tiffani amber thiessen 1993

'Saved By the Bell': Then and Now

By Emily Krauser

4:23 PM PDT, May 8, 2020

Zack and Kelly forever! "Hey, hey, hey, what is going on here?" "I'm so excited... I'm so excited... I'm so scared!" There is something about Saved By the Bell that still warms our hearts, even 30 years later! There's nary a '90s kid who wasn't a huge fan of the NBC sitcom, which ran for four seasons from 1989 to 1993, and still holds a major place in the pop culture lexicon. Here's what the kids of Bayside High looked like back then and what the actors are up to today -- before the reboot kicks off !

Mark-Paul Gosselaar: Then

As Zack Morris, the Los Angeles native was the heart of Saved by the Bell -- even during that first season, which was inexplicably set in Indiana. Before stealing our hearts as the preppy blonde mischief-maker, Gosselaar appeared in episodes of The Wonder Years , Punky Brewster (which is also getting a reboot!) and The Twilight Zone . He also continued to portray Zack after graduating from Bayside, when much of the cast joined the short-lived spin-off, Saved by the Bell: The College Years . We also could never forget Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas . Zack and Kelly forever!

Mark-Paul Gosselaar: Now

Now 46, Gosselaar has been one of the most successful SBTB alumni. After his stint as a Bayside Tiger, the actor joined the casts of Hyperion Bay and D.C. He then spent four years as Detective John Clark, Jr. on NYPD Blue and went on to star as Peter Bash in Franklin & Bash and as Mike Lawson on Pitch . He has most recently been seen on The Passage as well as  mixed-ish , in which he plays Rainbow's dad, Paul. Next, we'll happily see him take on the role of Zack Morris again when Saved by the Bell returns this year (this time wearing a wig, not bleaching his naturally brown hair blonde). Off screen, Gosselaar was married to Lisa Ann Russell from 1996 to 2011, with whom he shares 16-year-old son Michael and 13-year-old daughter Ava. He has been with his current wife, Catriona McGinn, since 2012, with whom he has two children, 6-year-old son Dekker and 5-year-old daughter Lachlyn.

Tiffani Thiessen: Then

Then known as Tiffani Amber Thiessen, her first major role came as beloved cheerleader and girl-next-door Kelly Kapowski on SBTB , also starring in T he College Years and the Vegas TV movie. During her time on the Saturday morning NBC hit, she also turned up on other beloved '90s sitcoms like Blossom , Married With Children, Step by Step and Charles in Charge . During her teen idol heyday, Thiessen dated fellow heartthrob Brian August Green in 1992, and they moved in together in 1994 before breaking up the following year.

Tiffani Thiessen: Now

Thiessen, 46, went a little darker when she moved on from Kelly to the role of Valerie Malone on Beverly Hills, 90210 , and starred in a number of TV movies as well, including 1993's Son in Law and 1996's Buried Secrets.  After the '90s, she appeared in a few episodes of Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place and Just Shoot Me! before landing starring roles in the short-lived series  Fastlane,  Good Morning, Miami and What About Brian. The former teen idol went on to play Elizabeth Burke on White Collar for five years and then hosted her own show on the Cooking Channel. She can currently be seen on Netflix's Alexa & Katie , and the foodie will bring us Kelly again in the SBTB reboot. Thiessen was previously engaged to Richard Ruccolo from 2001 to 2003, but went on to marry actor Brady Smith in 2005. They have two children, 9-year-old daughter Harper and 4-year-old son Holt.

Mario Lopez: Then

The San Diego native was discovered at a dance recital when he was just 10 and landed his first TV roles in 1987 as Tomas on a.k.a. Pablo and as a drummer and dancer on Kids Incorporated , with the latter part lasting for three seasons. Before landing the part as Bayside's resident jock Albert Clifford "A.C." Slater, Lopez had guest parts on The Golden Girls and in the 1998 film Colors . 

Mario Lopez: Now

After stealing Jessie's heart on SBTB , Lopez, now 46, moved on to Pacific Blue , playing the part of Bobby Cruz until 2000. He continued acting, landing an arc on The Bold and the Beautiful in 2006 and starring as Dr. Mike Hamoui on Nip/Tuck , and he even graced the Dancing With the Stars stage, coming in second with partner Karina Smirnoff. Most people these days know him best as an entertainment reporter; he currently co-hosts Access Daily , and he has previously had hosting stints with Entertainment Tonight ,  America's Best Dance Crew , MTV's Top Pop Group , Masters of the Maze , The X Factor,   Pet Star and Extra , as well as hosting the Miss America Pageant for three years between 2007 and 2010. You can even hear him on the radio, and he returned to the sitcom world in February 2020 with Netflix's  The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia , which he co-created. As for his personal life, Lopez, 46, wed Ali Landry in 2004 after six years of dating but they annulled the marriage just two weeks later, and he dated Smirnoff for two years starting in 2006. In wed Broadway actress Courtney Mazza in December 2012, and they share three children, 9-year-old Gia and sons Dominic, 6, and Santino, 9 months.

Elizabeth Berkley: Then

She's so excited! The Michigan-born actress had a couple of small TV parts before landing her breakout role as smarty-pants Jessie Spano on Saved by the Bell . In true early '90s style, Berkley also appeared in episodes of Valerie , Step by Step , Baywatch and Life Goes On .

