neither Longoria nor any of the rest of the cast won, she was awarded the ALMA Award and named entertainer of the 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 Rodriguez and Christian Bale.
She has expressed "confusion" over fellow Housewives actress Nicolette Sheridan's lawsuit against the Desperate Housewives series creator Marc Cherry.^[11]
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 #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 #9 in the magazine's Hot 100 of 2007 list.^[12] 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 Las Vegas metropolitan area desert.^[13]
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 model contracts with L'Oréal and Hanes, New York & Co.^[14] Longoria also has a contract with Magnum Ice-Cream,^[15] Heineken,^[16] and with L'Oréal.^[17] She is a part of Microsoft's "I'm A PC" ad campaign,^[18] and she and Tony Parker have appeared together in campaigns for London Fog.^[19]
In October 2010, it was announced that Longoria would host the MTV Europe Music Awards 2010 in Madrid, Spain.^[20][21]

Business activities

Eva Longoria opened the restaurant Beso (in Spanish: "Kiss") in Hollywood, along with partner and celebrity chef Todd English, in March 2008. The restaurant is located on Hollywood Boulevard and is accompanied by Kiss, a Victorian-themed nightclub above the restaurant.^[22] The Hollywood Beso was scheduled to be the focus of a pilot episode for a tentative reality series called Beso: Waiting on Fame which would air on VH1 in late 2010.^[23]
In 2009, Longoria and various investor-partners opened a Beso restaurant, with a nightclub called Eve above it, in the Crystals retail and entertainment district of CityCenter in Las Vegas.^[22]
In 2011, the corporation Beso LLC, owner of the Vegas restaurant-and-nighclub venture, with listed assets of about $2.5 million and Eva Longoria as a 32 percent shareholder, filed for Chapter 11 protection, entering bankruptcy proceedings, in order to restructure nearly $5.7 million in debt and other liabilities.^[24] Longoria stated she's looking "forward to a more pro-active, hands-on approach in the coming years" with her Las Vegas business interests.^[25]
Longoria released the fragrance "EVA by Eva Longoria", a "clean citrus-floral eau de parfum", in April 2010. She stated she wanted a fragrance she could wear: "I am allergic to most fragrances. There was nothing I could wear without my eyes watering, my nose starting to itch or sneezing." ^[26]

Commercials

Eva Longoria became a spokesperson for L'Oreal Paris in 2005 and has continued to feature in L'Oreal TV commercials and print ads until the year 2010.
Some L’Oreal TV commercial and print ads include: L'Oreal's Vive Smooth Intense Signature Haircare products (05-06), Couleur Experte All-Over Color hair-color (06-07), L'Oréal Color-Expert (France), Colour Riche protective lip colour (07-08), Couleur Experte Express multi-tone hair color system (08), Couleur Experte Express multi-tone hair color system (08),L'Oréal Paris' Sublime Bronze Pro-Perfect Airbrush Self-Tanning Mist (08), Voluminous Mascara & Eyeliner (08-09), Superior Preference fade Defying hair color (08,09),Superior Preference fade Defying hair color (09), True Match super-blendable compact makeup (09), EverPure Sulfate-Free Color Care System for Hair (09), Hydra-Collagen Volumizing Mascara (09), Excellence-to-Go- 10 minute haircolour (09),Ideal Skin Genesis complexion equalizer (10),True Match Roller roll on makeup (10),True Match Roller roll on makeup with Evangeline Lilly (10), and lastly L'Oreal Paris' "Studio Secrets" Color Smokes Shadows eye color (10).^[27]
Eva Longoria states that she has found a “generous spirit” ^[28] at L’Oreal. She continues to say “L’Oreal Paris wants beauty to be free, without borders or prejudices….Working together was just meant to be.” ^[28]

