Mark-Paul Gosselaar | |
|---|---|
 Gosselaar atGalaxyCon Richmond in 2023 | |
| Born | Mark-Paul Harry Gosselaar (1974-03-01)March 1, 1974 (age 51) Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
| Education | William S. Hart High School |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, model |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 4 |
Mark-Paul Harry Gosselaar (/ˈɡɒslər/;[1] born March 1, 1974[2]) is an American actor. He is best known for playingZack Morris in theNBC seriesSaved by the Bell. In 1991, he won aYoung Artist Award forBest Young Actor Starring in an Off-Primetime Series.
He also played Paul Johnson in theABC sitcom seriesMixed-ish, DetectiveJohn Clark Jr. inNYPD Blue, and Peter Bash in theTNT legal seriesFranklin & Bash. He was also the lead in the 1998 filmDead Man on Campus. He later starred in theFox TV seriesPitch (2016) andThe Passage (2019). He reprised the role of Zack Morris in a recurring capacity for thePeacock sequel seriesSaved by the Bell (2020) and stars in the NBC procedural dramaFound (2023).
Gosselaar was born inPanorama City, Los Angeles, the son of Paula (née van den Brink), a homemaker and hostess forKLM, and Hans Gosselaar, a plant supervisor forAnheuser-Busch.[3][4] He is the youngest of his parents' four children, and was the only one not born in the Netherlands.[4][5]
His Dutch-born father is ofGerman andDutch Jewish descent.[6] Gosselaar's Jewish paternal great-grandparents, Hartog and Hester Gosselaar, were murdered at theSobibor extermination camp during theHolocaust.[7][8] HisDutch-Indonesian mother, who was born inBali,Indonesia, was a flight attendant forKLM Royal Dutch Airlines.[9]
Gosselaar has described himself as "half-Asian,” and mentioned collecting things from Indonesia.[10][11][12][13][14]
Gosselaar speaks Dutch,[4][5] and was fluent for a time, at home.[10] His parents later separated.[3]
Gosselaar's mother was his manager.[12] He began modeling at the age of five,[3] and as a child, he also appeared in commercials forCookie Crisp cereal andSmurf merchandise, later winning guest spots on television series.[15] He spent his teenage years in theSanta Clarita Valley inSouthern California, where he attendedHart High School.
Gosselaar has said that his natural hair color is brown, but he was "blondish" as a kid.[16][17] His hair was dyed blond throughout his run onSaved by the Bell.[18]
Gosselaar first came to public notice as the star of the hit television comedy seriesSaved by the Bell, which aired onNBC from 1989 to 1993. His character,Zack Morris, was adapted from the short-livedDisney Channel sitcomGood Morning, Miss Bliss; although that show was cancelled after one season, NBC executives believed that a similar show, with Zack Morris as the lead, had potential for success. He reprised the role in two TV movies and a less-successful spin-off,Saved by the Bell: The College Years. In 1994, he appeared as Zack Morris in a second spin-off seriesSaved by the Bell: The New Class in the episode "Goodbye, Bayside – Part 2", along withMario López asA.C. Slater andLark Voorhies asLisa Turtle.
In 1996, he appeared in the TV-filmShe Cried No, as a college student who date-rapes his best friend's sister at a fraternity party. In 1998, he starred in the feature filmDead Man on Campus. Later that same year, Gosselaar played the central character in the TV dramaHyperion Bay, which lasted 17 episodes. In 2001, he starred in the movieThe Princess and the Marine, withMarisol Nichols. He also starred in the short-livedWB seriesD.C. From 2001 to 2005, he played Detective John Clark onABC'sNYPD Blue. During his time on the show, he appeared inAtomic Twister in which he played Jake Hannah, a deputy who is traumatized over his mother's death and must help after a series of tornadoes hits a nuclear power plant in a small Tennessee town; the movie also stars fellowNYPD Blue alumSharon Lawrence, who plays Corrine Maguire. After the series ended, he joined the cast of ABC'sCommander in Chief, which lasted only one season. He appeared on theHBO seriesJohn from Cincinnati. He then gained the starring role of defense attorney Jerry Kellerman in theSteven Bochco-producedRaising the Bar, which debuted on September 1, 2008, onTNT, then it was canceled in November 2009 after two seasons.[19]
On June 8, 2009, Gosselaar appeared onLate Night with Jimmy Fallon in character as Zack Morris to promote his showRaising the Bar, indicating that the name Mark-Paul Gosselaar is his stage name and declaring, as Zack, that he would participate in aSaved by the Bell "Class" reunion that is being spearheaded by Fallon.[20] On February 4, 2015, Gosselaar reunited withMario Lopez,Elizabeth Berkley,Dennis Haskins andTiffani Thiessen onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where they appeared in aSaved by the Bell sketch with Fallon.[21][22][23]
In October 2009, he made his off-Broadway stage debut inTheresa Rebeck's playThe Understudy with The Roundabout Theatre Company. The show extended its limited New York run until January 17, 2010.[24]
Gosselaar began filming the TNT seriesFranklin & Bash on March 28, 2010. The series premiered on June 1, 2011. On November 11, 2014, it was announced that the series was canceled, after four seasons.[25] The FOX seriesPitch cast Gosselaar in the main role of Mike Lawson, star catcher and team captain, in February 2016, and premiered on September 22, 2016. On May 1, 2017, it was announced that the series was canceled, after one season.[26] He appeared in two episodes of Tiffani Thiessen's cooking show,Dinner at Tiffani's.
