Class of ‘80 alumna Eva Tamargo never let anyone get in the way of her dream to be an actress. Her drive and persistence have made her dream a reality. This Stingaree never gave up on herself or her dreams and has remained humble throughout her journey.

On Screen

Tamargo has had many roles on daytime TV and has worked on various soap operas including “Passions”, “Mas Sabe el Diablo”, and “Marielena”. She now works on the Oprah Winfrey network OWN on Tyler Perry’s “The Haves and the Have Nots” where she plays Celine Gonzales.

Eva said, “Playing Celine is very interesting. She’s a very dramatic and motivated character, and everybody loves to hate her, which makes it so delightful!”.

Before the Set Life

In Stingtown she loved English and drama class the most. Former Miami High drama teacher Ms. Marty Hancock had a major impact on Tamargo. She was one of the people who encouraged Eva to pursue her acting career.

“I was in the Thespians Drama Club all through my time at Miami High,” she said. Tamargo was very involved in everything that had to do with drama at MHS, and she was a part of most productions.

One of Tamargo’s most memorable moments in high school was going to the Thespians competition in Tampa and returning with all of their awards. “We were able to share the experience with the whole school,” she said.

Her senior year at Miami High is one she will never forget. “It was so impactful because it was the year of the Mariel exodus, when all those Cubans came to Miami. The school was, all of a sudden, a safe haven for all these Cuban kids whose families were seeking asylum and freedom. It is a something I will always remember,” she said.

If Tamargo could give her high school self a word of advice it would be to not give any importance to what others think of her. She knew she wanted to pursue her acting career but her father was very strict and didn’t want her to leave Miami.

She attended Miami Dade Community College for two years and then moved to New York. In order to get by she worked retail and eventually landed a job in a theatre repertory company. Her first acting job was for a Wendy’s commercial.

Eva was born to Cuban parents Augustin Tamargo and Rosalba Nápoles in the Bronx, NY, attended Public School 261 elementary school and St. Paul’s Catholic middle school in Brooklyn, NY. Growing up she was a shy kid but she used the arts as a way to get over that.

Life Away from the Cameras

Her fondest memory from her childhood was winning a competition at dance camp when she was 9 years old. She wanted to be an actress from her adolescence. She was more of an extrovert going into her teenage years. She stated, “I was a very outgoing and sociable student.”

Eva and her family moved from New York to Miami just before her junior year, and then he attended Miami High taking advantage of all the oPpportunities the school had to offer

She has two children, Mathew and Gaby, who have both taken an interest in music and dancing. She has now been living in Los Angeles, for about 20 years, but she visits Miami often because most of her family still resides here. In her free time, Tamargo enjoys meditating and going on lots of road trips.

This is one Sting who never gave up on her dream and made it her reality. This just goes to show that if you believe in yourself enough and surround yourself with people who support you, no matter what obstacles you may face, you will get to where you want to be.