Personal life

Relationships

Longoria was married to General Hospital star Tyler Christopher from 2002 to 2004.^[29]
Longoria met Spurs point guard Tony Parker in November 2004. In August 2005, Longoria confirmed she and Parker were dating, and on November 30, 2006, the couple became engaged.^[30] They were officially married in a civil service on Friday, July 6, 2007, at a Paris city hall. This is a requirement of French law. It was followed by a full Roman Catholic wedding ceremony at the Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois Church in Paris, France on Saturday, July 7, 2007.^[31]
Their marriage had its first ordeal when French model Alexandra Paressant claimed to have had an affair with Parker.^[32] Both Parker and Longoria vehemently denied these allegations through their spokespeople, saying "All high profile couples fall victim to these sorts of things in the course of their relationships. It appears that this is not the first time this woman has used an athlete to gain public notoriety."^{[33][dead link]} Parker initiated a $20 million lawsuit against the website that first reported the story, which later issued a full retraction and an apology, stating "X17online.com and X17, Inc. regret having been misled by Ms. Paressant and her representatives and apologize to Mr. Parker for any damage or inconvenience this may have caused him or his wife."^[34]
On November 17, 2010, Longoria filed for divorce from Parker in Los Angeles, citing "irreconcilable differences".^[35] In the divorce petition, Longoria, who had taken Parker's last name, requested her maiden name be restored. She also sought spousal support from Parker.^[36] The couple had a prenuptial agreement that was signed in June 2007, the month before their wedding, and amended two years later in June 2009.^[37] The same day as the divorce filing, Longoria confirmed to her friend Mario Lopez, host of Extra, that she had discovered hundreds of text messages from another woman on her husband's phone.^[38] Extra identified the other woman as Erin Barry, the former wife of Brent Barry, Parker's former teammate, and revealed that the Barrys were also in the process of divorcing.^[39] Lopez further stated that Longoria believed Parker had cheated on her earlier in the marriage with another woman, with whom he had kept in touch via Facebook. Lopez said, "Eva wants everyone to know, she's devastated by the rumors of Tony's infidelity. She loved her husband and is heartbroken about their split...But she's strong."^[40] In light of the divorce, Longoria cancelled her scheduled appearance at the 2010 American Music Awards.^[38] On November 19, 2010, Parker filed for divorce from Longoria in Bexar County, Texas^[41] on the grounds of "discord or conflict of personalities", thus establishing a legal battle over where the divorce case would be heard. Unlike Longoria's divorce petition, Parker's did not mention a prenuptial agreement and claimed that the parties would "enter into an agreement for the division of their estate".^[42] The divorce was finalized in Texas on January 28, 2011, the same day Longoria's lawyer filed papers to dismiss her Los Angeles petition.^[43]
Longoria had previously stated her intention to move to France with Parker upon the completion of Desperate Housewives.^[44]

Ancestry

Despite working on a farmland that had been handed down to them from past generations, the family often had very little money; Enrique and Ella struggled for many years to give their children a decent upbringing. On The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2006, Longoria shared with viewers an introspective look into the hardships she faced in her formative years while growing up poor; she took cameras on location to the family farm and showed how spartan their life had been. Longoria admitted that only when she had made it in show business, did things begin to look better for her family financially. In another interview with Dateline's Stone Phillips, she also revealed the snubbing she had received from her siblings. "I grew up as the ugly duckling. They used to call me 'la prieta fea,' which means 'the ugly dark one,'" Longoria said.^[45]
According to research done by Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., of Harvard University, in 2010 for the PBS series Faces of America, Longoria's ancestry is 70% European, 27% Asian/Native American, and 3% African.^[46][47] Her Spanish ancestry can be traced back to her ninth great-grandfather, Lorenzo Suarez de Longoria (b. Oviedo, 1592), who emigrated to the Viceroyalty of New Spain, which became modern-day Mexico, in 1603, and whose family originated from a small village called Llongoria, Belmonte de Miranda, Asturias, Spain. Longoria is the Spanish spelling of the surname.^[48][49] Through the generations, Longoria's ancestors moved north to the modern US-Mexico border. In 1767, her 7th great-grandfather received almost 4,000 acres (16 km²) of land along the Rio Grande in a land grant from the King of Spain. This land stayed in the family for over a century, enduring through the influx of Anglo settlers in the aftermath of the Mexican-American War and American Civil War. After a computer compared the DNA results of Gates’ dozen guests, test showed that she is genetically related to cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who is of Chinese heritage.^[46] She concluded to want to learn more on her Aztec heritage.^[50][51]

