A 50th Birthday Photo Tribute to Mario Lopez!
In the mid 2000s, there was a running joke in our office that Mario Lopez was in EVERYTHING.
A new Lifetime movie? Mario Lopez. A new entertainment newsmagazine series? Mario Lopez. A beauty pageant host? Mario Lopez.
A show called Dancing Pet Stars on Animal Planet? Oh, hell yeah Mario Lopez.
He was like the hardest-working man in showbiz, and he became our cult hero.
One day in 2014, I was at a press event in Los Angeles for the syndicated entertainment news show Extra, and there was a thing where you could get your photo taken with Lopez. Damn straight I was getting one!
Dude was very cool, exactly like you’d expect. I didn’t fanboy out about getting to meet THE Mario Lopez, and I knew I’d always have the photo to remind me that I was in the presence of greatness.
I got the link to the photo and was very pleased. Years later, I was trying to find the photo or its link, but to no avail. Maybe it was in a defunct email account or saved on a phone I no longer own, but a deep dive into my digital archives resulted in nothing. And I was very sad.
So on the occasion of Lopez’s 50th (!) birthday, I’ll dig up some old photos (sans Saved By the Bell) that I COULD find in our expansive archive and celebrate the man who does it all in Hollywood.
Captain of the L.A. Armed Response on GSN’s Extreme Dodgeball (2004).
Stewart Volland/GSN
Host of a fake dating show on Netflix’s Too Hot To Handle (2022).
©Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection
Host of Saturday morning kids series Name Your Adventure (1992-95).
A. Singer / ©CBS / Courtesy Everett Collection
Costarring with Melissa Joan Hart in Lifetime’s A Very Merry Toy Store (2017).
©Lifetime Television/courtesy Everett Collection
Guest-starring on the British comedy series Almost Royal (2016).
©BBC-America / Courtesy: Everett Collection
Playing Vince Fontaine in FOX’s Grease: Live (2016).
Kevin Estrada / ©Fox / Courtesy: Everett Collection
Cohost/host of FOX’s talent competition show The X Factor Seasons 2-3 (2012-13).
Ray Mickshaw/©Fox/courtesy Everett Collection
Guest-starring on the UPN sitcom The Bad Girl’s Guide (2005).
© Flame Ventures / Courtesy: Everett Collection
Playing Tomas Del Gato on the ABC sitcom a.k.a. Pablo (1984).
© ABC / Courtesy: Everett Collection
Playing the recurring role of Dr. Mike Hamoui on drama series Nip/Tuck (2006-10).
© Warner Bros. Television / Courtesy Everett Collection
Runner-up on Season 3 of Dancing With the Stars (2006).
Adam Larkey / © ABC / Courtesy: Everett Collection
Guest-starring as Officer Sanchez on the sitcom George Lopez (2007).
Karen Neal / © ABC / courtesy Everett Collection
Appearing as a hot dog vendor on the celebrity reality show I Get That a Lot (2009).
Jeffrey R. Staab / © CBS / Courtesy: Everett Collection
Host of The CW’s short-lived reality series H8R (2011).
Jordon Nuttall/The CW © 2011 The CW Network, LLC. All rights reserved.
Cohost of sports/entertainment series ESPN Hollywood (2005-06).
© ESPN, Inc. Credit: Vivian Zink/ESPN
Host of Animal Planet’s pet competition series Pet Star (2002-05).
Ed Carreon/Animal Planet
Cohost (with then fiancée Ali Landry) of the ABC Family TV special Will You Marry Me? (2004).
©ABC FAMILY/JAIMIE TRUEBLOOD
Playing Dave Ruggles on the TV movie thriller Killing Mr. Griffin (1997).
© NBC / Courtesy: Everett Collection
Host of kids’ game show Masters of the Maze (1994-95).
Courtesy Everett Collection
Remind