Mario Xavier was born on December 8, 1980, in Sommerville, New Jersey. His parents relocated to South Florida a year after his birth due to his health conditions. He spent most of his school years at home ill. During this time, he spent countless hours watching television and movies. It was this that led to his interest in acting. Mario began studying martial arts at age 5 on the advice of his doctor. At age 16, he and friends Mike Hicks and Robert Acevedo borrowed his parent's video camera and began making short movies. In the years between 1997 and 2001, Golden Dragon Films (their own nickname) had produced over 50 short movies. They went on to form Golden Dragon Productions, the company that now produces their output.