Happy birthday, Mario Lopez.
A Hollywood Walk of Fame star was unveiled Thursday for the TV show host and former "Saved by the Bell" actor on his 51st birthday.
Lopez, who portrayed high school athlete A.C. Slater on the NBC Saturday morning comedy "Saved by the Bell," was joined by actor Mark Wahlberg, mother Elvia Lopez, and Valari Staab, chair of NBCUniversal Local for the 11:30 a.m. ceremony at 6930 Hollywood Blvd.
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Lopez's star is in front of Wahlburgers restaurant and across the street from the TCL Chinese Theatre.
The "Extra" and "Access Hollywood" host was born in Chula Vista. He was discovered by a talent agent at a dance recital when he was 10 and made his professional acting debut as a cast member in the ABC comedy "a.k.a. Pablo," which ran for six weeks in 1984.
Lopez was a mainstay on "Saved by the Bell" through its 1989-1993 run. He also was part of a prime-time spinoff, "Saved by the Bell: The College Years," which ran on NBC in the 1993-94 season, and its 2020-22 reboot on Peacock.
The Lopez fam was on hand to watch Mario’s ⭐️ being made. Ceremony will be held on 10/10 at 11:30 am. NOTE to fans: there will be a street closure at 9:30 AM. Please line up next to Madame Tussauds on Orange, east side of street &security will bring you at the appropriate time. pic.twitter.com/fK6trMysZz
— Walk of Fame (@WalkofFameStar) October 9, 2024
Lopez's other television acting credits include portraying four-time Olympic gold medal-winning diver Greg Louganis in the 1997 USA Network made-for-television movie, "Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story," the CBS daytime drama "The Bold and the Beautiful," and the FX medical drama "Nip/Tuck."
Lopez has been a host of "Access Hollywood" since 2019 after being a host of the rival syndicated entertainment news program "Extra" from 2008- 2019.
Lopez is also a host of "Access Daily with Mario & Kit," the radio shows "On with Mario Lopez" and "iHeartRadio Countdown with Mario Lopez," and the boxing podcast "The 3 Knockdown Rule."
Lopez also hosted the Miss America pageant in 2007, 2009 and 2010 and the Miss Universe pageant in 2007 and 2020.
