Date of Birth
10 October 1973, San Diego, California, USA
Birth Name
Mario Lopez Jr.
Height
5' 10" (1.78 m)
Mario Lopez, Jr. (born October 10, 1973) is an American actor who has appeared on several television series, in films, and on Broadway. He is best-known for his portrayal of the character A.C. Slater on Saved By The Bell from 1989-1994.
He has appeared in numerous projects since including the 2006-2007 season of Dancing with the Stars and as a celebrity guest host for the syndicated entertainment news magazine show Extra. He currently hosts America's Best Dance Crew, for MTV.
Mario Lopez is of Mexican descent and was born in San Diego, the son of Elvira, a telephone clerk, and Mario Lopez, Sr., who worked for the municipality of National City. Lopez was a high school wrestler. He graduated Chula Vista High School in 1992.
Lopez's professional career began in 1984 when he appeared as younger brother Toms in the short-lived ABC comedy series a.k.a. Pablo. That same year, he was cast as a drummer and dancer onKids Incorporated. In March 1987. he was cast as a guest star on the popular sitcom Golden Girls as a Mexican boy named Mario who faces deportation. In 1989, Lopez was cast as A.C. Slater in the popular television sitcom Saved by the Bell, a role which lasted five years. Lopez's character was a masculine, athletic student, helping to garner the actor a sizeable teenage-girl fan base. After Saved by the Bell ended in 1993, Lopez went on to reprise his role as A.C. Slater in the short-lived spin-off series Saved by the Bell: The College Years.
In 1997, Lopez starred as Olympic diver Greg Louganis in the television movie Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story. The following year, he was cast as Bobby Cruz in the USA Network seriesPacific Blue. Lopez left the series after two seasons and went on to guest star on Resurrection Blvd., Eve, and The Bad Girl's Guide. In March 2006, Lopez joined the cast of the daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful playing the role of Dr. Christian Ramirez. On July 18, 2006, he was released from his B&B contract. Later that year, he guest-starred as a plastic surgeon who drives Christian Troy to jealousy when he sees him naked in the shower in an episode of FX Network's Nip/Tuck during the show's fourth season, which began in Fall 2009. He also made an appearance in "George Lopez" as a police officer in late 2006.
In 1992, he hosted his first series on NBC called Name Your Adventure, where teens got to live out their dreams (working at Ben & Jerry's, being a roadie for Rock superstar Richard Marx, etc.). One adventure involved a boy wanting to be a diver. His wish was fulfilled with Greg Louganis coaching him. This was the very first time Lopez and Louganis met before the movie.
In 1995, he took over the hosting duties from J.D. Roth when he became the new host of a kids game show, Masters of the Maze.
In 2001, Lopez was one of the co-hosts of the syndicated talk show The Other Half. The Other Half was a male version of the female ensemble talk show The View, featuring four male co-hosts, includingDanny Bonaduce, Dr. Jan Adams, and executive producer, Dick Clark. During the run of The Other Half, Lopez hosted Pet Star on the Animal Planet channel. He has also co-hosted ESPN2's ESPN Hollywood.
In 2003, he hosted America's Most Talented Kid on NBC. He also did a special episode featuring senior citizens showing their talent (America's Most Talented Senior). When the show switched to Pax, the titles pluralized (America's Most Talented Kids). he was replaced by Dave Coulier.
On January 12, 2006, Lopez was announced as a celebrity guest host for the syndicated entertainment news magazine show Extra. His first assignment was covering the Golden Globes. In 2008, he became the permanent weekday host on Extra.
Lopez has also hosted prime time television pageants; Miss Teen USA in 1998, 2003 and August 2007;[4] Miss America in January 2007; and Miss Universe in May 2007, giving him the distinction of being the only individual to have served in hosting capacity for both of the major pageant system organizations. The 2007 Miss Teen USA pageant Lopez hosted became particularly known for Caitlin Upton's incoherent response to a question posed to her in the final question round of the competition, the video of which became an Internet meme.
On December 5, 2006 Lopez was a guest speaker for Epcot's Candlelight Processional.
On March 12, 2007, Lopez auditioned in a not-for-air episode of The Price is Right to take over for the retiring Bob Barker
He also works part time as a boxing analyst for Top Rank Promotions covering Manny Pacquiao/Top Rank promoted fights worldwide.
He is currently hosting the MTV reality show America's Best Dance Crew and MTV's Top Pop Group. Lopez is both the host (with Carmen Palumbo) and co-executive producer of S TV's Dating Factory.
Lopez has signed a deal with Celsius, a popular calorie-burning functional drink, to be their spokesperson in 2010.
Lopez made his Broadway debut on April 15, 2008, in the revival of A Chorus Line in the role of Zach.
Personal Quotes : "I love talking about women because they are a constant study and you're always learning."
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