Elizabeth Berkley: Now

The blonde beauty caused a whole lot of controversy when, just a couple of years after SBTB wrapped, she starred in 1995's Showgirls . She followed that up with more silver screen roles in  The First Wives' Club , Random Encounter , Last Call and Any Given Sunday . Berkley has also been seen in TV guest roles, including on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation , Without a Trace , The L Word and CSI: Miami . She was last seen in a 2016 episode of New Girl , and her next move is reviving her role as Jessie Spano in the SBTB reboot. In addition to acting, the 47-year-old animal rights activist created an online self-help program called Ask-Elizabeth in 2006, which she translated into a book in 2011. She wed artist Greg Lauren in 2003 and the pair welcomed a son, Sky Cole, in 2012.

Lark Voorhies: Then

Like Gosselaar, Voorhies was one of the originals cast in 1988's Good Morning, Miss Bliss , which only lasted one season before rebranding as Saved by the Bell and taking the gang from Indiana to California. She played the fashionable, sometimes ditzy but loveable Lisa Turtle who had a closet worthy of much envy. During her time on both Good Morning and SBTB , she also guest-starred on Small Wonder , The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Martin before scoring a stint on Days of Our Lives in 1993 .  She also appeared in the Boyz II Men music video for their hit "On Bended Knee," as well as a few other vids for various music artists.

Lark Voorhies: Now

Though she played Lisa in the SBTB spin-offs, the 46-year-old actress has pretty much left Bayside behind. She spent a season on The   Bold and the Beautiful and starred in both seasons of In the House , but after the '90s, she took on bit parts here and there. Her last major credit is the 2012 faith-based film Closer to God: Jessica's Journey , as she focused on writing books, self-publishing three over the last decade:  Reciprocity ,  Trek of the Cheshire  and  A True Light . The California girl will not be in the SBTB reboot, sharing on The Dr. Oz Show in 2020 that she was "hurt" by not being included in it, nor has she been invited to recent cast get-togethers, though in 2015, her publicist said that Voorhies was too busy at the time to be in the The Tonight Show reunion  that included Gosselaar, Lopez, Thiessen, Berkley and even Dennis Hopkins, who played Mr. Belding on the show. In 2015, she filed for divorce from ex-husband Jimmy Green after six months of marriage.

Dustin Diamond: Then

The youngest of the bunch, the California native was just 11 when he was cast as nerdy Samuel "Screech" Powers on Good Morning, Miss Bliss , staying in the role for the entire Saved by the Bell runs and its spin-offs. Save for Haskins, Diamond was the only SBTB cast member on Saved by the Bell: The New Class , which ran from 1994 to 2000.

Dustin Diamond: Now

Though we were blessed to see him play the groom in 98 Degrees' 1999 music video for "I Do (Cherish You), Diamond's life took a bit of a hard turn in the 2000s. The current Wisconsin resident starred in a few indie movies and then seemed to make fun of his child acting roles by playing himself in Paulie Shore Is Dead and Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star , which both came out in 2003. He released an unflattering SBTB tell-all ,  Behind the Bell , in 2009, though he would later claim that the book was ghostwritten and he was simply interviewed for it, claiming the parts about teen sex and drug use were exaggerated or fabricated. He hasn't been asked to join the rest of the Bayside crew in the 2020 reboot, and last year, Gosselaar admitted to Andy Cohen that he hadn't seen Diamond since 1994. Aside from acting, the 43-year-old played bass and wrote for the band Salty the Pocketknife, hosted the 12th annual Gathering of the Juggalos and joined Celebrity Big Brother in 2013. In his personal life, he married Jennifer Misner in 2009, but the two later separated, and he became engaged to Amanda Schutz. Diamond filed for bankruptcy in California in 2001, was arrested in Wisconsin  for possession of a switchblade knife after a bar fight in 2014, for which he served three months in prison in 2015. He was arrested again in 2016 for violating the terms of his probation.  

• Saved by the Bell
• Mark Paul Gosselaar
• Tiffani Thiessen
• Mario Lopez
• Lark Voorhies
• Elizabeth Berkley

What You Never Knew About Tiffani Thiessen

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

To say Tiffani Thiessen was a teen icon in the '90s is an understatement. The host of KCTV5 News put it best when he said "girls wanted to be her, guys wanted to date her." Through her breakout role playing loveable high school cheerleader Kelly Kapowski on " Saved by the Bell ," she quickly became a household name for her sweet and peppy demeanor. As America's TV sweetheart at the time, her image was — and still is — plastered on everything from  posters to t-shirts to  coffee mugs . And now, over 30 years later, as she revisits the character of Kelly in the "SBTB" reboot , audiences are falling in love with her all over again. 

Since her rise to fame at just 15, the brunette beauty has enjoyed a long career in Hollywood, with roles in series like "Beverly Hills, 90210" and "White Collar" and hosting gigs on MTV and The Cooking Channel. The multitasking actress also expanded her workload to include authoring two books and penning a  lifestyle blog . Although she is undoubtedly busy with multiple projects, earning her a net worth of $10 million , she still makes plenty of time for her family. The actress  married actor and artist Brady Smith in 2005, with whom she shares  two children , daughter Harper and son Holt.