Philanthropy

In 2006, Longoria founded Eva's Heroes, a charity which helps developmentally disabled children.^[52] She is the national spokesperson for PADRES Contra El Cancer.^[53] She signed shoes for the Spirit of Women Red Shoe Celebrity Auction. Longoria also supports the Clothes Off Our Back Foundation, OmniPeace, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the National Stroke Association, Project HOME and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.^[54] Longoria is also an executive producer of Shine Global Inc.'s upcoming documentary The Harvest which is focused on the 500,000 child migrant farm workers in the U.S. and is currently helping them fundraise for the film.^[55] Longoria was named Philanthropist of the year by the Hollywood Reporter for 'her commitment to Latino causes and giving back to the community.^[56] She appeared on Fort Boyard in 2009, making over €20,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.^[57]
In 2009, Longoria enrolled in a Master's program in Chicano Studies and Political Science at Cal State University, Northridge. According to Eva, "because of my involvement with the NCLR and my charity work, I really wanted a better, more authentic understanding of what my community has gone through so I can help create change."^[58]
In September 2009, Longoria was appointed to a bi-partisan commission issued with the task of determining the feasibility of the creation of a National Museum of the American Latino.^[59]

Filmography

Films

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2003	Snitch'd	Gabby	direct-to-video
2004	Señorita Justice	Det. Roselyn Martinez	direct-to-video
2004	The Dead Will Tell	Jeanie	Television film
2004	Carlita's Secret	Carlita / Lexus	direct-to-video
2005	Harsh Times	Sylvia
2006	The Sentinel	Jill Marum
2007	The Heartbreak Kid	Consuela
2008	Over Her Dead Body	Katherine "Kate" Spencer
2008	Lower Learning	Rebecca Seabrook
2009	Foodfight!	Lady X	Unreleased
2010	Days of Grace	Unknown	Post-production
2010	Without Men	Rosalba	Post-production
2011	Cristiada	Unknown	Post production

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2000	Beverly Hills, 90210	Flight Attendant #3	"I Will Be Your Father Figure" (Season 10, episode 19)
2000	General Hospital	Brenda Barrett Lookalike	"Episode dated 25 September 2000" (uncredited)
2001– 2003	The Young and the Restless	Isabella Braña Williams	"Episode #1.7136" "Episode #1.7142" "Episode #1.7149" "Episode #1.7261"
2003– 2004	Dragnet	Det. Gloria Duran	"Daddy's Girl" (Season 2, episode 1) "Coyote" (Season 2, episode 2) "17 in 6" (Season 2, episode 3) "The Magic Bullet" (Season 2, episode 4) "Slice of Life" (Season 2, episode 5) "Abduction" (Season 2, episode 6) "Frame of Mind" (Season 2, episode 7) "Retribution" (Season 2, episode 8) "Riddance" (Season 2, episode 9) "Killing Fields" (Season 2, episode 10)
2004– present	Desperate Housewives	Gabrielle Solis	Main role
2006	George Lopez	Brooke	"George Vows to Make Some Matri-Money" (Season 5, episode 19)
2008	Childrens Hospital	The New Chief	"Episode #1.10" (Season 2, episode 10)

Awards and nominations

Year	Result	Award	Category	Film or series
2002	Won	ALMA Awards	Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama	The Young and the Restless
2006	Won		Person of the Year
2007	Won	Bambi Award	TV Series International	Desperate Housewives
2005	Nominated	DVD Exclusive Awards	Best Actress (in a DVD Premiere Movie)	Carlita's Secret
2006	Nominated	Golden Globe Award	Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy	Desperate Housewives
2005	Nominated	Imagen Foundation Awards	Best Actress - Television	Desperate Housewives
2007	Nominated		Best Actress - Television	Desperate Housewives
2007	Won	People's Choice Awards	Favorite Female TV Star	Desperate Housewives
2005	Won	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series	Desperate Housewives (Shared with cast)
2006	Won		Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series	Desperate Housewives (Shared with cast)
2007	Nominated		Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series	Desperate Housewives (Shared with cast)
2008	Nominated		Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series	Desperate Housewives (Shared with cast)
2009	Nominated		Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series	Desperate Housewives (Shared with cast)
2005	Nominated	Teen Choice Awards	Choice TV Actress: Comedy	Desperate Housewives
	Won		Choice TV Breakout Performance - Female	Desperate Housewives
2006	Nominated		TV - Choice Actress: Comedy	Desperate Housewives
2007	Nominated		TV - Choice Actress: Comedy	Desperate Housewives
2010	Nominated		Choice Female Red Carpet Icon	Herself

 

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