They say that food is the proper way into someone's heart. But you might not know that cooking food is also an excellent way right into Hollywood.

As an actor, Marco Lopez became best known for his roles in several Jack Webb projects, including Dragnet and Emergency! In fact, Lopez often served as a stand-in for Webb himself.

Not only was Lopez a gifted actor, but he was also an incredibly talented chef. What began as the occasional hobby turned into a full-time second job after Lopez's costars discovered what a talented cook he was.

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"It all started as a dare back during Dragnet when we would talk about hobbies between takes and I admitted I liked to cook," said Lopez during an interview with the Valley News. The guys said, 'Prove it.' I set up a hotplate backstage on Stage 33 and whipped up a couple of Mexican dishes. That was the start."

Lopez continued to cook for his costars on Dragnet, usually traditional Mexican dishes. When the time came to begin shooting for Emergency! Lopez was brought into the cast, as well as his expert cooking skills. It turned out that there was an actual working gas-powered stove in the firehouse set for the series. This meant that not only could Lopez continue to cook for his costars, but his meals were about to get much more elaborate.

Not only did Lopez share a name with his character, viewers might recall that the actor and his real-life firefighter counterpart also shared a love of whipping up delicious food.

What began as a hobby turned into a point of pride for Lopez. "In fact, you might say that I've cooked my way all the way from Dragnet to and through Emergency!" said Lopez.