Mário Franco (born 20 October 1965 in Lisbon) is a Portuguese dancer, double bass player and a composer.
He studied bass guitar with António Ferro, Double Bass with David Gausden in Escola de Jazz do Hot Clube de Portugal; and took part in workshops with Rufus Reid, Niels Henning Orsted Pederson, Eberhard Weber.
In 1986-87, he attended double-bass courses given by Ludwig Streicher in Estoril and in 1988 won 1st prize in the Prémio Jovens Musicos (Young Musicians Competition); later became a member of Orquestra Sinfonica Juvenil where he worked on classical repertory with conductor Christopher Bochmann.
Since 1984, he has played jazz and improvised music in Portugal and abroad with musicians such as António Pinho Vargas, Mário Laginha, João Paulo Esteves de Silva, Bernardo Sassetti, Carlos Martins, Tomás Pimentel, José Peixoto, Jarmo Savolainen, Jim Leff, Ralph Peterson Jr., Paolo Fresu, Andy Sheppard, Peter Epstein and Ralph Towner.
As a Side Musician: (Selected CDs): António Pinho Vargas Quintet and Carlos Martins Quartet: Lisboa em Jazz (CML Pelouro Cultura, 1991); João Paulo Esteves da Silva Quartet: Serra sem Fim (Farol Música, 1993); Tomás Pimentel Septet: Descolagem (El Tatu, 1994); Luz Destino (M.A Recordings, 1996); José Peixoto: O Que Me Diz o Espelho d’água (Farol Música, 2000);José Peixoto: A Tempo (A Capella, 2001); José Peixoto: Aceno, featuring Ralph Towner (Zona Música, 2003).