Zack Morris
Encyclopedia
Zachary "Zack" Morris is a fictional character from the sitcoms
Good Morning, Miss Bliss
; Saved by the Bell
; and Saved by the Bell: The College Years
. He was portrayed by Mark-Paul Gosselaar
. Though the character appeared in several different television programs, Gosselaar made a concerted effort to keep the character fundamentally the same through its various incarnations.
took place during Zack's eighth grade year at John F. Kennedy Junior High School in Indianapolis, Indiana (Saved by the Bell is set in California). Screech and Lisa are two of Zack's friends in these episodes. Other friends that are regularly featured are Mikey Gonzalez, a close friend who is often tied up in Zack's scheming, and Nikki Coleman, who often butted heads with Zack on many issues. His best friend Mikey was a good student and was often supportive of him, and helped him with schoolwork a lot. Mr. Belding was the principal of JFK Junior High, and often had to deal with problems Zack had caused. Zack's homeroom teacher and history teacher, Miss Carrie Bliss, also helped provide a moral compass for Zack.
In this series, Zack was already doing much of the scheming, betting, and manipulation for which he became known in the later series. Examples include selling the stock the students had bought as a class project and investing the money in potatoes, setting rats loose in the school in order to get a test postponed, using a relationship between his uncle and Miss Bliss to get out of doing homework, betting Nikki that he could kiss a rock star who was coming to the school, and getting Screech to write his history report by promising a date with Lisa, even though all he actually does is write love letters to Lisa from a secret admirer, on Screech's behalf.
Despite this, Zack achieved a very high score of 1502 on his SAT
and got accepted to Yale in his senior year. At the end of Saved by the Bell, Zack is planning on going to Yale. However, in Saved by the Bell: The College Years
, we see Zack attending Cal U, along with Screech, Slater (who had planned on attending Iowa
to join their wrestling program), and later on, Kelly (who joined the cast after the pilot episode). Their dorm was a suite, with the three guys in one room, three girls in another room and a common area in-between. The girls originally assigned to share the suite with them were Alex Tabor (an aspiring actress), Leslie Burke (the daughter of a university donor) and Danielle Marks (the daughter of a federal judge).
Danielle quickly transferred to a different school. This allowed Kelly to move in after she was accepted from California University's waiting list. Screech met with Kelly, and he suggested that she move in to the suite. Assigned to watch over Zack and his friends was Mike Rogers, a former football player for the San Francisco 49ers
. He worked as a resident adviser, while also working towards a graduate degree. Mike often had to keep Zack in line, since Zack was still up to many of his high school tricks. Generally though, Mike and Zack got along well.
Other university faculty and staff that were regularly featured in "Saved by the Bell: The College Years" were Professor Jeremiah Lasky and Dean Susan McMann. Zack generally got along well with Professor Lasky, with the exception of a short period where Professor Lasky was dating Kelly, which upset Zack because he realized he still had feelings for her. Dean McMann, however, was a more authoritative figure whom Zack often caused problems for.
, basketball
, and track
. He has experienced some success in each of these sports. In 9th grade, Zack finished in 3rd place at a cross country meet. He was one of Bayside's better basketball players, and it hurt the team when he sprained his knee in the locker room before a big game. When Zack was possibly not going to compete in a track meet, Mr. Belding and Zack's team members were downtrodden because they thought there was no way they could win without Zack. Despite this success, Zack sometimes felt athletically overshadowed by Slater, who was the star of the school's football and wrestling teams. While working at the Malibu Sands Beach Club, Zack mentions that Slater is, "All-City in four sports."
Zack was also very musically talented. He was the lead singer and lead guitar player for a band called Zack Attack (in a dream). The other members were Kelly (vocals), Lisa (bass guitar), Slater (drums), and Screech (Keyboard). While this band never achieved the success that it did in Zack's dreams, it was good enough to get paid to play at local events. Zack Attack, however, offered to play for free at a school dance so that more money could be spent on decorations. This line-up featured Zack on vocals and guitar, Jessie on vocals, Lisa on bass guitar, Screech on keyboard, and Slater on drums. However, when Slater had to take over the lead vocals during the dance because Zack was outside talking to Kelly, when they broke up Ollie (a minor character on Saved by the Bell) took over on drums. Zack was also the lead singer of a 1950s-style doo-wop
group, The Five Aces (a reference to the real-life group The Four Aces
), that sang during a school sock hop. The other singers were Slater, Screech, Lisa, and Tori Scott (a student who transferred to Bayside during senior year). He was also a member of the glee club for a short time. He could also play the trombone.
