Mark-Paul Gosselaar’s mother helped launch his acting career

Mark-Paul Gosselaar may look like he’s carved from marble, but he’s human just like the rest of us.

The actor has long attracted attention with his charming good looks. He began modeling at the age of four, appearing in commercials for Oreo cookies and booking roles on television shows by the age of ten. His success continued into his teenage years, and the actor landed the role of Zack Morris in the series. Saved by Bell.

Since then, Gosselaar has appeared on multiple television shows. franklin & bash, new york city police blueand Law and Order: SVU. His latest role is on the NBC series “Sir.” foundairing Tuesdays at 10/9c. NBC.

And while Gosselaar’s talent and charm have contributed to his shining star, he also credits his mother, Paula van den Brink. In addition to sharing her good genes, Van den Brink was also his manager until the age of 19.

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All about Mark-Paul Gosselaar’s mother, Paula van den Brink

Mr. Gosselaar’s parents, Hans Gosselaar and Paula van den Brink, met when Mr. van den Brink was a flight attendant at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Mr. Hans was a factory supervisor at Anheuser-Busch. It is said that people. The two married and had four children, the youngest of whom was Mark Paul.

The Gosselaars initially lived in the Netherlands, but moved to California in March 1974, just before Mark-Paul was born. They lived in Sun Valley, north of Los Angeles, where Mr. Gosselaar caught the attention of his mother’s friend, a printmaker model. He said there was a possibility and he connected me with an agent. hollywood reporter In 2019.

Gosselaar said acting wasn’t his dream job, he really wanted to be a Marine, but he continued to pursue roles because it was all he knew.

“You can’t just go to a waiting list and get a job,” he said. Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum. “I can’t even walk into a shopping mall without being recognized, but I’m fighting for a job. What should I do?”

Gosselaar began to take his career more seriously and had to reevaluate his working relationship with van den Brink, his manager early in his career. Worried that he was missing out on his opportunities, he decided to fire his mother at the age of 19.

“You’re driving your kids to sets, you’re taking them to auditions, and I don’t know if that’s classified or not. [someone] As a manager…I don’t think parents should be paid just for being parents. “I don’t think you need 10 percent to sit on set and basically chaperone your son or daughter,” he said. Hollywood Reporter.

This decision caused a rift between van den Brink and Gosselaar, but they have since reconciled.

Mark-Paul Gosselaar’s childhood

Although Gosselaar was a child actor, he reportedly felt isolated from the industry because he lived in the San Fernando Valley, a middle-class neighborhood northeast of Los Angeles.

Although Gosselaar’s parents were not familiar with the film production industry, he said they were generally supportive and wanted the best for him. “I had nothing but love from my parents. I heard the words ‘I love you’ every day,” he told Rosenbaum.

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The only aspect of his childhood that he describes as “really weird” was the fact that, as far as he knew, his parents separated but never officially divorced.

“Sometimes my dad was there, sometimes he wasn’t. So I never knew what you were going to get. And the fact that my dad had an apartment somewhere. I know, I stayed there several times,” he recalled.

Her father, Hans, has started a relationship with another woman, whom Gosselaar considers “part of the family.” The actor stated that she was caring for her father until he passed away from an undisclosed illness in 2020.

Mark-Paul Gosselaar talks about being biracial

Mark Paul knew he was biracial, but he didn’t necessarily have the same experiences as other mixed-race kids.

“No one questioned it because of the way I looked,” he explained. tamron hall “My father was my father and my mother was my mother. I never questioned why my mother was different from me. It was never a question.”

As she got older, Gosselaar said she had more time to think about her identity and how she was treated because of her appearance.

“At one point, I was definitely the most popular white kid in America, and I’m like, ‘Wait, is he mixed race?’ It’s one of those things that I haven’t had to deal with. It’s something I’ve talked about and I’ve really talked about it with my kids because they’re – as well – mixed.” he said in a written statement. 2019 newsweek interview.

Many people learned of Gosselaar’s background when he said he dyed his hair blonde while appearing in a movie. Saved by Bell In 1989.

“My mother is from Indonesia. My mother is this tiny little Indonesian woman! People don’t know this, but Zack Morris is half-Asian. So what’s with that hair, that blonde hair? It had been dyed for years,” he said. Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show In 2015.

Mark-Paul Gosselaar’s brother

When Mark-Paul Gosselaar isn’t acting, he enjoys racing, whether it’s on two or four wheels. This is a hobby he shares with his older brother Mike “Goose” Gosselaar, a well-known motocross mechanic.

“I come from a motocross family,” Gosselaar said. kansas city star “My brother Mike Gosselaar is one of the most prolific AMA (American Motorcyclist Association) mechanics of all time. He was Michael’s mechanic.

Gosselaar also has two older sisters, Lydia and Sylvia.