Although fans may think they know all there is to learn about Tiffani Thiessen (a sixth-generation Californian, as she told Us Weekly ), here are some interesting facts to know about the multitalented actress.

Her first audition for Saved by the Bell wasn't stellar

Because she plays the role of Kelly Kapowski so flawlessly, one would assume Tiffani Thiessen nailed her audition for the loveable Bayside cheerleader. However, that wasn't the case. In his memoir, " I Was Saved by the Bell ," the sitcom's executive producer,  Peter Engel , dished on what went down during casting. He likened the starlet's composure to that of a "deer in the headlights" at her first audition in 1988 (via Us Weekly ). Even when she was brought back for another try, he noted that "her delivery wasn't stellar ... but she had potential."

Although she competed for the part with then-up-and-coming starlets Elizabeth Berkley (who went on to play Jessie Spano ) and Jennie Garth, Thiessen ultimately won the role. Engel confessed that something else gave her a leg up in the casting room: She had already earned recognition in modeling. "Her visibility as a teen model had increased," Engel wrote. "Even if she wasn't the best actress we could find, she was icon material."

When cast in "SBTB," Thiessen was just 15. And, even though she worked on the series throughout high school, she still managed to become the valedictorian of her class, which is no easy feat! Committed to her craft, she never went to college but says she "would totally go later in life" (via Us Weekly ).

She auditioned to play Rachel on Friends after Saved by the Bell ended

After "Saved by the Bell" wrapped in 1993, Tiffani Thiessen went on to star in " Saved by the Bell: The College Years ," which ran for one season from 1993 to 1994. That same year, the gang also released a TV movie, " Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas ," where Kelly Kapowski marries her high school sweetheart, Zack Morris, played by Mark-Paul Gosselaar.

When "SBTB" and its spinoffs ended, Thiessen was left looking for another gig. And, because of her popularity, she took a chance at another future iconic sitcom then being cast: "Friends." Thiessen tried out for the part of Rachel Green , which she revealed on " You Up With Nikki Glaser ." "Did you know I tested for Friends, for Jennifer Aniston ?" she said during the interview, explaining why she didn't get Aniston's now-iconic role. "I was a little too young to the pairing of the rest of them."

Additionally, Thiessen auditioned for the Bond girl in "The World is Not Enough," opposite Pierce Brosnan, a job she wanted "more than anything," she told the Chicago Tribune , explaining, "One, I thought it was going to change my career in a great direction. And two, I was a massive James Bond fan." The part, however, ultimately went to Denise Richards. Because that rejection hit her "extremely hard," afterward, she purposely "tried not to want anything so badly."

On 90210, she kissed Luke Perry in front of then-boyfriend Brian Austin Green

In 1994, a year after "Saved by the Bell" concluded, Tiffani Thiessen was cast in the already-established teen drama "Beverly Hills, 90210." Cast as a replacement for Shannen Doherty, who abruptly left the series, Thiessen shed the good-girl image she portrayed on "SBTB" to play the manipulative Valerie Malone, who wreaks havoc on the zip code. 

Former "90210" exec producer Charles Rosin told Entertainment Weekly about the choice to bring her onboard, saying, "There was really an edge with Tiffani because she was so sexual." In fact, when Valerie was first introduced on the show, her first episode actually went down in the series' history as one of its most popular (via ABC News ). Her inaugural episode showed her with marijuana in her hand, a far cry from the pom-poms  and teddy bear Kelly used to hold on "SBTB." 

When cast, Thiessen was already dating "90210" cast member Brian Austin Green . However, her first on-screen kiss on the series was with Luke Perry, who played charming bad boy with a big heart, Dylan McKay . On " The Meredith Vieira Show ," Thiessen admitted that lip-lock was somewhat awkward. "Literally having your boyfriend on the show and then literally kissing another man!" she revealed. On " The Beverly Hills Show Podcast ," Rosin said it was "very hard" for Green to watch his then-girlfriend in bed with Perry and that it was pretty evident they wouldn't last as a couple.

The actress dated two of her Saved by the Bell co-stars

On "Saved by the Bell," Tiffani Thiessen's character, Kelly Kapowski, was known for her relationship with Zack, played by Mark-Paul Gosselaar . Zack and Kelly's love story , which started as teens at Bayside and continued when they tied the knot in college, gave us major #relationshipgoals back in the '90s. In fact, the pair has had such staying power that now, over 30 years after they were first introduced, they star as a married couple in the show's reboot , which premiered in 2020. 

And, when it comes to Thiessen's dating roster, life imitated art, as she was romantically linked to Gosselaar. Castmate Ed Alonzo, who played Max, the owner of the gang's hangout, told  Entertainment Tonight  about their on-set flirtation, dishing, "They liked each other a lot. It was very cute. It was hand holding and looking over."

Another of her co-stars, the late Dustin Diamond, detailed in his memoir that Thiessen was actually hooking up with both Gosselaar and Mario Lopez, who played A.C. Slater on the series, and was known to visit both of their dressing rooms (via Ranker ). On " The Kelly Clarkson Show ," Lopez revealed that his relationship with Thiessen wasn't just a hookup, though, saying, "She used to wear my letterman's jacket from my real high school." However, "Saved by the Bell" executive producer Peter Engel told  Us Weekly that they split after she caught him making out with an extra.

