After several guest roles on television, she became recognized for her portrayal of Isabella Braña on the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless (2001–2003).

Her breakthrough role as Gabrielle Solis on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives (2004–2012) netted her two Screen Actors Guild Awards and a Golden Globe nomination.

She has appeared in the films The Sentinel (2006), Over Her Dead Body (2008), For Greater Glory (2012), Frontera (2014), Lowriders (2016), and Overboard (2018), winning an Imagen Award for the latter.

She also executive produced the Lifetime television series Devious Maids (2013–2016), the short-lived NBC sitcom Telenovela (2015–2016) in which she starred, and the films The Harvest (2013) and Food Chains (2014).

Her directorial ventures include the television series Ashley Garcia: Genius in Love (2020), for which she was nominated at the Daytime Creative Arts Emmys, and the Oscar-nominated film Flamin' Hot (2023).

She has appeared in several advertising campaigns, including with L'Oréal, New York & Co, Pepsi, and launched her own fashion and parfumes brand in 2017.

Longoria told Redbook in 2016: There was never any resentment, because I saw how hard my mother worked and all she did for my sister [with special needs], and I wanted to do whatever I could to help.

[9] While in high school, she worked at a Wendy's restaurant part-time for three years to help earn money for her quinceañera.

[13] After completing college, she entered a talent contest that led her to Los Angeles; and shortly thereafter, was spotted and signed by a theatrical agent.

[20] Another guest appearance on General Hospital the same year led to a contract role on the CBS Daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless, where she portrayed Isabella Braña from 2001 to 2003.

[24] In 2006, she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy, along with her co-stars in Desperate Housewives.

[30] In honor of Maxim's 100th issue in 2006, she was featured on a 75-by-110-foot (23 by 34 m) vinyl mesh replica of its January 2005 cover located in a Clark County, Nevada desert.

[42] In the summer of 2010, she was a judge on The Next Food Network Star;[43] and in October, she hosted the MTV Europe Music Awards 2010 in Madrid, Spain.

In August 2016, Longoria's production company, UnbeliEVAble Entertainment, signed a two-year first-look deal with Universal Pictures.

[53] In 2018, Longoria attended the premiere for her new film, Dog Days with co-stars Vanessa Hudgens (Tara) and Nina Dobrev (Elizabeth) on August 5, 2018.

[61] In March 2008, Longoria opened the restaurant Beso (which means "kiss" in Spanish) in Hollywood, along with partner and celebrity chef Todd English.

[63] 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.

[66] After some of the funding failed to arrive a week before production of the 2014 film John Wick was due to commence Longoria stepped in and provided $6 million.

[67] In 2015, Longoria announced that she had teamed up with sportswear manufacturer Sunrise Brands to create a women's apparel collection, set to launch Fall 2016.

[75] After being approached by Natalie Portman, Longoria in 2020 joined the ownership group of Angel City FC of the National Women's Soccer League.

[81][82][83] Her other charity, the Eva Longoria Foundation, aims to close the education gap plaguing Latinas[84] and to confront Latino poverty.

[85] She started: "The Eva Longoria Foundation supports programs which help Latinas excel in school and attend college.

[91] In 2009, Longoria enrolled in a Master's program in Chicano studies and political science at Cal State University, Northridge.

[123] Longoria told her friend Mario Lopez that she had discovered hundreds of text messages from another woman on her husband's phone.

[124] On November 19, 2010, Parker filed for divorce from Longoria in Bexar County, Texas,[126] on the grounds of "discord or conflict of personalities", establishing a legal battle over where the case would be heard.

[127] The divorce was finalized in Texas on January 28, 2011, the same day Longoria's lawyer filed papers to dismiss her Los Angeles petition.

"[128] On December 13, 2015, Longoria reported her engagement to Mexican businessman José Antonio "Pepe" Bastón Patiño,[129] then the president of Televisa, the largest media company in Latin America.

[130][131] They met on a blind date arranged by a mutual friend in Mexico City; at the time, Bastón did not know who Longoria was, and initially declined the invitation to meet her because of his busy schedule.

His family was based in a small village called Llongoria, Belmonte de Miranda, Asturias, Spain.

[141] A computer analysis of the DNA results of Gates's dozen guests showed that Longoria has the same genetic haplogroup as cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who is of Chinese heritage.