Mark-Paul Gosselaar (51) was one of the great teen icons of the 90s along with other actors like James Van Der Beek, who recently passed away. In the midst of a nostalgic era where major platforms have brought back 90s series (like Beverly Hills, 90210 on Prime Video), Generation X is reliving its great moments of joy and entertainment.
Gosselaar, the youngest of four siblings and the only one not born in the Netherlands, gained international fame by starring in Saved by the Bell (1989-1993).
The actor was 15 years old when he started the first season of Saved by the Bell, which also propelled Mario Lopez (52), Elizabeth Berkley (53), Tiffani-Amber Thiessen (52), Lark Voorhies (51), and Dustin Diamond, who passed away in 2021 due to cancer at the age of 44, to stardom.
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As an anecdote, it is worth mentioning that for his role as Zack Morris, they bleached his hair since he is actually brunette. During the filming of the high school comedy, he dated at different times Elizabeth Berkley, Tiffani Thiessen, and Lark Voorhies, the three female leads of the series.
In his personal life, he has been married twice: he was with former model Lisa Ann Russell from 1996 until Gosselaar filed for divorce in 2010, and they have two children, Michael (22) and Ava (19).
After Ava's birth, Mark-Paul told The Washington Post: "Having children has made me mature in ways that I think are positive for my career, and yes, my family influences the type of work I accept. Mainly with regards to travel. If a series were to be filmed in a state other than California, I would have to make a very informed decision about it."
Since the summer of 2012, the actor has been married to Catriona McGinn, an advertising executive with whom he has two more children, Dekker (12) and Lachlyn (10). During his guest appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show in 2025, Gosselaar confessed that his main priority is to be a good father and husband. "My day revolves around making sure my wife is okay. Ensuring that the kids are okay, and then I go to work for a while and come back."
At times, the actor has reiterated that his children are quite indifferent to his work, as digital natives, if it's not something they can watch in five minutes, they don't.
Gradually, Gosselaar's name has faded away to be relegated to the memory of those teenagers who watched that high school comedy. Nevertheless, the actor has never stopped working and lately, he can be seen in the police series Will Trent.