As a young girl, she was crowned Miss Junior America

Before her acting career took off, Tiffani Thiessen worked as a model. The young starlet's uncle, a professional photographer , helped her get her start in the industry. Her first gig, at just 8 years old, was in a Peaches and Cream Barbie commercial . The model-turned-actress also competed in beauty pageants and was crowned Miss Junior America in 1987, when she was 13 years old. In 1989, she was honored with the title of Cover Girl Magazine's Model of the Year (via TV Guide ).

Over 30 years later, Thiessen still looks at those experiences fondly. In fact, she even posted a photo of her donning the crown and sash from the Miss Junior America pageant for her now 2.7 million  Facebook  followers. In an interview with the Chicago Tribune , Thiessen expressed her amazement regarding the longevity of her career, saying, "I started doing commercials and modeling when I was [8] or [9]. I was a kid; my daughter's 10 and sometimes it's crazy to look at her and think, 'Wow, that's when I started doing what I still do now.""

She made the first real move on her husband

Tiffani Thiessen enjoyed her time as a single woman in Hollywood, building up quite a  dating history  of actors. She started dating young and confessed to  Howard Stern  that she lost her virginity at 14. When it came time to settle down, Thiessen's former "90210" co-star played Cupid. She met  Brady Smith  in 2004 through Jennie Garth after the actor-artist made an appearance on her series " What I Like About You ."

When the pair reminisces about the start of their courtship, Smith credits his wife with making the first move. Although he arranged their first date, when it came to intimacy, it was Thiessen who initiated. "Obviously I wanted to kiss her but I wasn't gonna be that dude that tries to kiss on the first date," he told Yahoo! . "But then she leaned in and laid one on me. And I don't even remember the drive home."

A year later, in 2005, the lovebirds tied the knot  and welcomed daughter Harper Renn Smith  ( who looks just like her mom ) in 2010 and son Holt Fisher Smith  in 2015. In 2020, when the couple celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary , Thiessen expressed her deep devotion to her other half on Instagram , gushing, "I could not feel more blessed or fortunate to be experiencing life next to you."

Tiffani Thiessen wants to teach her daughter that jean size isn't important

As a young woman growing up in showbiz, Tiffani Thiessen felt pressure to look a certain way. "I was not the girl that was a size 2 and didn't work for it. I was never the waify model type," she said in an interview with  ABC News . She went on speak about the difficulty of returning to work on "White Collar," where she played Elizabeth Burke, the wife of an FBI agent, after giving birth to her daughter and gaining 45 pounds. But, as she's matured in Hollywood, she's realized that body size is no longer her focus: Her family is her main priority.

However, when asked about being considered a sex symbol, a title that first came about because of "Saved by the Bell," she said she doesn't harbor any negative feelings about it. In fact, she sees it as a "compliment" even now, all these years later (via Fox News ).

Although she does work on her physical health by doing circuit training, spin, Pilates, and hiking (via the Orlando Sentinel), she's now focused on feeling good about herself and not the number on the scale. And, as her daughter gets older, she strives to be a positive role model for her. "I want to teach her that eating right and exercising and being healthy is what's important, not what size jeans you wear," she told the publication.

An animal activist, she is a mom to multiple dogs

With her busy schedule raising a family while working in television, Tiffani Thiessen still makes time for her furry friends. A lifelong animal activist since childhood, she credits her father, who worked for the city and designed parks in her native California, for sparking her love for four-legged creatures. "We were always the house known to bring in strays constantly all the time," she told  She Said Media Said . "If I weren't doing what I did for a living I'd live in some crazy ranch style place out in the middle of nowhere and have like 9 billion cats and dogs." 

The Thiessen-Smith household is a testament to their matriarch's passion for fur babies — it includes a staggering  four dogs ! And the actress is so committed to animal care that she partnered with  Sergeant's Pet Care Products  for their pet health initiative (via OK! ).

The actress knows her way around the kitchen

In addition to dogs and acting, Tiffani Thiessen has a passion for cooking. She says it started in her youth as she watched the women in her family cook together. However, her interest was piqued even further when she traveled the world during her "Saved by the Bell" days. "I was touring with Mark-Paul Gosselaar in Europe and was learning about different cultures and cooking techniques," she told People. This inspired her to start experimenting in the kitchen, which led her to take her culinary passion on screen with the series " Dinner at Tiffani's ," which launched in 2015 on The Cooking Channel (per IMDb ). The series features Thiessen cooking for her famous friends and former co-stars, including Elizabeth Berkley, Jason Priestley, and Seth Green.

In 2020, she added another food-based series to her resume when she was cast as host of MTV's " Deliciousness ," a spinoff of "Ridiculousness," a series based on critiquing viral video clips. "It's probably the most fun and the easiest job that I get to go to, and that I've ever had in my career — truly!" she explained to People. Thiessen, who's at the helm of the series, which commemorates humorous food moments on the internet, is joined by a panel of celebrity judges — Angela Kinsey,   Kel Mitchell, and   Tim Chantarangsu — who also provide their commentary.

When she's not cooking on TV, Thiessen also runs her own blog , which focuses on "all things food, home and lifestyle."

