You may know him best from his breakout role as A.C. (Albert Clifford) Slater on Saved by the Bell. From 1989 to 1993, we saw him literally wrestle his way into popularity at Bayside. We watched as he competed with, but eventually lost to, preppy Zach Morris for the heart of head cheerleader Kelly Kapowski. But, we were happy when he finally got together with his “mama,” Jessie Spano; we laughed when she called him “macho pig,” and he responded with a playful, “oink, oink, baby.” Some of us probably even shed a tear when the group graduated and went their separate ways (until “The College Years” anyway). While some of his co-stars’ careers may have plummeted, Mario Lopez has since become much more than a teen who could rock the jerry-curl-mullet.

He has arguably turned into one of the most-employed stars in Hollywood. At 36, he has maintained his hearthrob status, as Cosmopolitan magazine recently featured his face along with such stars as Zac Efron, Matthew McConaughey, and Johnny Depp as one of the choices for their “Make Your Own Naked Paper Doll” feature. But that’s only one of his many achievements — Mario has held almost every thinkable role in show biz.

Upon first glance, Mario may not appear to be the most versatile actor, but his résumé begs to differ. Yes, he has appeared on 83 programs as himself, but there’s so much variety among the programs he’s hosted. Randy Jackson Presents America’s Best Dance Crew, Pet Star, and the Miss America Pageant, to name only a few, have allowed his charisma to reach diverse audiences.

He has also played over 40 additional roles over the last 26 years. Two of his longest gigs were as Dr. Christian Ramírez on The Bold and the Beautiful and Police Officer Bobby Cruz on Pacific Blue. And neither would have come along if not for his very first role in 1984 as Tomas Del Gato on the episode of a.k.a. Pablo called “My Son, the Gringo.” But, according to the actor, his ethnic background shouldn’t be the first thing you notice: “I like to consider myself an actor who just happens to be Hispanic [...] I haven’t gotten labeled as a Hispanic actor.” His characters Lazaro Chaveco, Ramon Perez, Antonio Lopez, Raphael Banderas, Ray Sanchez, and Johnny Vega might disagree with that statement, but director Steven Hilliard Stern wouldn’t.

Stern directed Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story. He chose Lopez to star in his 1997 made-for-television movie, and Mario’s performance did not go unnoticed. In fact, he was nominated for an American Latino Media Arts Award, or ALMA, for his Outstanding Individual Performance in a Made-for-Television Movie or Mini-Series in a Crossover Role.

Even all that acclaim doesn’t begin to scratch the surface of this multi-faceted man. The rest of his résumé begs us to ask if there’s anything out there Mario can’t do. In 2002, he proved himself as a multi-tasker as he co-produced and starred in the film Outta Time.

His accomplishments go on and on: Dancing with the Stars runner-up; recording artist (on two different soundtracks for Saved by the Bell); team captain for Extreme Dodgeball team L.A. Armed Response; and trapeze artist on Circus of the Stars #14. He has even dabbled in Broadway as a cast member of A Chorus Line. Recently, the only speed bump in his career came when he lost out on taking over for Bob Barker as the new host of The Price is Right. Perhaps Drew Carey just had something to offer that Mario didn’t.

Despite that minor setback, America continues to watch as he builds his résumé, and it doesn’t seem that Mario is slowing down in the least. It’ll be interesting to see what this modern-day Renaissance man will take on next. So far, he’s proven that, while a great set of dimples may not win you an ALMA, they can get you pretty far.

Katrina Gaudier is a senior at Drexel University. She is studying English and Philosophy and is expected to graduate in June of 2010.

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