Mario Lopez
 |
Mario Lopez | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Mario Lopez, Jr. |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, Host |
| Years active | 1984 ─ present |
| Spouse | Ali Landry (2004) Annulled |
| Website | http://www.mariolopez.net www.MarioLopez.net |
Mario Lopez, Jr. (born October 10, 1973) is an American actor of Mexican descent who has appeared on several television series, in films and on Broadway. He is best-known for his portrayal of the character Albert Clifford 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.
Early life
Lopez was born in San Diego, the son of Elvia, a telephone clerk, and Mario Lopez Sr., who worked for the municipality of National City.[1] Lopez was a high school wrestler, and graduated from Chula Vista High School in 1992.[2] Lopez' parents are from Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico.[3]
Acting career
Lopez's professional career began in 1985 when he appeared as younger brother Tomás in the short-lived ABC comedy series a.k.a. Pablo.[2] That same year, he was cast as a drummer and dancer on Kids 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 series Pacific 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.[4] 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 2006.
Dancing with the Stars
In the fall of 2006, Lopez signed on as a contestant on the third season of Dancing with the Stars on ABC with professional partner Karina Smirnoff who was making her series debut. They finished in second place, losing to the team of Emmitt Smith and Cheryl Burke, despite scoring higher than them on average and despite "breaking all the rules" when he broke the hold on both his 2nd and 3rd week during his Quickstep and Tango.
Hosting duties
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, a roadie for 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, including Danny 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.
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;[5] 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.[6]
He also works part time 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 Sí TV's Dating Factory.
Stage career
Lopez made his Broadway debut on April 15, 2008, in the revival of A Chorus Line in the role of Zach.[7][8]
Personal life
Lopez met Miss America (1996), Ali Landry, when he emceed the 1998 Miss Teen USA pageant and she was a commentator. They were engaged during the summer of 2003 and married on April 24, 2004, but two weeks later she had the marriage annulled over alleged infidelities committed by Lopez during the relationship.[9]
In 2007, Lopez became an official supporter of Ronald McDonald House Charities and is a member of their celebrity board, called the Friends of RMHC.[10] Lopez was named People magazine's "Hottest Bachelor" in June 2008.[11]
Mario admits to enjoying an occasional cigar. His drink of choice when in Rome or Mexico are margaritas, in the States his preference is vodka.[12]
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1986 | Chartbusters | Direct-to-video release | |
| The Deacon Street Deer | Hector | TV movie | |
| 1987 | The Last Fling | Car rental clerk | TV movie |
| 1988 | Colors | Felipe's Friend | |
| 1989 | Saved by the Bell | A.C. Slater | 1989-1993 (87 episodes) |
| 1992 | Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style | A.C. Slater | TV movie |
| 1993 | Saved by the Bell: The College Years | A.C. Slater | 1993-1994 (19 episodes) |
| 1994 | Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas | A.C. Slater | TV movie |
| 1995 | Saved by the Bell: The New Class | A.C. Slater | "Goodbye, Bayside Part 2" |
| 1996 | Depraved | Jessie Mata | |
| Fever Lake | Steve | Direct-to-video release | |
| Saved by the Bell: The New Class | A.C. Slater | "Fire at the Max Part 2" | |
| El Cóndor de oro | BodyGuard2 | ||
| 1997 | Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story | Greg Louganis | TV movie |
| The Journey: Absolution | Ryan Murphy | ||
| Killing Mr. Griffin | Dave Ruggles | TV movie | |
| 1999 | Eastside | Antonio Lopez | |
| 2000 | A Crack in the Floor | Lehman | |
| Big Brother Trouble | Coach | ||
| 2002 | Outta Time | David Morales | Alternative titles: The Courier Out of Time |
| King Rikki | Juan Vallejo | Alternative title: The Street King | |
| 2004 | The Soluna Project | Antonio | TV movie |
| 2005 | Aloha, Scooby-Doo! | Manu Tuiama/Mainland Surfer (Voice) | Direct to video release |
| 2007 | Holiday in Handcuffs | David Martin | TV movie |
| 2008 | Husband for Hire | Marco | TV movie |
| 2009 | Nip/Tuck | Dr. Mike Hamoui | TV |
References
- ^ Mario Lopez Biography (1973-)
- ^ a b Allis, Tim (1992-11-30). "Saturday's Star". People. Retrieved 2009-02-10.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Mario Lopez Celebrity Ethnicity
- ^ Kroll, Dan J. (2006-07-02). "Lopez's B&B Stay Over". soapcentral.com. Retrieved 2009-02-10.
- ^ "Mario Lopez to Host Miss Teen USA Pageant". people.com. 2007-08-08. Retrieved 2009-02-10.
- ^ Twomey, Colin (2006-11-09). "Which Host is Right?". The Harvard Independent. Retrieved 2007-03-18.
- ^ "PHOTO CALL: Mario Lopez Honored with Painting at Tony's Di Napoli". Playbill News.
- ^ Mario Lopez Joins 'A Chorus Line' on April 15 (BroadwayWorld.com)
- ^ "Annulment Information". AskMen.com. 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-28.
- ^ "Celebrity Friends of RMHC". McDonald's Corporation.
- ^ "PEOPLE's Hottest Bachelor Mario Lopez Talks Dating". People Magazine. June 18, 2008. Retrieved 2009-01-04.
- ^ http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20214280,00.html
External links
- Official site
- Mario Lopez at IMDb
- Template:Tvtome person
- Please use a more specific IBDB template. See the documentation for available templates.
- Interview with Mario Lopez at Vyuz.com
- Vivica A. Fox, Mario Lopez to Appear on "Dancing With the Stars"
- 1973 births
- American child actors
- American infotainers
- American soap opera actors
- American television actors
- American television personalities
- Actors from California
- Dancing with the Stars (US TV series) participants
- Hispanic American actors
- Living people
- American television sports announcers
- Boxing commentators
- Mexican Americans
- People from Chula Vista, California
- People from San Diego, California
- Reality television participants