FROM TEEN HEARTTHROB…TO $ 16M STAR GAME TIME!
The former child star has worked hard to turn himself into one of TV’S top hosts
Actor, dancer, author, TV host — there’s a reason Mario Lopez is known as one of the hardest-working men in showbiz. The former child star, 43, admits he’s driven by a fear of failure. “Here’s the way I look at it: Everything is a temp job,” the father of two has said. “Nothing is guaranteed…. That’s why you have to routinely switch things up.” He’s done just that, transitioning from Saved by the Bell’s jock to a
Dancing With the Stars favorite to a TV host, and amassing a $16 million fortune along the way. “I plan to be working,” he says, “for the rest of my life.”
DOING IT ALL
Born in San Diego, Mario takes up wrestling at school and places seventh in the state of California. “I was in the arts, in the drama program, I was also wrestling,” he’s said, “so I was kind of a jock and a theater kid at the same time.”
CHILD ACTOR
His showbiz career begins at 10 when he scores a recurring role on the ABC series a.k.a. Pablo. Later that year he joins the musical show Kids Incorporated as a drummer and dancer (and has his first kiss with co-star Fergie), then guest stars on The Golden Girls (above) as a teen facing deportation.
BREAKTHROUGH ROLE
He’s cast as A.C. Slater on the sitcom Saved by the Bell and quickly becomes a teen pinup, along with co-stars Tiffani Thiessen, Mark-paul Gosselaar and Elizabeth Berkley. The show runs for four seasons, and Mario reprises his role on Saved by the Bell: The College Years.
A NEW SERIES
After playing Olympic diver Greg Louganis in the TV movie Breaking the Surface,
Mario’s cast as Santa Monica police officer Bobby Cruz on the crime drama
Pacific Blue. It becomes the highest-rated drama on USA, with more than 2 million regular viewers.
WEDDING SCANDAL
Mario marries Doritos girlturned-actress Ali Landry after six years of dating, but the marriage is annulled two weeks later, after she discovers he’d cheated on her at his bachelor party.
“I think about my long-term plan for my career every day.” Mario
LAUNCHING A NEW CAREER
Mario impresses as host of America’s Best Dance Crew on MTV, then lands a job as co-anchor of the syndicated entertainment news show Extra, which he’s now held for nine years.
DANCING SENSATION
With his career stalling, he smartly regains the spotlight by joining the third season of Dancing With
the Stars, which brings in some 20 million viewers a week. He’s partnered with Karina Smirnoff (whom he dates for two years) and finishes in second place behind football star Emmitt Smith.
GAME TIME!
Mario hosts the new CBS summer game show
Candy Crush, based on the hugely popular app. “As a player,” he says, “I am excited to step into the real-life Candy Crush arena.”
SETTLING DOWN
Mario marries dancer Courtney Mazza, 34, four years after they meet doing A Chorus Line on Broadway. They star in a short-lived VH1 reality show, Saved by the Baby, and are doting parents to two children, Gia, 6, and Dominic, 3.
X MARKS THE SPOT
He signs on to co-host The X Factor singing competition alongside Khloé Kardashian. She’s panned and leaves after one season, and he hosts solo the second year. He also starts his own nationally syndicated radio show, ON With Mario Lopez.