In 2019, Gosselaar began playing the lead role of Paul Jackson (Rainbow's father) inABC comedy seriesMixed-ish (spin-off and prequel series ofBlack-ish). He took over the role fromAnders Holm, who played the character in the pilot episode.[27] Gosselaar also reprised his role as Zack Morris in the 2020 sequel seriesSaved by the Bell.[28]
In a July 2009 interview withPeople, Gosselaar revealed that whileSaved by the Bell was in production, he dated, at different times, his three female co-stars:Lark Voorhies,Tiffani Thiessen,[29] andElizabeth Berkley.[30] He remains friends with hisSaved by the Bell castmates.[10]
In 1996, Gosselaar married former model Lisa Ann Russell.[3] Together, they have two children: a son (b. 2004), and daughter (b. 2006).[31] After 14 years of marriage, Gosselaar and Russell announced their separation in early June 2010.[32] Gosselaar filed for divorce June 18, 2010,[33] and it became final in May 2011.[34]
Gosselaar was engaged to advertising executive Catriona McGinn in August 2011.[34] They married July 28, 2012, at the Sunstone winery inSanta Ynez, California.[35] They have a son (b. 2013),[36] and a daughter (b. 2015).[37]
Gosselaar is asports car enthusiast,race car driver,track cyclist, dirt biker, andpilot.[38] In 2005, he competed in the Far West Championships for track cycling. He won theCategory 4/5Sprint Championship event at theEncinoVelodrome.[39]
Mark Paul is friends with the legendary and venerable MotoAmerica TV play by play announcer Greg White. The 2 toured the west coast on Honda motorcycles in 2010.[40]
He is aBrazilian Jiu Jitsu brown belt under Rafael Ramos and Nelson Montiero.[41]
Gosselaar resides in Los Angeles. He sold hisSherman Oaks home in February 2022.[42]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | White Wolves: A Cry in the Wild II | Scott James |
| 1994 | The St. Tammany Miracle | Carl |
| 1995 | Twisted Love | D.J. |
| 1996 | Specimen | Mike Hillary |
| Freshman Fall | Scott | |
| Sticks & Stones | Dale | |
| Kounterfeit | Paco / Danny | |
| 1998 | Dead Man on Campus | Cooper Frederickson |
| 2002 | Atomic Twister | Deputy Jake Hannah |
| 2011 | Hide | Alex Wilson |
| 2011 | 12 Dates of Christmas | Miles Dufine |
| 2015 | Heist | Marconi |
| 2016 | Precious Cargo | Jack |
| 2021 | Kid 90 | Himself |
| 2023 | The Portrait | Brookes |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Highway to Heaven | Rolf Baldt | Episode: "The Torch" |
| Stingray | Eric Murray | Episode: "Below the Line" | |
| The Twilight Zone | Tim Conrad | Episode: "What Are Friends For?" | |
| 1988 | Necessary Parties | Chris Mills | Movie |
| The Wonder Years | Brad Gaines | Episode: "Dance with Me" | |
| Punky Brewster | Walker Wimbley | Episode: "One Plus Tutor Is Three" | |
| Charles in Charge | Philip | Episode: "Runaround Charles" | |
| 1988–89 | Good Morning, Miss Bliss | Zack Morris | Lead role (13 episodes) |
| 1989–93 | Saved by the Bell | Lead role (86 episodes) | |
| 1990 | Murphy Brown | Wes | Episode: "I Want My FYI" |
| 1992 | Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style | Zack Morris | Movie |
| Blossom | Kevin | Episode:"Losing Your... Religion" | |
| 1993–94 | Saved by the Bell: The College Years | Zack Morris | Lead role (19 episodes) |
