American Actor
Mario Lopez Jr. was born October 10, 1973 in San Diego, California. His background in acting started when he attended Chula Vista High School: School for the Creative and Performing Arts. He was also a wrestler in high school. During his senior year, he finished seventh place at the California State High School Championships.
He made his TV debut in 1985 when he played the role of Tomas Del Gato on ABC's comedy series a.k.a. Pablo. He also appeared as dancer and drummer on the children's TV program Kids Incorporated. In 1989, he played the role of A.C. Slater in the sitcom
Saved by the Bell where he stayed on the show for five consecutive years. Shortly after, he began hosting several TV programs including Name Your Adventure, Masters of the Maze, President's Challenge to Get Fit, The Other Half, Pet Star, Will You Marry Me?, America's Most Talented Kid, You Win Live and 50 Greatest Movie Animals. Definitely a pro in his field, Lopez is also a regular in TV pageants. He had hosted Miss Teen USA, Miss America and Miss Universe.
He played the role of Police Officer Bobby Cruz on Pacific Blue. In 2006, he was cast for
The Bold and the Beautiful as Dr. Christian Ramirez. In the same year, he was also seen in
Nip/Tuck . He was celebrity guest on Weakest Link and on Search Party. He also competed on the third season of
Dancing with the Stars and finished second to
Emmitt Smith . His appearances on films include East Side, A Crack in the Floor, Big Brother Trouble, Depraved, Colors, Outta Time and King Rikki. Mario Lopez was also the voice behind Manu Tuiama, the Mainland Surfer in Aloha, Scooby-Doo.
He currently hosts MTV's reality-TV series
Randy Jackson Presents:
America's Best Dance Crew .
(Photo courtesy of MTV)