Saved by the Bell

Mark-Paul Gosselaar got his breakthrough role as Zack Morris on the series Saved by the Bell, which spawned from the series Good Morning, Miss Bliss.  He portrayed a charming schemer who was popularly known for his penchant for betting and manipulation.  As a student of Bayside High School, he was actively involved in extracurricular activities such as sports clubs, music gigs, class field trips and dances.  His circle of friends mainly consisted of Kelly Kapowski, Samuel "Screech" Powers, A.C. Slater (Mario Lopez), Jessie Spano, and Lisa Turtle.  Apart from his antics, he was also known for his numerous flames throughout the series, including Kelly Kapowski, Stacy Corosi and Tori Scott.  Despite his slacker reputation, he was able to gain admission to Yale but decided to attend California University instead, along with the rest of his friends.  In the coming months, the 33-year-old actor will be featured on a television drama pilot.

Set to air on CBS is the new series called Law Dogs, which is a drama about a team of public defenders.  Mark-Paul Gosselaar plays Evan Marlowe, joining lead stars Janeane Garofalo and Rachael Carpani.

After Saved by the Bell, Gosselaar continued to play his iconic teen role on several spin-offs and TV movies like Saved by the Bell: The College Years, Saved by the Bell: The New Class and Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style.  His character, along with the original cast of Saved by the Bell, finally gained closure with the TV movie Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas, which centered on Zack and Kelly's impending nuptials.  On August 7, a DVD of the series finale will be released together with Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style.

Gosselaar's exposure on Saved by the Bell positively earned him various types of roles on television and film.  He landed the lead part of Dennis Sweeny on the series Hypersion Bay and notably established himself as a detective on NYPD Blue as John Clark, Jr. from season nine until the end of the series.  Subsequently, he played Richard “Dickie” McDonald on the short-lived series Commander in Chief, starring Geena Davis.  Most recently, he was featured on HBO's John from Cincinnati as Jake Ferris.


-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
(Image courtesy of Yahoo)