Zack was also involved in various other activities throughout high school. He helped re-start the school radio station, and hosted a radiothon to save The Max (a hangout that appears regularly in the show). He spearheaded a carnival to raise money for a school ski trip, and helped sponsor countless dances. He was also a member of the school's JROTC program, and together with Screech, ran the Year Book committee to produce a video-Year Book. At one point, Zack takes over as manager of the school store, and is also on the student council.
tor who often makes bets with Slater on the fate of his schemes. Zack also occasionally placed bets with students of Bayside's rival school, Valley. He has gambled on football, chess, the future, whether he could skip school, and even on the day that Mr. Belding's baby would be born. However, when Zack went to Las Vegas
to marry Kelly, he was not seen gambling (the reason being he was only 19 at the time and in Las Vegas one must be 21 to gamble).
Throughout most of high school, Zack is not seen holding any jobs, unlike some of his classmates. However, during one summer, Zack worked at The Malibu Sands Beach Club with his friends. He also worked voluntarily at a Hawaiian Hotel during two weeks off of BaySide as Staff in order to save Kelly Kapowski's grandfather's hotel that was being struck hard by a rival hotel who wanted to buy the property. During college, Zack is seen working at the cafeteria in the student commons, in order to raise money for a trip he had promised as a prize in a raffle contest that was designed to get students to fill out a survey.
Zack is often erroneously cited as the first television character to carry a cell phone (Joey from Bread
had one). The term "Zack Morris phone" has since become a colloquial term for any large, old-fashioned cell phone.
Throughout the sitcoms, Zack Morris had numerous flames.
on numerous occasions. During many episodes, he would introduce the episode, or speak his opinion on different topics, such as Slater, Kelly, etc. Perhaps the most popular times Zack broke the Fourth Wall was when he would take a "Time Out." Usually when he was notably worried about something (such as Slater getting a car to impress Kelly) Zack would say "Time Out", and make a motion with his hands similar to a basketball player requesting a time out from the referee, and everyone around him would freeze. Then, Zack would offer his opinion, and when he was finished, he would say "Time In", and the episode would continue. In one episode, Zack had to use the "Time Out", to make sure he would not get punched by Slater. Slater instead punched Mr. Belding because Zack moved out of the way, bizarrely implying that this was more than a mere artistic touch and actually some sort of supernatural power. A similar instance was when he "Timed-Out" in order to place a piece of paper between the lips of Kelly and a boy she was kissing.
dressed like his SBTB character and claimed he really was Zack Morris and he only went by Mark-Paul Gosselaar because there was another Zack Morris already registered with the Screen Actors Guild
. "Zack" engaged in several of his trademark bits such as calling "time out".
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Good Morning, Miss Bliss
Good Morning, Miss Bliss
Good Morning, Miss Bliss is an American teen sitcom that aired on the Disney Channel from 1988 to 1989 , starring Hayley Mills as a teacher at John F...
; Saved by the Bell
Saved by the Bell
Saved by the Bell is an American television sitcom that aired between 1989 and 1993. The series is a retooled version of the 1988 series Good Morning, Miss Bliss, which was itself later folded into the history of Saved by the Bell...
; and Saved by the Bell: The College Years
Saved by the Bell: The College Years
Saved by the Bell: The College Years is a sequel to the Saved by the Bell series which ran from September 14, 1993 to February 8, 1994, lasting one season...
. He was portrayed by Mark-Paul Gosselaar
Mark-Paul Gosselaar
Mark-Paul Harry Gosselaar is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Zack Morris in NBC's Saved by the Bell, Good Morning, Miss Bliss, and Saved by the Bell: The College Years, Detective John Clark in NYPD Blue, Jerry Kellerman in TNT's Raising the Bar, and more recently Peter...
. Though the character appeared in several different television programs, Gosselaar made a concerted effort to keep the character fundamentally the same through its various incarnations.
