Having spent his teenage years in the Santa Clarita Valley, Mark-Paul attended Hart High School and eventually attended and graduated from the Learning Post, where he was able to manage his schoolwork alongside his career.
In 2001, he took on the role as Detective John Clark on ABC’s hit drama NYPD Blue and then joined the cast of Commander in Chief, working alongside Geena Davis.
Mark-Paul now plays the starring role as defense attorney Jerry Kellerman on TNT’s Raising the Bar. “Playing the character of Jerry,” states Mark-Paul, “was challenging at first. Most law dramas involve cops and prosecutors, but this character and show gives a voice to the public defenders and their clients. I admit, it was out of my comfort zone, but the show challenges people to question their morals and embrace a different point of view.” Raising the Bar debuted last September and is currently airing on TNT.
Early June, Mark-Paul took viewers back to the past as he made a guest appearance on the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon show and performed the entire interview as his former character, Zack Morris. Donning the look in full Saved by the Bell fashion, Mark-Paul entertained audiences with his typical Zack Morris charm. Reenacting scenes from the show, Mark-Paul, or shall I say, Zack, had viewers smiling and laughing with his “time-out” scenes and even his musical performance of Zack Attack’s Friends Forever. “I came up with the idea to do this and scripted the entire scene. I was hoping it would be a hit, and it was. My intentions were to also promote my show, Raising the Bar, and hopefully draw more attention to the TNT series.”
Aside from acting, Mark-Paul enjoys cycling. “I used to race cars, but now I am into cycling. I ride around Los Angeles with some friends from Performance Cyclery and Mechanix Wear. There’s a certain solitary with cycling, but you still enjoy the teamwork of riding with the group, plus you can be outdoors and stay physically fit.”
Mark-Paul and his wife of 13 years, Lisa, along with their two children, Michael, five, and Ava, three, make their home in Santa Clarita. “I love this Valley,” states Mark-Paul, “you can’t beat what you’re provided with here. I feel protected in a way. I can still go to the local Jamba Juice or coffee house and not be constantly watched by my peers in the industry. Being in the spotlight is part of my career, but it’s not my life. My life is my wife and raising my children.” And while Mark-Paul has to make the commute out of this Valley to work, he states that the positives of living in the SCV outweigh the negatives by far. “There’s so much to do out here for families. It really makes it convenient for young parents. My son is spending his summer golfing while my daughter continues to enjoy dancing.”
From the classrooms of Saved by the Bell to the courtrooms of Raising the Bar, there’s one thing certain, Mark-Paul Gosselaar is a talented actor, who has brought smiles to many homes in the last two decades and continues to shine in front of the cameras.
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