Actress Eva Longoria (right) is interviewed on the floor of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina on Sept. 6, 2012. /AP

U.S. actress Eva Longoria is among the speakers who will take center stage at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, prior to President Barack Obama's keynote address.

Longoria is a national co-chair of President Obama's re-election campaign. In announcing its selection of Longoria and 34 other co-chairs, the campaign said they would offer advice and help engage voters.

Longoria is best known for her role as Gabrielle Solis on the television comedy-drama "Desperate Housewives."

She is also the founder of the Eva Longoria Foundation, an organization that helps Latinos with educational and entrepreneurial endeavors. 

The daughter of Mexican-Americans, Longoria is one of several Latinos to be prominently featured at the Democratic convention. On Tuesday, San Antonio, Texas Mayor Julian Castro became the DNC's first Latino keynote speaker. On Wednesday, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was among those who spoke.

In a Thursday interview on the NBC television network, Longoria quipped there would be "no empty chairs" during her Thursday speech -- a reference to last week's speech by actor Clint Eastwood at the Republican National Convention. During his speech, Eastwood talked to an empty chair, pretending it was President Obama.