Junior high and Miss Bliss
Set in a different continuity from the later series (though later added to the syndication package), the one season of the sitcom Good Morning, Miss BlissGood Morning, Miss Bliss
Good Morning, Miss Bliss is an American teen sitcom that aired on the Disney Channel from 1988 to 1989 , starring Hayley Mills as a teacher at John F...
took place during Zack's eighth grade year at John F. Kennedy Junior High School in Indianapolis, Indiana (Saved by the Bell is set in California). Screech and Lisa are two of Zack's friends in these episodes. Other friends that are regularly featured are Mikey Gonzalez, a close friend who is often tied up in Zack's scheming, and Nikki Coleman, who often butted heads with Zack on many issues. His best friend Mikey was a good student and was often supportive of him, and helped him with schoolwork a lot. Mr. Belding was the principal of JFK Junior High, and often had to deal with problems Zack had caused. Zack's homeroom teacher and history teacher, Miss Carrie Bliss, also helped provide a moral compass for Zack.
In this series, Zack was already doing much of the scheming, betting, and manipulation for which he became known in the later series. Examples include selling the stock the students had bought as a class project and investing the money in potatoes, setting rats loose in the school in order to get a test postponed, using a relationship between his uncle and Miss Bliss to get out of doing homework, betting Nikki that he could kiss a rock star who was coming to the school, and getting Screech to write his history report by promising a date with Lisa, even though all he actually does is write love letters to Lisa from a secret admirer, on Screech's behalf.
Academics
Zack demonstrated a flair for business throughout his teen years (Saved by the Bell). However, in many subjects (notably history and literature), he is often seen receiving poor grades or displaying lack of interest. And it has to be mentioned that he outclassed Jessie in "The Election" for student president another area he demonstrated his natural talent for leadership.Despite this, Zack achieved a very high score of 1502 on his SAT
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
and got accepted to Yale in his senior year. At the end of Saved by the Bell, Zack is planning on going to Yale. However, in Saved by the Bell: The College Years
Saved by the Bell: The College Years
Saved by the Bell: The College Years is a sequel to the Saved by the Bell series which ran from September 14, 1993 to February 8, 1994, lasting one season...
, we see Zack attending Cal U, along with Screech, Slater (who had planned on attending Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
to join their wrestling program), and later on, Kelly (who joined the cast after the pilot episode). Their dorm was a suite, with the three guys in one room, three girls in another room and a common area in-between. The girls originally assigned to share the suite with them were Alex Tabor (an aspiring actress), Leslie Burke (the daughter of a university donor) and Danielle Marks (the daughter of a federal judge).
Danielle quickly transferred to a different school. This allowed Kelly to move in after she was accepted from California University's waiting list. Screech met with Kelly, and he suggested that she move in to the suite. Assigned to watch over Zack and his friends was Mike Rogers, a former football player for the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
. He worked as a resident adviser, while also working towards a graduate degree. Mike often had to keep Zack in line, since Zack was still up to many of his high school tricks. Generally though, Mike and Zack got along well.
Other university faculty and staff that were regularly featured in "Saved by the Bell: The College Years" were Professor Jeremiah Lasky and Dean Susan McMann. Zack generally got along well with Professor Lasky, with the exception of a short period where Professor Lasky was dating Kelly, which upset Zack because he realized he still had feelings for her. Dean McMann, however, was a more authoritative figure whom Zack often caused problems for.
Extracurricular activities
Zack was a particularly involved high school student. Athletically, Zack participated in cross countryCross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, and track
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
. He has experienced some success in each of these sports. In 9th grade, Zack finished in 3rd place at a cross country meet. He was one of Bayside's better basketball players, and it hurt the team when he sprained his knee in the locker room before a big game. When Zack was possibly not going to compete in a track meet, Mr. Belding and Zack's team members were downtrodden because they thought there was no way they could win without Zack. Despite this success, Zack sometimes felt athletically overshadowed by Slater, who was the star of the school's football and wrestling teams. While working at the Malibu Sands Beach Club, Zack mentions that Slater is, "All-City in four sports."