Tiffani Thiessen is the author of two books

Besides her acting credits, Tiffani Thiessen can add "author" to her resume. The actress-turned-writer has penned two books so far. The first, " Pull Up a Chair ," was released in 2018 and is replete with, as she explains on her website, recipes "pleasing the pickiest of eaters, feeding a crowd or pulling off a party in your PJs." The cookbook is chock full of delicious-sounding dishes, like her husband's favorite: short rib enchiladas.

The project, which took her almost three years, was inspired by her life growing up in a family where all the women cooked together (via KHOU11 ). Thiessen also wanted to gather the recipes for her children one day. "I kind of wanted to leave behind a little love and legacy of mommy's recipes for my kids," she told KCTV5 .

In 2019, she released her first children's book — a collaborative effort with her husband , Brady Smith, who worked on its illustrations. The book, entitled " You're Missing It! ," speaks to the times parents miss certain moments with their children because they are looking at their phones. The dynamic duo revealed the "lightbulb" moment the idea for the book came about, which involved Smith in their backyard with their son. He said, "I was pushing him on the swing and looking at my phone, and my beautiful wife opened up the kitchen window and screamed at me across the yard, 'You're missing it!'"

Her boyfriend died while they were dating

One of Tiffani Thiessen's romantic partners was actor David Strickland , who tragically died at 29 years old. The actor is remembered for his work playing a movie critic on the NBC series " Suddenly Susan ," alongside  Brooke Shields , and a supporting role in the 1999 film " Forces of Nature " as  Sandra Bullock 's ex-boyfriend. The actor had a history of struggling with depression, drug addiction, and alcoholism and had been arrested for cocaine possession, receiving three years of probation (via Throwbacks ).

In March 1999, a day prior to his court hearing, when he didn't show up to court, Shields hired a private investigator (per the New York Post ) who found Strickland in a Las Vegas motel room after an apparent suicide (via the  Las Vegas Sun ). At the time of his death, Thiessen had been dating the actor for six months after meeting him in a boxing studio (via Am ). Sadly, at the time of his death, the actor not only had an adorable girlfriend, but he also had a successful career, as his movie "Forces of Nature" was No. 1 at the box office (via the Las Vegas Sun).

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ at​ 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.  

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

She's 'shocked' that her Saved by the Bell alter ego didn't have more children

In 2020, Tiffani Thiessen reprised her iconic role of Kelly Kapowski in the highly anticipated "Saved by the Bell" reboot . In the Peacock  revival series, she's married to Zack Morris, now governor of California, and they have a son, Mac , a current student at Bayside who has inherited his father's prankster gene. Fans also see a progressive character arc for  Kelly, who reconsiders the decision she made on "Saved by the Bell: The College Years" — to forgo her dreams of becoming a doctor to marry Zack. 

On the series, Thiessen joins her former castmates Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Mario Lopez, Elizabeth Berkley, and Lark Voorhies  (who, at first, was not expected to appear in the reboot), and the veteran actress is elated that the "old gang is back together again," sharing an on-set photo on Instagram . And, it goes without saying that she's also excited to revisit Zack and Kelly's love story all these years later. In fact, she even honored the on-screen couple's 27th anniversary, sharing a throwback photo  with this caption: "Way to keep the love going." That deep love, which made the pair one of TV's most iconic couples, is being celebrated in the reboot. And, although she loves the script, there's one part of the couple's life Thiessen may have tweaked. "I am shocked that they only had one child. I would have expected...more," she told Buzzfeed .

Tiffani Thiessen

Filmography, life events, family & companions.

Thiessen's good-soldier efforts were finally rewarded when she landed a lead role on a critically respected TV show with staying power, getting excellent reviews as a supportive and insightful wife on the hit comedy/drama "White Collar" (USA Network, 2009-14). She had reason to rejoice in her personal life as well when she and her husband celebrated the birth of their first child, a daughter named Harper Renn Smith on June 15, 2010.

Cast (Feature Film)

Producer (feature film), cast (special).

Began modeling in print catalogues and ads (date approximate)

Began competing in beauty pagents at age nine

Won the beauty pageant title of Miss Junior America

Played popular and sweet cheerleader Kelly Kapowski on the successful NBC Saturday morning teen series "Saved By the Bell"

Feature acting debut, "Son-in-Law"

Reprised role of Kelly on the short-lived primetime spin-off "Saved By The Bell: The College Years" (NBC)

Co-starred in "Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas" (NBC)

Joined the cast of Fox's "Beverly Hills, 90210" in its fourth season as trouble-making Valerie Malone

Signed production deal with ABC to develop sitcom

Had leading role in the screen comedy "The Ladies Man"

Played recurring role on the ABC sitcom "Two Guys and a Girl"

Played recurring role as a sex columnist on "Just Shoot Me" (NBC)

Acted in Woody Allen's "Hollywood Ending"

Had supporting role in Fox series "Fast Lane"

Had a recurring role on the NBC sitcom "Good Morning, Miami"

Directed a short (21 minute) film titled "Just Pray"; first major effort from her new production company, Tit 4 Tat Productions

Joined the cast of the ABC ensemble drama "What About Brian" as Natasha Dylan, Dave's (Rick Gomez) new boss at KC Gaming

Joined the cast of USA Network's crime drama "White Collar"

Bibliography

Sign Up now to stay up to date with all of the latest news from TCM.

