It’s time to take a look back at one of our favorite ‘90s stars, one of the true dreamboats of the early ‘90s, none other than… Mark-Paul Gosselaar! He has been consistently busy throughout his career, from childhood through to his teen years and on into adulthood, even though it may not totally feel that way at times! Today, we’re going to take a look back and celebrate some of his most memorable ‘80s and ‘90s roles.
Mark-Paul Gosselaar was born in Panorama City, which is a little bit north of Los Angeles, and technically is considered a neighborhood of the sprawling city. He got a start early on in life, booking modeling gigs from the ripe old age of five years old. From there, he started booking commercials, which eventually led to small guest parts on a number of television shows.
Of course, it was in 1988 when he would land the role that would propel him to stardom – Zack Morris. He first played the role of Zack on the show Good Morning, Miss Bliss, which eventually morphed into the much more popular Saved by the Bell. He continued to star in a SBTB spinoff and TV movie through 1994. From there, his career took a bit of a stall, where he only seemed to get roles in Lifetime-style movies where he began to explore his more villainous side.
Things started to pick back up for him around 1998 when he landed a starring role in the movie Dead Man on Campus and a new television series for The WB, Hyperion Bay. His career would really get a boost, though, when he got a role in NYPD Blue in 2001, which started a long career in various television series, including a Saved by the Bell reboot that was hilarious, even though it only got two seasons. Still, if you want more Mark-Paul, you’re in luck, because he’s still starring in TV shows on the small screen, and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.
Before we look back at some of his most memorable roles from the ‘80s and ‘90s, take a look at some commercials he was in:
Good Morning, Miss Bliss (1988 - 1989)
Retroactively known as Saved by the Bell: The Junior High Years, Mark-Paul’s first series as Zack Morris lasted for one season in the late ‘80s, and was much more geared toward children than teens. It focused a lot more on the teacher, Miss Bliss (played by Hayley Mills), and was set in Indianapolis, not California. Mark-Paul was one of four cast members to make the jump to SBTB, with the other three being Dustin Diamond (Screech), Lark Voorhies (Lisa Turtle), and Dennis Haskins (Mr. Belding).
Saved by the Bell (1989 - 1992)
With a much-needed revamp, Saved by the Bell debuted in 1989 with the focus now being more on the teens rather than on the teachers, with Mark-Paul’s Zack Morris at the center of it all with his classic “time out” moments talking to the camera. With the new characters of Kelly Kapowski, Jessie Spano, and AC Slater to round out the cast, a phenomenon was born, shooting the entire teen cast into stardom.
Saved by the Bell: The College Years (1993 - 1994)
Not wanting to lose the success of the show, they decided to spin it off into The College Years, where Zack, AC, and Screech all head off to college together. At first, it was just the three guys from the original series with a new group of girls, but by the second episode, one of the new girls was replaced when Kelly came back into the mix. Honestly, it was much better with Kelly around, so we’re not mad at that at all. Though it only lasted one season, it actually was pretty fun, so it’s a shame it didn’t go on longer.
Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas (1994)
When The College Years ended on a cliffhanger, the network was nice enough to give everyone a proper ending, and thus was born the TV movie Wedding in Las Vegas, which is all about the wedding of Zack and Kelly. While there are, of course, many hijinks and some doubts, in the end the couple does walk down the aisle, and as we find out in the reboot, they manage to stay together throughout the years.
She Cried No (1996)
Also known as Freshman Fall, She Cried No was a television movie that also starred Candace Cameron of Full House fame. Here, Mark-Paul ventures into villainous territory by playing a guy who date-rapes Cameron’s character. What follows is a bit of courtroom and college drama. Is it the best movie? No. Is it the most memorable of the ones that he starred in during this era? Yes.
Dead Man on Campus (1998)
Would Dead Man on Campus ever be made today? Probably not, as basically a pair of roommates who are on the verge of failing out of school try to find a third roommate that might commit suicide so they get all A’s for that year despite their previous failings. It is most definitely a black comedy and didn’t get the best ratings, but it did let Mark-Paul showcase his more comedic chops.
Hyperion Bay (1998 - 1999)
Our last entry here is Hyperion Bay, an oft-forgotten TV drama that lasted for 17 episodes on The WB. Mark-Paul starred as a tech guy who comes back to his hometown to open a local division of the company he works for. It was supposed to be a more down to earth show about brothers trying to work together, but partway into the season, the network insisted on some re-tooling and the addition of Carmen Electra to try to jazz things up. It didn’t work, though, and the series was canceled.
What were your favorite ‘80s/‘90s roles of Mark-Paul Gosselaar’s? Any we missed that you adored? Let us know in the comments!
- Despite playing the preternaturally blonde Zack Morris, Mark-Paul is a natural brunette, and is actually half-Indonesian from his mother’s side.
- Mark-Paul’s paternal grandparents were Jewish, and were killed during the Holocaust in the Sobibor extermination camp in Poland.
- Mark-Paul is the youngest of four siblings, and the only one of the four to not be born in the Netherlands. Nonetheless, he can speak some Dutch.
- He loves race cars, cycling, and dirt biking, and is a pilot, and in 2005 competed in the Far West Championships for track cycling.
- He has said at points during the run of Saved by the Bell, he dated all three of his female co-stars Tiffani Thiessen, Elizabeth Berkley, and Lark Voorhies.
- Despite playing the preternaturally blonde Zack Morris, Mark-Paul is a natural brunette, and is actually half-Indonesian from his mother’s side.
- Mark-Paul’s paternal grandparents were Jewish, and were killed during the Holocaust in the Sobibor extermination camp in Poland.
- Mark-Paul is the youngest of four siblings, and the only one of the four to not be born in the Netherlands. Nonetheless, he can speak some Dutch.
- He loves race cars, cycling, and dirt biking, and is a pilot, and in 2005 competed in the Far West Championships for track cycling.
- He has said at points during the run of Saved by the Bell, he dated all three of his female co-stars Tiffani Thiessen, Elizabeth Berkley, and Lark Voorhies.
