Born in San Diego, California, on October 10th, 1973, to Mario and Elvira, Mario Lopez's first professional role was on the series, a.k.a. Pablo (1984). Mario is probably best known to youngsters, however, as A.C. Slater from NBC's popular 1980s teen comedy series Saved by the Bell (1989). Among Mario's other credits are several other popular television series, such as Pacific Blue (1996) and the movies Colors (1988), Depraved (1996) and Eastside (1999). Mario has proven himself as a talented and prolific presenter, having hosted such series as Name Your Adventure (1992), The Other Half (2001) and Pet Star (2002).
Mario is the son of Elvira Soledad Trasviña and Mario Alberto López Pérez. His father was born in Culiacán, Sinaloa, and his mother was born in Tijuana, Territorio Norte de Baja California, both in Mexico. A DNA test undertaken by the show Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2012) stated that his genetic ancestry is 56% European, 41% Indigenous American, and 3% Sub-Saharan African.