Mario Lopez

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BIRTHDAY

October 10, 1973

San Diego, CA

PROFESSIONS

Actor

SOMETIMES CREDITED AS

Mario López, Mario López Jr.

BIOGRAPHY

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While this Hispanic heartthrob didn't enjoy the same post-sitcom success as his longtime Saved by the Bell costar Mark-Paul Gosselaar, the personable if not particularly versatile actor didn't fade into infamy like Elizabeth Berkley or Dustin "Screech" Diamond, either. After getting his start dancing on the youth-oriented variety show Kids Incorporated, Lopez became a teen idol as a girl-crazy jock on the aforementioned high-school-set, Saturday-morning series. Recognizing a good thing, he also appeared in all the Saved by the Bell spin-offs (two TV-movies and two series). In the late '90s, Lopez struggled with a succession of low-rent gigs, including a role on the grade-Z Baywatch-like Pacific Blue. He then reinvented himself in the '00s as an affable emcee, hosting series such as Pet Star and the male talk-show answer to The View, The Other Half, as well as specials like Miss Teen USA, which introduced him to beauty queen/commentator Ali Landry. Although they married in 2004, the union was annulled a few weeks later, reportedly due to Lopez's infidelity. Despite the personal setback, he kept plugging away at his career, and in 2006, the dimpled hunk enjoyed a huge boost in popularity when he was named runner-up in the third edition of the reality competition Dancing with the Stars. Rumor had it that he also snagged himself a girlfriend: his dance partner Karina Smirnoff.

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