Mark-Paul Harry Gosselaar (born March 1, 1974) is an American actor. Gosselaar is perhaps best known for his roles as Zack Morris on NBC's Saved by the Bell and detective John Clark on NYPD Blue.
Gosselaar was born in Panorama City, California. His father, Hans, is Dutch and his mother, Paula, is Dutch and Indonesian.
Gosselaar has two siblings. His parents and his siblings were all born in the Netherlands. Gosselaar was recognized at a very young age. At age 5, he was a model. He spent his teenage years in the Santa Clarita Valley in Southern California, where he attended Hart High School. Gosselaar is a fluent speaker of Dutch.
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. Gosselaar reprised the role in a markedly less successful spinoff, Saved by the Bell: The College Years.
In 1998, he starred in his first feature film Dead Man on Campus. Although the film was not a huge hit, it brought Gosselaar 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, he played Detective John Clark on ABC's NYPD Blue. After that 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 is also set to appear in the new TNT series Raising the Bar.
Gosselaar has been married to Lisa Ann Russell since August 26, 1996. Gosselaar and Russell now have a son named Michael Charles, born January 31, 2004, and a daughter, Ava Lorenn, born May 7, 2006. He and former co-star Mario Lopez maintain a close friendship.
Gosselaar is 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.
