If there is one thing many successful Latina actresses have in common, it's the struggle it took to get to the top. Hollywood has allowed Latinas to take over a lot of their territory that it's hard to acknowledge a lot of their accomplishments without naming them.
Many (such as Eva Longoria and Jennifer Lopez) had no connections to the film or music industry and had to work their butts off to get to where they are today. It's admirable that these women were able to achieve great success on their own and they continue to pave the way for other Latinas trying to breakthrough in Hollywood. So, who are our top seven picks? Read on to find out!
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Those ladies among many other talented Latinas have proven that we are women who are more than pretty faces, and have a lot more to offer. It's inspiring to see how humble they are despite achieving super stardom. Whether they were born in the U.S. or overseas, these estrellas have made their mark in Hollywood and we can't help but praise them for being an inspiration and amazing role models for Latinas hoping to be as successful as them.
Check out our list of the 7 Latina celebrities who started from the bottom and have achieved great success!
Image via Getty
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez is known as one of the most powerful Latina entertainers in Hollywood. She is reportedly worth over $250 million dollars, but Jenny from the Block didn't magicially make her fortune overnight! Lopez originally dreamt of becoming a dancer and worked at a law firm, while going to college and taking dance classes at night. It wasn't until she performed as a back-up dancer for New Kids on the Block in 1991 that she got her first dancing gig.
She went on to become a Fly Girl on the hit show In Living Color and slowly began getting noticed. The movie Selena in 1997 is noted as her big break and two years later, she decided to give music a shot releasing her first album, On the Six. With the success of her album (firist of many) and movie box office sales, Lopez dabbled with fashion and created a successful clothing line and eventually fragrance line. The great success of all her achievements has reflected heavily on J.Lo as she is the epitome of an independent and successful woman!
Eva Longoria
Eva Longoria is known as a talented actress, philanthropist, and beauty spokesperson who has proven that there is more to her than her looks. Having grown up in a poor family, Longoria knows the meaning of hard work. Before she got her big break she was working in a Wendy's and to this day still remembers the order in which she was expected to make the burgers. She even attended college earning a Bachelor's degree in Kinesiology and was soon spotted by a talent scout at a beauty pageant. That's when she started landed roles on soap operas such as Beverly Hills 90210, General Hospital, and The Young and the Restless.
It wasn't until 2004 that her role on Desperate Housewives captured the world's attention. Eventually Longoria landed deals with L'Oréal, Bebe Sport, Pantene, and other companies as their spokesperson. She also opened up her restaurant, Beso, in West Hollywood and in Las Vegas which have had great success.
Selena Gomez
She's not even 21 yet and Selena Gomez is already one of the most powerful young Latinas in Hollywood. Born to a single hardworking mom, Selena got her start as a reoccuring character on Barney and Friends and had guest starring roles on different Disney TV shows. It wasn't until 2007 that she was cast as a lead role on Disney's Wizard's of Waverly Place that she captured the hearts of America.
During the time of the show Selena took the opportunity to release two successful albums with her band Selena and the Scene, and to make her way into the movie industry. She even created her own clothing line called "Dream Out Loud" for Kmart which has sold well in stores. She is already worth about $5.5 million dollars and as she transitions into an adult before our eyes, her career's fate seems like it's ready to grow along with her.
Eva Mendes
Eva Mendes is known as the luckiest woman on earth for dating Ryan Gosling–just kidding! Well partially, but she does have lady luck on her side as she has starred in movies alongside the likes of Will Smith, Edward Norton, and Mark Wahlberg. But life wasn't always glamourous for Eva who was raised by a single mom and recalls the struggles she went through when growing up. She even admitted that she considered becoming a nun. Before Eva had a glam life, she worked at a pizza and pasta shop at a mall in California when she was 15, and later took a job at a Nordstrom, and Hot Dog on a Stick, a fast food joint. She had intentions of going to college for marketing but was convinced by a talent agent to pursue acting.
She landed roles in Will Smith's music video "Miami," starred alongside Denzel Washington in Training Day, and other Blockbuster hits. She eventually expanded into her own and became a spokeswoman for Pantene, Calvin Klein, Thierry Mugler and PETA. Eva is even set to launch her own clothing line this fall with New York and Company–where she says her sister and mom LOVE to shop!
Sofia Vergara
The sexy Colombian import may seem glamourous now, but she struggled as a single mother while living in her native Baranquilla. Sofia Vergara was married by the age of 18 to her high school sweetheart and was going through a divorce when she had her son Manolo at the age of 20. She had been approached to appear in a Pepsi commercial on a beach in Colombia when her modeling career started taking off. She starred as a host for a Spanish-language Univision travel show Fuera de Serie in 1995 for a few years before being given the opportunity to take her talents to a wider market.
At first, she landed small roles in films such as Chasing Papi, Soul Plane, and other failed TV shows before landing her breakthrough role of Gloria on Modern Family. She's now a spokeswoman for Covergirl, Pepsi, and even created her own successful clothing line sold in Kmart. Her impressive resume has her weighing in at a net worth of over $25 million dollars and we can't see what else she has up her sleeve!
Salma Hayek
Salma Hayek has proven herself as an actress, director, and producer while on the Hollywood scene. She started out in Telenovelas while living in her native Mexico before moving to the Los Angeles in 1991. Hayek struggled with Dyslexia which made learning English difficult for her, but it didn't stop her from landing roles in movies such as Desperado, Fools Rush In, and Once Upon a Time in Mexico.
She later created production company Ventanarosa and starred in her breakthrough role in the movie Frida. She went on become an executive producer on the show Ugly Betty from 2006 through 2010 which won a Golden Globe Award. Among her other projects, Salma is a spokesperson for Avon, Revlon, Got Milk?, and launched her own cosmetics line called Nuance. It's no surprise that with all her hard work, this Mexican mom's net worth comes in at $85 million dollars.
Christina Aguilera
There's no denying that Christina Aguilera has made her mark in Hollywood. It's hard to believe that the little girl who started out on the Mickey Mouse Club is the woman that she is today. Having grown up with an abusive father, Aguilera turned to music to escape the abuse she experienced. After entering talent contests, she was recognized for her amazing vocals and was approached by Disney to record a track for the animated film Mulan. She was at the peak of her career with three best selling albums she released in early 2000's and winning Grammys, but soon after took control of her music when she didn't like the false way her image was being portrayed. Her new musical image was more mature and sexualized but she still maintained her ground and popularity amongst fans.
Throughout her peak Aguilera also managed to release four fragrances, become a philanthropist supporting human rights, the importance of voting during the Presidential elections, and appearing the Hope for Haiti telethon in 2010. After much success she gave the TV talent show The Voice a shot as a musical coach. With all of Aguilera's efforts and success it's no surprise that the Grammy winner is worth over $90 million dollars. We can't wait to see what new surprises she has in store for us!
