Mario Lopez

In 1993, allegations of sexual assault were made by two women against Lopez, but no charges were filed as no evidence was found.

While hosting the ‘Miss Teen USA 1998’ beauty pageant, he met co-host and actress Ali Landry and they began a relationship. Their marriage after six years was immediately followed by an annulment because of Lopez’s infidelity during his bachelor party.

In 2006, he entered into a relationship with his ‘Dancing with the Stars’ partner, Karina Smirnoff. The couple ended the relationship after two years.

Mario Lopez was born to Elvia and Mario Lopez, Sr. in San Diego, California. His mother was a telephone clerk and his father a municipal worker. Lopez started learning dancing at the age of three, and was discovered by an agent when he was ten years old.

His first TV appearance was with the comedy series ‘a.k.a. Pablo’ in 1984. The same year, he got another role as a drummer and dancer in the kids’ show ‘Kids Incorporated’, in which he featured for two years.

In the next few years, he made some guest appearances in TV shows. In 1989, he got his first role as a regular in the sitcom ‘Saved by the Bell’, where he played the character of A.C. Slater. This role fetched him a lot of popularity, especially among the teenagers.

He studied in the ‘Chula Vista High School’, where he wrestled for the school team and even participated in the state’s wrestling competition in 1991, where he stood seventh in California. He graduated from high school in the same year.

Over the next few years, Lopez did a cameo in the TV show ‘Superstar American Gladiators’, hosted the game show ‘Masters of the Maze’ and the reality series ‘Name Your Adventure’ and featured in movies like ‘Fever Lake’ and ‘Killing Mr. Griffin’. However, none of them elicited positive responses from the viewers.

Lopez’s next significant role, which also earned him critical acclaim, was with the 1997 movie ‘Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story’ in which he portrayed the Olympic Gold Medallist, Greg Louganis.

He played an undercover officer in the 1998 crime series ‘Pacific Blue’. The same year, he co-hosted the beauty pageant ‘Miss Teen USA 1998’ with actress Ali Landry.

From 2000 to 2002, he acted in a few low-budget movies such as the horror film ‘A Crack in the Floor’, the comedy ‘Big Brother Trouble’ and the drama ‘King Rikki’. He also hosted the talk show ‘The Other Half’.

In 2002, he was chosen to host the show ‘Pet Star’ on ‘Animal Planet’ and the talent show ‘Second Chance: America's Most Talented Senior’. He also acted in and co-produced the film ‘Outta Time’.

Although he started acting from a very young age, it was the sitcom ‘Saved by the Bell’ which made him a household name and a teen sensation. He starred in the show for five seasons and also in its two spin-off movies. In the show, he played A.C. Slater, a popular athlete in high school.

Lopez displayed his dancing prowess in the third season of the dance competition ‘Dancing with the Stars’. Competing with ten other teams, Lopez was paired with professional dancer Karina Smirnoff and the pair went on to finish as runner-ups in the show.