Hot Gallery: Desperate Housewives Star Eva Longoria’s Career in Pictures

Band geek alert! Yes, that is indeed Eva Longoria in full marching band regalia. Eva was a drum major at Roy Miller High School in Corpus Christi, Texas. As for the hair, it was 1992, and she was a junior in high school. These things happen.

In 1998, Eva Longoria was named Miss Corpus Christi in her home state of Texas. Speaking of Texas, we would like to take this opportunity to point out that Ms. Longoria is more than just a pretty face—and we don't mean that she has nice legs too, although she does. She graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in kinesiology before beginning her acting career.

Before she started regularly landing lead roles, Eva Longoria was on Beverly Hills, 90210, hanging with Luke Perry and the gang. She didn't hang long, just a short stopover playing a flight attendant who essentially tells Dylan to talk to someone else. So many future stars were on the original 90210. It's kind of the millennial Love Boat.

Ms. Longoria's first long-term acting gig was on the daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless. The role won her an ALMA award; she returned the honor by hosting the Hispanic heritage kudos cast multiple times, most recently in 2011 alongside George Lopez.

L.A. Dragnet was one of the few shows from the mind of Law & Order creator Dick Wolf that didn't become a runaway hit. (Maybe they should have named it L.A. Dragnet & Order?) The show kept the classic "dum-da-DUM-dum" from the original series, and Ed O'Neill played Joe Friday. Longoria was Detective Gloria Duran. You can watch full episodes via Hulu.

She'd been working steadily, but it wasn't until Desperate Housewives debuted on ABC in 2004 that Longoria became a household name. Looking at this photo, it's easy to see why. Abs like those and acting talent? Oh, yes.

The Sentinel is another of Eva's big-screen efforts. This time Longoria plays Secret Service agent Jill Marin, who works with fellow agent David Breckinridge (Kiefer Sutherland) to find out what really happened when someone tries to assassinate the President. Because as we all know, things are never what they seem. At least, not in the movies.

Eva looks lovely as always in this sporty and sexy ad for Bebe. Yes, she is sitting on the shoulders of two football players, or at least two models dressed as football players. We doubt they were complaining.

Full disclosure—we haven't seen this movie. But it looks like it could be fun. Longoria plays a woman who gets crushed by an angel ice sculpture on her wedding day. Paul Rudd is her former fiancé, who can't quite let go. Lake Bell is a medium who at first has no ability to speak to the dead, then suddenly, she does! And Eva Longoria is annoyed at her and proceeds to screw up her life. Watch the trailer and decide for yourself if you want to see it.

Four years after Housewives began, Longoria was named number 38 on FHM's 100 Sexiest Women list (2008). Again, not a stretch. We're not huge fans of the bathroom theme here—we're digging those high heels, but they don't seem very practical for cleaning purposes. What's that you say? Missing the point, we are?

This photo, from an event this past February celebrating the Eva Longoria Foundation, shows that Eva can rock a skimpy dress just as well now as she could before she turned 40 on March 15. Yes, 40, and still with that gorgeous complexion. What was Eduardo Cruz thinking? The Foundation supports Eva's many charitable efforts, such as Eva's Heroes, which is in her home state of Texas.

Longoria did a guest arc, playing Andy Samberg's love interest, Sophia Perez who is a defense attorney. Unsurprisingly, Longoria was hilarious--we're hoping we see more of Sophia again soon.