Mario Lopez: World’s Hardest Working Sex Symbol?

There are plenty of actors who model, and models who act (or try to). But few celebrities have maintained such an on-going presence in both spheres as Mario Lopez, who appears in the current issue of Maximum Fitness magazine, presenting his own delt-building workout plan.

This year, this super-fit hunk has also unveiled a new book, Extra Lean: The Fat-Burning Plan That Changes the Way You Eat for Life, as something of a follow-up to his 2008 book, Mario Lopez’s Knockout Fitness.

Lopez, who was born in San Diego, California in 1973, started early as a child actor, and indulged his interest in sports as a high-school wrestler. Since then, he has appeared in TV series as varied as The Golden Girls, Saved by the Bell, Dancing with the Stars and Extra.

But as famous as his face may be to television audiences, Lopez’s muscular body has been just as familiar to the public for years — including two rather attention-getting appearances on the TV show Nip/Tuck, for which he appeared completely nude in the shower as well as decked out in women’s lingerie. In 2008, he did a photoshoot for People Magazine’s “Hottest Bachelor” feature, during which he recreated famous sexy shots originally done by actors of the 1970s and 1980s.

Where some male actors shy away from using their bodies as an instrument to achieve success, Lopez exploits his talents, abilities and looks with enthusiasm, and even shares his own secrets for staying fit. Here are a few visual highlights of this hard-working fitness fanatic, from his days as a child actor through his current identity as celebrity, model and sex symbol.