Who is Ryan Gosling’s wife Eva Mendes and does she have children?

The pair are very private about their home life

Who is Ryan Gosling's wife Eva Mendes as illustrated by a picture of Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes
(Image credit: Sonia Recchia/Stringer/Getty/Future)

Who is Ryan Gosling’s wife Eva Mendes and does she have children? She has a superstar husband but is also very famous in her own right.

Ryan Gosling is currently making waves worldwide in the coveted role of Ken in Greta Gerwig's Barbie movie, although some fans have been left baffled by the film's age rating - surprisingly, it's not actually for kids. Although some might have to wait to watch the movie, there's no doubt cinemas and movie theatres around the world will still be packed with those wanting to catch Gosling's Ken alongside co-star Margot Robbie in the title role of Barbie.

With all the interest in the film, fascination has turned to the cast's private lives. Ryan Gosling has been partnered with Eva Mendes for some time, even making a romantic nod to her at a recent Barbie premiere that made fans go wild. The couple are notoriously private, but we have everything you need to know about Eva Mendes, and whether or not she has children.

Who is Ryan Gosling's wife Eva Mendes?

Eva Mendes is 49-years-old, and was born Eva de la Caridad Méndez in Miami, Florida. 

Her acting career began almost by accident, after a talent manager spotted her picture in the acting portfolio of a friend of hers. This led to a small role in horror film Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror. After this, Mendes took acting classes and further small roles followed until her breakthrough role came in 2001. This came in the form of a starring role alongside Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke in crime thriller Training Day

The Training Day role then established Mendes as a sought after Hollywood actress, leading to bigger roles. An outing in 2 Fast 2 Furious alongside Paul Walker and Tyrese Gibson widened her global exposure further; a star turn in Western action film Once Upon a Time in Mexico also saw her worldwide audience grow. In the 2005 hit Hitch with Will Smith, Mendes became one of the first minority actresses to play a romantic comedy lead.

Her last role was in husband Ryan Gosling's 2014 Lost River, where he made his directorial debut. Although she denies she has quit acting, she now appears to focus on fashion designing, and is the co-owner of the female-founded cleaning brand, Skura Style. She promotes the Skura Style brand and products heavily on her Instagram account. Speaking to People about her love of cleanliness, she said "Life is so chaotic. But the one thing I can control is my house, my kitchen. So when I do the dishes it's meditative for me."

"Growing up in a tiny, tiny apartment with a lot of people, we didn't have anything," she added, continuing "But when the house was clean, it was like, 'Hey, I just feel better.' Everybody felt better. So for me, it's really emotional." Sharing an Instagram reel highlighting all the articles published alluding to her no longer acting, she wrote "I never quit acting," explaining she had other business ventures she wanted to explore alongside being an actress.

"Also, I was not excited about the stereotypical roles being offered to me at the time," she continued, adding "Especially after working on the film LOST RIVER -that was a dream project. That’s a tough act to follow. What's the point of this post? To shift that narrative. I never quit.️"

Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling

(Image credit: WENN Rights Ltd/Alamy)

Does Eva Mendes have children?

Eva has two daughters with Ryan Gosling, Esmeralda Amada, 8, and Amada Lee, 7.

Alongside her Instagram post addressing rumours she had quit acting, the star added "I wanted to be home with my babies and fortunately my other business ventures allowed me to do that more than acting would." Both Ryan and Eva have previously opened up about not wanting to have children until they met each other. 

In an interview with GQ, Gosling said "It’s true that I wasn’t thinking about kids before I met her, but after I met Eva, I realized that I just didn’t want to have kids without her." He is said to choose acting projects that allow him to take his children along, where they can immerse themselves in other cultures and see interesting things. 

Mendes also admits she didn't want children until she met Gosling. According to People, the actress said "I never wanted babies before until I fell in love with Ryan, and it kind of worked out to where I was 40 and having my first baby. I think I was 42 for the second one, so it worked out in that way that I had a career and then I changed my focus to my family." 

How did Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling meet?

Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling went public after they starred together in 2012 film The Place Beyond The Pines, but Mendes has suggested they had met and liked one another prior to this.

Sharing clips from the film to her Instagram account, she wrote "Magic is Real. We did not meet on set. The magic started way before but here’s a little magic captured on camera. Gracias to the increíble director Derek Cianfrance."

Notoriously private, Mendes has also said she only shares online pictures that are already available for the public to see - she doesn't add new or unseen personal pictures. "Like these photos I've been posting, I'm only comfortable posting because it's already out there," she added to the comments section of the post. 

The pair have only ever appeared on the red carpet together once, when promoting The Place Beyond The Pines. Aside from this, they are not pictured at events together and prefer to deliberately keep an air of mystery surrounding their life together.  

Are Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes married?

Despite rumours that they might have married in secret, the pair steadfastly refuse to address them, maintaining silence over their marital status.

However, during a TV appearance on Channel 9’s Today in Australia, Mendes might have inadvertently hinted at a marriage when she said to the hosts "Everyone is so welcoming here, and my husband, Ryan, is here, and we are having the best time."

She also sports a tattoo on her wrist reading "de Gosling," which in Latinx culture could mean Eva Mendes de Gosling, or Mrs. Gosling. This fuelled speculation on Instagram when one fan asked "are they married?" with one replying "Guess so, she wears always the same rings, a signet ring engraved in her right hand and what looks like a ruby engagement ring and a wedding band in her left hand."

For more celebrity marriage and baby information, we have the lowdown on Margot Robbie's husband Tom Ackerley. If you've wondered about Lewis Hamilton's dating life and if he has any kids, we've got you covered. How many kids does Andy Murray have is a common question, and we have the answers.

Lucy Wigley
Parenting writer - contributing

Lucy is a mum-of-two, multi-award nominated writer and blogger with six years’ of experience writing about parenting, family life, and TV. Lucy has contributed content to PopSugar and moms.com. In the last three years, she has transformed her passion for streaming countless hours of television into specialising in entertainment writing. There is now nothing she loves more than watching the best shows on television and sharing why you - and your kids - should watch them.