| 1994 | For the Love of Nancy | Tommy Walsh | Movie |
| Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas | Zack Morris | Movie | |
| Saved by the Bell: The New Class | Episode: "Goodbye Bayside" | ||
| 1996 | Brothers of the Frontier | Hiram Holcomb | Movie |
| She Cried No | Scott Baker | Movie; also known asFreshman Fall | |
| 1997 | Dying to Belong | Steven Tyler | Movie |
| Born Into Exile | Chris | Movie | |
| 1998–99 | Hyperion Bay | Dennis Sweeny | Main role (17 episodes) |
| 2000 | D.C. | Pete Komisky | Main role (7 episodes) |
| 2001 | The Princess and the Marine | Jason Johnson | Movie |
| Beer Money | Tim Maroon | Movie | |
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Wesley Jansen / Peter Ivanhoe | Episode: "Sacrifice" | |
| 2001–05 | NYPD Blue | Det.John Clark Jr. | Main role (87 episodes) |
| 2002 | Alikes | Chris | Movie |
| Atomic Twister | Deputy Jake Hannah | Movie | |
| Hitched | Michael | Unsold pilot | |
| 2005 | Over There | John Moffet | 2 episodes |
| 2005–06 | Commander in Chief | Richard 'Dickie' McDonald | Recurring role (10 episodes) |
| 2006 | The House Next Door | Kim | Movie |
| 2007 | Law Dogs | Evan Marlowe | Unsold pilot |
| John from Cincinnati | Jake Ferris | 3 episodes | |
| 2008 | Robot Chicken | Zack Morris / Improv Employee (voice) | Episode: "Boo Cocky" |
| 2008–09 | Raising the Bar | Jerry Kellerman | Main role (25 episodes) |
| 2010 | Rizzoli & Isles | Garrett Fairfield | Episode: "Money For Nothing" |
| Weeds | Jack | Episode: "Gentle Puppies" | |
| 2011–14 | Franklin & Bash | Peter Bash | Lead role (40 episodes), also directed episode: "Honor Thy Mother" |
| 2011 | 12 Dates of Christmas | Miles Dufine | Movie |
| 2012 | Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 | Himself | Episode: "A Reunion" |
| 2013 | Men at Work | Tim | Episode: "Weekend at PJ's" (uncredited)[43] |
| Happy Endings | Chase | Episodes: "The Ex Factor", "Un-sabotagable" | |
| 2014 | Flipping Out | Himself | Episode: "Due Date" |
| 2014–15 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Jared Briscoe / Paul Winthrop | Recurring roles (4 episodes) |
| 2015 | Truth Be Told | Mitch | Main role (10 episodes) |
| 2016 | Pitch | Mike Lawson | Main role (10 episodes) |
| Dinner at Tiffani's | Himself | Episode: "Christmas at Tiffani's" | |
| Celebrity Name Game | Himself | ||
| Family Guy | Zack Morris (voice) | Episode: "Chris Has Got a Date, Date, Date, Date, Date" | |
| 2018 | Nobodies | Mark-Paul Gosselaar | Recurring role (12 episodes) |
| 2019 | The Passage | Brad Wolgast | Main role (10 episodes) |
| 2019–21 | Mixed-ish | Paul Johnson | Main role (23 episodes) |
| 2020–21 | Saved by the Bell | Zack Morris | Recurring role, also producer (10 episodes) |
| 2022 | Barry | Himself | Episode: "ben mendelsohn" |
| 2023 | Will Trent | Paul Campano | 4 episodes |
| 2023–present | Found | Hugh "Sir" Evans | Main cast |
| Year | Title | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Franklin & Bash | Episode: "Honor Thy Mother" |
| 2016 | Murder in the First | Episode: "Daddy Dearest" |
| 2021 | Saved by the Bell | Episode: "The Gift" |
| 2025 | Found | Episode: "Missing While Manipulated" |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | The Coldest Case | Ari | 5 episodes[44][45] |
