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Mark-Paul Gosselaar
Born	Mark-Paul Harry Gosselaar March 1, 1974 (1974-03-01) (age 35) Panorama City, California, United States
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1986–present
Spouse(s)	Lisa Ann Russell (1996-present) (2 children)

Mark-Paul Harry Gosselaar (born March 1, 1974) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Zack Morris on NBC's Saved by the Bell, detective John Clark on NYPD Blue, and more recently as Jerry Kellerman on TNT's Raising the Bar.

Early life

Gosselaar was born in Panorama City, California. His father Hans is Dutch and his mother Paula is Indonesian.^[1]

Gosselaar has three siblings. His parents and siblings were all born in the Netherlands. He began acting at a young age.^[1] He spent his teenage years in the Santa Clarita Valley in Southern California, where he attended Hart High School. He used to speak Dutch fluently when living at home.

Career

Gosselaar first came to public notice in the role of Zack Morris, the star of the hit series Saved by the Bell, which aired on NBC from 1989 to 1993. He reprised the role in two TV movies and a less-successful spin-off, Saved by the Bell: The College Years. In 1995, Gosselaar did a Cameo as Zack Morris in second spin-off series Saved by the Bell: The New Class in the episode "Goodbye, Bayside - Part 2", along with Mario López as A.C. Slater and Lark Voorhies as Lisa Turtle.

In 1998, Gosselaar starred in his first feature film, Dead Man on Campus. Although the film was not a hit, it brought him back in the spotlight.

In 1998, Gosselaar played the central character in the TV drama Hyperion Bay, which lasted 17 episodes. In 2001, he starred in the movie The Princess and the Marine, with Marisol Nichols. He also starred in the short-lived WB series D.C. From 2001 to 2005, Gosselaar played Detective John Clark on ABC's NYPD Blue. After the series ended, he joined the cast of ABC's Commander in Chief, starring Geena Davis; however, that series lasted only one season.

Gosselaar also appeared on the HBO series John from Cincinnati. He then gained the starring role of defense attorney Jerry Kellerman in the Steven Bochco-produced Raising the Bar, which debuted on September 1, 2008, on TNT it was cancelled in November 2009.

On June 8, 2009, he appeared on the Jimmy Fallon show in character as Zack Morris to promote his show Raising the Bar, indicating that the name Mark-Paul Gosselaar is his stage name and declaring as Zack that he would participate in a Saved by the Bell "Class" reunion that is being spear-headed by Fallon. In November 2009, he made his stage debut in "The Understudy" at The Roundabout Theater. The show has extended its successful New York run until January 17, 2010.

Personal life

Gosselaar has been married to Lisa Ann Russell since August 26, 1996. The couple has a son named Michael Charles (born January 31, 2004) and a daughter, Ava Lorenn (born May 7, 2006). Gosselaar also dated Saved by the Bell co-star Lark Voorhies for three years.^[2] He remains friends with his Saved by the Bell cast mates, and has not written off the possibility of some type of reunion.^[1] He has since agreed to participate in the Reunion being organized by Jimmy Fallon on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon along with four fellow castmembers to date.

Gosselaar is also a sports car enthusiast, race car driver, track cyclist, dirt biker, and pilot. In 2005, he competed in the Far West Championships for track cycling. He won the Category 4/5 Sprint Championship event at the Encino Velodrome.^[3]

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Young Artist Award

• 1989: Nominated, "Best Young Actor in a Cable Family Series" - Good Morning, Miss Bliss
• 1990: Nominated, "Outstanding Young Ensemble Cast" - Saved by the Bell
• 1991: Won, "Best Young Actor Starring in an Off-Primetime Series" - Saved by the Bell
• 1992: Nominated, "Best Young Actor Starring in an Off-Primetime Series" - Saved by the Bell
• 1993: Nominated, "Best Young Actor Starring in an Off-Primetime Series" - Saved by the Bell

References

External links

• Mark-Paul Gosselaar at the Internet Movie Database