Your Browser is Not Supported

To view this content, please use one of the following compatible browsers:

Safari v11+

Firefox Quantum

Microsoft Edge

Revisiting the Pauly Shore 1993 Thanksgiving Classic, 'Son-in-Law'

By stephen douglas | nov 17, 2022.

The Big Lead Big Stream Holiday Podtacular continues today with Son-in-Law , the most 1993 Thanksgiving movie ever made. Starring Pauly Shore, Carla Gugino, Tiffani Amber Thiessen and Patrick Renna, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better 90's movie about a city slicker pretending to be engaged to a farmer's daughter than Son-in-Law .

In many ways Son-in-Law is a peak early-90's movie. Pauly Shore coming off Encino Man, about to make three more major motion pictures. Tiffani Amber Thiessen at the end of Saved by the Bell . Friend of the site Patrick Renna coming off The Sandlot the same year. And Lane Smith coming off the iconic role of Coach O'Reilly in The Mighty Ducks . Plus cameos from Flea and Brendan Fraiser.

Somehow, this fish out of water tale holds up surprisingly well, despite the fact that many characters try their hand at Pauly Shore impressions. Sure, there's a lot that's problematic including two main characters getting roofied and left in a barn, but the jokes about hitting a house guest over the head with a shovel still land like they did three decades ago.

The important thing is that there's a turkey, a family meal, high school friends home for the holidays and a number of other things that will remind you, yeah, Pauly Shore made a Thanksgiving movie.

So listen and then subscribe to the podcast wherever podcasts are sold. And give us five, uh, turkey parts wherever you can rate the podcast. We'll be back next week with even more holiday movie content. As always, Happy Holidays!

• AI Generator

1 Tiffani Thiessen 1993 Stock Videos, 4K Footage, & Video Clips

Browse 1 tiffani thiessen 1993 videos and clips available to use in your projects, or start a new search to explore more footage and b-roll video clips..

Advertisement

Supported by

UP AND COMING: Tiffani-Amber Thiessen; Moving Into Shannen's Room

• Share full article

By Andy Meisler

• Aug. 7, 1994

THIS IS NOT A CINDERELLA story, not by a long shot. When Shannen Doherty, the excessively newsworthy female star of "Beverly Hills 90210," the Fox network's most successful show ever, finally exited that long-running series last season, the last thing its producers wanted was to replace her with an unknown quantity, a tube-struck starlet or a potential loose cannon.

Enter Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, seasoned professional actress. Don't be fooled by her filigreed first name (her parents liked Tiffani; her grandparents liked Amber), her distressed jeans and scuffed Doc Martens or her utterly unlined heart-shaped face.

At age 20 years and 7 months, Ms. Thiessen has probably spent as much time working on television shows as many of her peers have spent watching them. Her career is well into its second decade. She has not been to college or even attended a conventional high school, but has played plenty of high school and college students, appeared in several television and theatrical movies and been a mainstay of a successful sitcom.

"Yes, I've been in this business for a long time," she says matter-of-factly, looking like a Working Woman cover model as she hovers over coffee and a bran muffin at a vegetarian restaurant on the Sunset Strip. "I started very young, and, yes, it's taught me a lot. I understood what fame is, but I also realize that acting is just a job."

Her new job (her first "90210" appearance will be Sept. 7) is to play Valerie Malone, an awestruck transfer student from Minnesota.

As Valerie, Ms. Thiessen will occupy the very same bedroom as did Brenda Walsh -- formerly played by Ms. Doherty, who, her co-workers have said, was often late on set. That, combined with her real-life at-large shenanigans, precipitated Brenda's enrollment in acting school, in far-off London, England, several months ago.

"Yes, I move in with the Walshes," Ms. Thiessen said. At first, she adds, Valerie is somewhat disgusted by the fast-lane excesses she's exposed to. "But inside, she really wants to be here and be like everybody else. Meaning, probably, like Brenda."

Producers appreciate a veteran who can step right in and do the job. "Tiffani is wonderful. We've been aware of her for a long time," says Aaron Spelling, the creator of "90210" and Ms. Thiessen's boss. "Don't you get the feeling," he adds, mostly but not altogether humorously, "that she's been here before? In a past life?"

The daughter of a landscape architect and a homemaker, Ms. Thiessen was raised in Long Beach, just south of Los Angeles. She began entering beauty pageants and modeling for catalogues at around age 7, became Miss Junior America and starred in a Barbie commercial. She has appeared in series like "Step by Step," "Charles in Charge" and "The Hogan Family."

Five years ago she won the part of Kelly Kaplowski, a sweet teen-ager, in "Saved by the Bell," the NBC Saturday morning comedy that spent its final season (1993-94) in prime time. On a publicity tour of Europe, where the show was a smash hit, she was pelted with boxes of chocolates thrown by overly affectionate Belgians.

Three years ago she moved to Los Angeles by herself, and now has a steady relationship with the actor Brian Austin Green, who plays the near-dweeb David Silver on "90210."

The show itself, says Mr. Spelling, will probably run "to 2006, when the cast graduates from college." But Ms. Thiessen is not so sure she'll still be there.

"I'm still playing teen-agers," she says. "I don't know if I'll be an adult actor. I don't even know how much longer I want to be in this business. It's going great right now, but who knows? There's so many other things I might want to be doing.