Zack was also very musically talented. He was the lead singer and lead guitar player for a band called Zack Attack (in a dream). The other members were Kelly (vocals), Lisa (bass guitar), Slater (drums), and Screech (Keyboard). While this band never achieved the success that it did in Zack's dreams, it was good enough to get paid to play at local events. Zack Attack, however, offered to play for free at a school dance so that more money could be spent on decorations. This line-up featured Zack on vocals and guitar, Jessie on vocals, Lisa on bass guitar, Screech on keyboard, and Slater on drums. However, when Slater had to take over the lead vocals during the dance because Zack was outside talking to Kelly, when they broke up Ollie (a minor character on Saved by the Bell) took over on drums. Zack was also the lead singer of a 1950s-style doo-wop
Doo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
group, The Five Aces (a reference to the real-life group The Four Aces
The Four Aces
The Four Aces is an American male traditional pop music quartet, popular since the 1950s. Over the last half-century, the group amassed many gold records. Its million-selling signature tunes include "Love is a Many-Splendored Thing", "Three Coins in the Fountain", "Stranger in Paradise", "Tell Me...
), that sang during a school sock hop. The other singers were Slater, Screech, Lisa, and Tori Scott (a student who transferred to Bayside during senior year). He was also a member of the glee club for a short time. He could also play the trombone.
Zack was also involved in various other activities throughout high school. He helped re-start the school radio station, and hosted a radiothon to save The Max (a hangout that appears regularly in the show). He spearheaded a carnival to raise money for a school ski trip, and helped sponsor countless dances. He was also a member of the school's JROTC program, and together with Screech, ran the Year Book committee to produce a video-Year Book. At one point, Zack takes over as manager of the school store, and is also on the student council.
Other
Throughout the series, Zack is shown as an avid proposition betProposition bet
In gambling, the term "proposition bet" has two definitions.-Primary definition:...
tor who often makes bets with Slater on the fate of his schemes. Zack also occasionally placed bets with students of Bayside's rival school, Valley. He has gambled on football, chess, the future, whether he could skip school, and even on the day that Mr. Belding's baby would be born. However, when Zack went to Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
to marry Kelly, he was not seen gambling (the reason being he was only 19 at the time and in Las Vegas one must be 21 to gamble).
Throughout most of high school, Zack is not seen holding any jobs, unlike some of his classmates. However, during one summer, Zack worked at The Malibu Sands Beach Club with his friends. He also worked voluntarily at a Hawaiian Hotel during two weeks off of BaySide as Staff in order to save Kelly Kapowski's grandfather's hotel that was being struck hard by a rival hotel who wanted to buy the property. During college, Zack is seen working at the cafeteria in the student commons, in order to raise money for a trip he had promised as a prize in a raffle contest that was designed to get students to fill out a survey.
Zack is often erroneously cited as the first television character to carry a cell phone (Joey from Bread
Bread (TV series)
Bread was a British television sitcom, written by Carla Lane, produced by the BBC and screened on BBC1 from 1 May 1986 to 3 November 1991....
had one). The term "Zack Morris phone" has since become a colloquial term for any large, old-fashioned cell phone.
Throughout the sitcoms, Zack Morris had numerous flames.
Breaking the fourth wall
In Saved by the Bell, Zack broke the fourth wallFourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
on numerous occasions. During many episodes, he would introduce the episode, or speak his opinion on different topics, such as Slater, Kelly, etc. Perhaps the most popular times Zack broke the Fourth Wall was when he would take a "Time Out." Usually when he was notably worried about something (such as Slater getting a car to impress Kelly) Zack would say "Time Out", and make a motion with his hands similar to a basketball player requesting a time out from the referee, and everyone around him would freeze. Then, Zack would offer his opinion, and when he was finished, he would say "Time In", and the episode would continue. In one episode, Zack had to use the "Time Out", to make sure he would not get punched by Slater. Slater instead punched Mr. Belding because Zack moved out of the way, bizarrely implying that this was more than a mere artistic touch and actually some sort of supernatural power. A similar instance was when he "Timed-Out" in order to place a piece of paper between the lips of Kelly and a boy she was kissing.
Other appearances
On June 8, 2009, Gosselaar appeared on Late Night With Jimmy FallonLate Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon on NBC. The show premiered on March 2, 2009, as the third incarnation of the Late Night franchise originated by David Letterman....
dressed like his SBTB character and claimed he really was Zack Morris and he only went by Mark-Paul Gosselaar because there was another Zack Morris already registered with the Screen Actors Guild
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...
. "Zack" engaged in several of his trademark bits such as calling "time out".