Mario Lopez

Mario Lopez is an American actor, television host, and Broadway performer born on October 10, 1973, in Chula Vista, California. He is the son of Elvira Soledad Trasviña and Mario Alberto López Pérez, both emigrants from Mexico — his father from Culiacán, Sinaloa, and his mother from Tijuana, Baja California. Lopez grew up in a Catholic household and began dance training at age three, studying tap and jazz. By age seven he was also participating in tumbling, karate, and wrestling at his local Boys and Girls Club. During his time at Chula Vista High School, he competed on the wrestling team at 160 pounds, finishing second in the San Diego Section and seventh in California in his senior year before graduating in 1991. A talent agent discovered him at a dance recital when he was ten, leading to early work in local advertisements and commercials.

Lopez began his acting career in 1984 with a role as younger brother Tomás on the short-lived ABC comedy series a.k.a. Pablo. That same year he joined Kids Incorporated as a drummer and dancer, appearing across three seasons. In 1987 he guest-starred on The Golden Girls as a Latino boy facing deportation, and in 1988 he appeared in a small role in the film Colors. His breakthrough came in 1989 when he was cast as A.C. Slater in the Saturday-morning sitcom Saved by the Bell, a role he continued through the spinoff Saved by the Bell: The College Years and reprised again in Peacock's 2020 sequel series. In 1997 he starred as Olympic diver Greg Louganis in the television film Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story, and the following year he joined the USA Network series Pacific Blue as Bobby Cruz for two seasons. In March 2006 he joined the cast of the daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful as Dr. Christian Ramirez, a contract from which he was released on July 18, 2006. Later that year he guest-starred on FX's Nip/Tuck during its fourth season and made an appearance on George Lopez as a police officer. In December 2020 he starred as Colonel Sanders in the Lifetime and KFC short film A Recipe for Seduction, and in 2024 he signed a multi-year deal with Great American Media.

Lopez has maintained an extensive hosting career alongside his acting work. In 1992 he hosted his first NBC series, Name Your Adventure, and from 1995 to 1996 he hosted the second season of Masters of the Maze on The Family Channel. He served as host of the Animal Planet series Pet Star from 2002 to 2005. He hosted the entertainment news magazine Extra as well as MTV's America's Best Dance Crew and MTV's Top Pop Group. Lopez hosted the Miss America pageant in 2007, 2009, and 2010. From October to December 2012 he co-hosted the Fox singing competition The X Factor alongside Khloé Kardashian, then returned as sole host for the third and final season in 2013 after Kardashian was not asked back; the series was cancelled on February 7, 2014. Beginning in 2012, Lopez hosted his own nationally syndicated radio show, ON With Mario Lopez, for Premiere Radio, which streams on iHeartRadio and airs on selected CHR and Hot AC stations. In August 2014 he began hosting the Hot AC edition of the iHeartRadio Countdown. In July 2019 he departed Extra to host Access Hollywood, and in November 2019 he served as Grand Marshal of the Hollywood Christmas Parade. In 2024 he began hosting the Game Show Network series Blank Slate.

In the fall of 2006, Lopez competed on the third season of Dancing with the Stars on ABC, partnered with Karina Smirnoff in her series debut. The pair finished in second place, behind the team of Emmitt Smith and Cheryl Burke.

Lopez made his Broadway debut on April 15, 2008, in the revival of the musical A Chorus Line, playing the role of Zach. It was during the run of that production that he met Broadway dancer, actress, and producer Courtney Mazza.

Lopez has also authored several books. Mario Lopez Knockout Fitness, written with Jeff O'Connell, was published in 2008. Extra Lean followed in early 2010 and became a New York Times bestseller, with Extra Lean Family published in May 2012. A children's book, Mario and Baby Gia, was released on September 27, 2011, through Celebra Children's Books, a division of Penguin Books, and centers on Lopez and his daughter. In 2022 it was announced that Lopez was involved in an effort to revive the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo, overseeing auditions for a project called Menudo: A New Beginning. He took on the role of the band's manager, and in 2023 Menudo released their first single under his management, titled Mi Amore.