"I definitely do want to go to college for real some day, do it right. But, you know, it's really hard to do it when you're working."

Explore More in TV and Movies

Not sure what to watch next we can help..

“Megalopolis,” the first film from the director Francis Ford Coppola in 13 years, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Here’s what to know .

Why is the “Planet of the Apes” franchise so gripping and effective? Because it doesn’t monkey around, our movie critic writes .

Luke Newton has been in the sexy Netflix hit “Bridgerton” from the start. But a new season will be his first as co-lead — or chief hunk .

There’s nothing normal about making a “Mad Max” movie, and Anya Taylor-Joy knew that  when she signed on to star in “Furiosa,” the newest film in George Miller’s action series.

If you are overwhelmed by the endless options, don’t despair — we put together the best offerings   on Netflix , Max , Disney+ , Amazon Prime  and Hulu  to make choosing your next binge a little easier.

Sign up for our Watching newsletter  to get recommendations on the best films and TV shows to stream and watch, delivered to your inbox.

• Theatre, Film, and Television Biographies
• Jules Tasca to Sam Trammell

Tiffani Thiessen Biography (1974-)

Born January 23, 1974, in Long Beach, CA; daughter of Frank (a landscape architect and park designer) and Robyn (a homemaker) Thiessen. Addresses: Agent: Holly Baril, William Morris Agency, 151 El Camino Dr., Beverly Hills,CA 90212.; Manager: Scott Bankston, Anonymous Content, 8522 National Blvd., Suite 101, Culver City, CA 90232.; Publicist: Ame van Iden, Wolf/Kasteler/VanIden and Associates Public Relations, 335 North Maple Dr., Suite 351, BeverlyHills, CA 90210.

Famous Works

Further reference.

OTHER SOURCES Periodicals Entertainment Weekly, July 28, 1995, p. 22 FHM, March, 2001, pp. 133-34 In Style, November, 1998, p. 261 New York Times, August 7, 1994 People Weekly, February 13, 1995, pp. 94-95 TV Guide, August 26, 1995, p. 12

User Contributions:

Comment about this article, ask questions, or add new information about this topic:.

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Having gotten a taste of college life, a drastically changed farm girl returns home for Thanksgiving break with her best friend, a flamboyant party animal who is clearly a fish out of water ... Read all Having gotten a taste of college life, a drastically changed farm girl returns home for Thanksgiving break with her best friend, a flamboyant party animal who is clearly a fish out of water in a small farm town. Having gotten a taste of college life, a drastically changed farm girl returns home for Thanksgiving break with her best friend, a flamboyant party animal who is clearly a fish out of water in a small farm town.

• Patrick J. Clifton
• Susan McMartin
• Peter M. Lenkov
• Pauly Shore
• Carla Gugino
• 66 User reviews
• 19 Critic reviews
• 33 Metascore
• 1 nomination

• Rebecca Warner

• Walter Warner

• Connie Warner

• Walter Warner Sr.

• Zack Warner

• (as Tiffani-Amber Thiessen)

• Mud Wrestling Announcer

• Country Club Waiter
• (as Robert Koch)
• Halloween Fairy
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Did you know

• Trivia Brendan Fraser : Link, his character from Encino Man (1992) . Crawl sees Link at a party dressed as he appeared in the last scene of the movie, and says "great costume". Link eats a plastic frog and walks away as Crawl tries to figure out where he knows him from and says "Nah", implying that Link and Crawl had met before.
• Goofs It is supposed to be Thanksgiving yet is is apparently not fall/winter in South Dakota.

Walter Warner Sr. : Travis, it really tweaks my melon, to see a buff bro like Crawl here, get weezed on by a greasy scumbag like you. So you just chill.

• Crazy credits During the opening credits, except for Pauly Shore , each actor's name is listed when their character appears in the shot.
• Connections Featured in Siskel & Ebert: In the Line of Fire/Son in Law/Rookie of the Year/Free Willy/Jacquot (1993)
• Soundtracks Bled Me Dry Written by Matthew Carey, Laurence Carey, Stephen Barber and Alex Boucher Performed by 3½ Minutes Courtesy of Hollywood Records

User reviews 66

• Dec 31, 2003
• How long is Son in Law? Powered by Alexa
• July 2, 1993 (United States)
• United States
• Visalia, California, USA
• Hollywood Pictures
• Touchwood Pacific Partners 1
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $8,000,000 (estimated)
• $36,448,400
• Jul 5, 1993

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 35 minutes
• Dolby Stereo

Related news

Contribute to this page.

• See more gaps
• Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Recently viewed

Tiffani Thiessen : Biography, Pictures, Photos, Trivia, Address, Filmography ( Saved by the Bell )

• Add a TV Show
• Add an Actor
• Add Pictures

Login | Register | Password ?

Has two dogs, Buck and Pearl, and two cats, Sadie and Savannah.

Is best friends with actress Jennie Garth.

Attended Valley Professional High School in Studio City, California; named class valedictorian in 1992.

Won the Miss Junior America beauty pageant [1987]

Won Teen Magazine's Great Model Search [1988]

Made Cover Girl Magazine's Model of the Year [1989]

Admitted "ongoing struggle" to fit Hollywood's waifish beauty ideal; dropped her middle name, Amber, to be taken more seriously.

Formerly a vegetarian.

