Mark-Paul Gosselaar

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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
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.

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[edit] 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.[2] He spent his teenage years in the Santa Clarita Valley in Southern California, where he attended Hart High School. He spoke fluent Dutch when he was younger.[2]

[edit] Career

Gosselaar first came to public notice in the role of Zack Morris, the star of Saved by the Bell, which aired on NBC from 1988 to 1993. He reprised the role in a less-successful spinoff, Saved by the Bell: The College Years.

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 seventeen 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.

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 Jimmy Fallon.

[edit] Personal life

Gosselaar was 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.[3] He remains friends with his Saved by the Bell cast mates, and has not written off the possibility of some type of reunion.[2] 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 was a sports car enthusiast, race car driver, track cyclist 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.[4]

[edit] Filmography

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Mixed Actors and Actresses from the Asian Continent Page 2". http://www.mixedfolks.com/aactors2.htm. Retrieved on 2007-06-27. 
  2. ^ a b c Catching Up With..., The Washington Post, 2008-10-15, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2008/10/13/DI2008101301751.html, retrieved on 2009-03-26 
  3. ^ Amy & Nancy Harrington. " 'Saved By The Bell' Cast: Then & Now", Yahoo! TV Blog, June 5, 2009.
  4. ^ "Encino Velodrome: 2005 Far West Championships". 2005-09-04. http://www.encinovelodrome.org/rfwtc05.htm. Retrieved on 2008-10-13. 

[edit] External links

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