Mark-Paul Gosselaar Net Worth

What Is Mark-Paul Gosselaar's Net Worth and Salary?

Mark-Paul Gosselaar is an American actor who has a net worth of $6 million. Mark-Paul Gosselaar is best known for playing Zack Morris on the hit teen sitcom "Saved by the Bell." He began his acting career as a child model and appeared in commercials before landing his breakout role in 1989. Gosselaar's portrayal of Zack—charming, mischievous, and always scheming—made him a pop culture icon of the early 1990s and helped cement the show's status as a cornerstone of teen television. He reprised the role in multiple spinoffs, including "Saved by the Bell: The College Years" and the 2020 reboot on Peacock, in which he played an older Zack who had become the governor of California.

Beyond his time at Bayside High, Gosselaar has had a long and varied career in television. In the 2000s, he starred in the legal drama "NYPD Blue" as Detective John Clark Jr., earning critical acclaim. He followed that with lead roles in "Commander in Chief," "Raising the Bar," and "Franklin & Bash," a comedic legal series co-starring Breckin Meyer. He also appeared in shows like "Mixed-ish," "Pitch," and "The Passage," demonstrating his versatility across genres, including drama, comedy, and sci-fi.

Throughout his career, Gosselaar has maintained a steady presence on television, evolving from teen heartthrob to seasoned character actor. He is widely respected in the industry for his professionalism and longevity, having successfully navigated the transition from child star to adult performer with a diverse portfolio of roles.

Early Life

Mark-Paul Harry Gosselaar was born on March 1, 1974, in Panorama City, Los Angeles. His father was born in the Netherlands and has worked as a plant supervisor for Anheuser-Busch. His mother has worked as a hostess for the airline KLM. Gosselaar was raised speaking Dutch, and his mother became his manager as he embarked on a child acting career.

Mark-Paul first started landing modeling jobs at the age of five, and during this period, he also appeared in commercials for brands like Oreo and Smurf merchandise. As his child acting career advanced, Gosselaar began to book guest-starring roles in television series. He attended Hart High School in the Santa Clarita Valley while he was taking acting roles. His parents eventually separated.

Saved by the Bell

Although Mark-Paul Gosselaar began his career with a number of child acting roles, his true breakthrough came in 1989 when he was cast as Zack Morris the charming, mischievous, fourth-wall-breaking student at Bayside High in "Saved by the Bell."

Premiering in 1989, the NBC Saturday morning sitcom became a generational touchstone, turning Gosselaar into a teen heartthrob and catapulting him to nationwide fame. His character, Zack, often acted as the show's narrator, frequently addressing the audience directly and hatching elaborate schemes to manipulate teachers, classmates, or situations — always with a grin and a wisecrack.

"Saved by the Bell" was originally adapted from a short-lived Disney Channel show called "Good Morning, Miss Bliss," which starred Hayley Mills and included Gosselaar in the cast. When NBC retooled the concept into a high school-centered comedy, Zack Morris became the central figure and the show took off, running for four seasons from 1989 to 1993. It was one of the most successful teen-oriented shows of its era, mixing humor with topical episodes that tackled issues like drug use, academic pressure, and teen relationships — all in a sanitized, Saturday-morning-friendly format.

The success of Saved by the Bell led to several spinoffs and movies, including "Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style" and "Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas." Gosselaar reprised his role in "Saved by the Bell: The College Years" (1993–1994), which followed Zack and several of his classmates through their first year of college. Though it was short-lived, it allowed the character to mature slightly while still keeping his signature antics intact.

Gosselaar later made a cameo in "Saved by the Bell: The New Class," though the show focused on a new group of students. Decades later, in 2020, he once again stepped back into Zack's shoes for the Peacock reboot of Saved by the Bell — this time playing an adult Zack Morris who has improbably become the Governor of California. The reboot poked fun at the original show's quirks and gave Gosselaar the opportunity to parody his iconic role with a wink, while also passing the torch to a new cast of students. His portrayal struck a nostalgic chord with longtime fans while showcasing his comedic timing and willingness to revisit the character with self-awareness.

Over time, Saved by the Bell has become a pop culture artifact, referenced and parodied in everything from The Tonight Show to Robot Chicken. Gosselaar's portrayal of Zack Morris became so iconic that it even inspired a popular YouTube parody series titled Zack Morris Is Trash, which re-examined the character's behavior through a modern lens. Despite the playful critique, Gosselaar has remained in good humor about the role, often acknowledging it as the launchpad for his enduring television career.

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Other Work

After his Saved by the Bell run, Gosselaar worked to shed the teen idol label by taking on more dramatic roles. In 1996, he starred in the TV movie "She Cried No," a cautionary tale about sexual assault on college campuses. He followed that with a leading role in the 1998 black comedy "Dead Man on Campus." That same year, he starred in the short-lived WB series "Hyperion Bay."

His most critically respected work came in 2001 when he joined the cast of "NYPD Blue" as Detective John Clark Jr. Gosselaar remained on the show until its conclusion in 2005, earning praise for his performance in one of television's most enduring police dramas. He continued working steadily in television, appearing in "Commander in Chief," "John from Cincinnati," and "Raising the Bar."

In 2009, Gosselaar made his Broadway debut in the play "The Understudy," showcasing his versatility on stage. He returned to series television in 2011 with the legal dramedy "Franklin & Bash," co-starring Breckin Meyer. The series ran for four seasons on TNT and allowed Gosselaar to flex both his comedic and dramatic chops.

More recently, he starred in "Pitch" (2016) as veteran catcher Mike Lawson in a groundbreaking series about the first female pitcher in Major League Baseball. Though the show was canceled after one season, it was praised for its originality and ambition. He then had recurring and lead roles in ABC's "Mixed-ish," the "Black-ish" spinoff, and the short-lived sci-fi drama "The Passage." He also made appearances in "Dinner at Tiffani's," a cooking and lifestyle show hosted by his Saved by the Bell co-star Tiffani Thiessen.

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Relationships

Mark-Paul dated three of his co-stars on "Saved by the Bell": Lark Voorhies, Tiffany Thiessen, and Elizabeth Berkley. In 1996, he married model Lisa Ann Russell. They had two children together over the course of their marriage. Unfortunately, in 2011, they finalized their divorce after 14 years of marriage. After this divorce was filed, Gosselaar became engaged to Catriona McGinn, an advertising executive. They married in 2012, and they have had two children together.

Real Estate

In July 2014, Mark-Paul and his wife, Catriona, purchased a property in Sherman Oaks, California, for $2.3 million. The 5,800-square-foot property features French country design influences and stucco-and-stone construction. There's also a private patio, granite countertops, and a large backyard. In 2017, it was reported that the couple had decided to rent the property out, charging $13,500 per month for prospective tenants. In February 2022, Mark and Catriona sold this home for $5.3 million. In November 2021, Mark and Catriona paid $1 million for townhome in Los Angeles.

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