Has three tattoos; a lotus flower on her stomach, a daisy on her back, and an angel above her right ankle.

Tied with another girl, Tiffany Weber, for the crown of Teen Magazine's Great Model Search 1988.

Currently has listed her Studio City home at $2.8 million. The house, built in 1963, has five bedrooms and 5 1/2 bathrooms in slightly less than 5,000 square feet. [2004]

Started her own production company "Tit 4 Tat Productions"

Taking the advice of her uncle, screenwriter/actor Roger Ernest, she began modelling at the age of eight.

She is of Welsh, German, Greek and Turkish descent.

Named one of Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women In The World" [2002]

Romantically linked to David Strickland at the time of his death [1999]

Was offered a role on "Charmed" (1998) to take over Shannen Doherty's place, but turned it down. [2001]

Became engaged to actor Richard Ruccolo in October 2001, and broke off in April 2003.

Is engaged to actor/artist Brady Smith [2005].

Author of the card

• Creation date: 01/07/2003 by donovan
• Last update: 01/05/2007 by Nathaline
• The Persuaders ! (9.1)
• Mac Gyver (9.0)
• Kung Fu (9.0)
• Bewitched (9.0)
• Street Hawk (9.0)
• The Prisoner (9.0)
• The Wild Wild West (9.0)
• Magnum, P.I. (9.0)
• Columbo (9.0)

2003-2024 © SERIES-80.NET - All rights reserved - Contact - Hosted by O2Switch

• Author / People
• log in sign up

A party boy from the West Coast is out of his element when he falls for a straitlaced girl from a small farm in the Midwest. Two different backgrounds collide as the two college co-ed's fall in love!

Similar Artists

Refresh required.

We have released a new version of the hoopla web site. You'll need to refresh this page now to continue.

• Sign Up / Log In

Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive show news, updates, and more!

We Can't Get Enough of Mark-Paul Gosselaar's Adorable IRL Friendship with Tiffani Amber Thiessen

It's hard to believe the  Found  star once played teenage heartthrob Zack Morris, one half of  Saved by the Bell' s it couple with Kelly Kapowski.

Do you remember the pop-culture phenomenon that was Saved by the Bell ’ s love story between Zack Morris ( Mark-Paul Gosselaar ) and Kelly Kapowski (Tiffani Amber Thiessen)? The teens' romance won viewers' hearts — and we have some good news for Kelly and Zack fans: Y ou’ll be happy to hear their “ Friends Forever ” game is still going strong.

How to Watch

Watch  Found  on NBC and  Peacock .

Who are Zack Morris and Kelly Kapowski?

Years before starring on NBC ’s Found , Gosselaar starred as the bottle-bleach rapscallion Zack Morris in Saved by the Bell , handholding (primarily child and teen) audiences through the hallways and classrooms of Bayside High.

The sitcom — a spinoff of NBC ’s short-lived Good Morning, Miss Bliss (later known as Saved by the Bell: The Junior High Years ) — followed Zack through many of his oft-mischievous antics. Each episode customarily ended in a wholesome life lesson to be learned across four seasons between 1989 and 1993.  The series had all the California surfer vibes and radical ’90s fashion needed to sustain young viewers for decades (though we could do without Zack Morris’s brick-sized cell phone).

Gosselaar’s adolescent character was first introduced in Good Morning, Miss Bliss, which ran from 1987 to 1989, alongside his S.B.T.B. co-stars, save for Tiffani Thiessen, who first appeared in the mainstay series during its premiere season in 1989.

RELATED: Relive Mark-Paul Gosselaar's Sprawling Career, From Saved by the Bell to Found

Thiessen played the pom-pom-shaking high school cheerleader Kelly Kapowski, and together, Bayside’s it-couple left audiences love-sick and dreamy-eyed, even throughout the series’ spinoff Saved by the Bell: The College Years (1993-1994). Several other S.B.T.B. spinoff series and films would follow, including the most recent 2020-2021 revival now available on Peacock .

Did Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Tiffani Amber Thiessen date?

In the late 1980s, Thiessen auditioned for a role on Good Morning, Miss Bliss (starring Gosselaar) but failed to snag the part. But during Saved by the Bell, she and Gosselaar were the relationship goals for many T.V.-hungry adolescents, giving us an onscreen happily ever after.

It was little surprise that the pair also dated in real life.

As covered in E! Online ’s behind-the-scenes’ Saved by the Bell: Secretes Revealed i n 2019, Thiessen recalled when she sipped alcohol for the first time with Gosselaar.

“Mark-Paul and I got to go to Paris [for a press tour]. We ate crepes, and my first sip of alcohol was with him,” Thiessen reportedly confessed to PEOPLE . “It felt at times like we were Ken and Barbie.”

The S.B.T.B.  actors often dated their castmates, which Gosselaar once referred to as “incestuous,” though it wasn’t entirely unexpected for a bunch of teenagers working in close proximity.

Actor Ed Alonzo (who played Max from The Max on the series) remembered Thiessen and Gosselaar’s chemistry offset, even when Gosselaar was dating co-star Lark Voorhies.

“They kinda liked each other a bit,” Alonzo told Entertainment Tonight in 2018. “They liked each other a lot. It was very cute. It was handholding and looking over.”

Are Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Tiffani Amber Thiessen still friends?

Post- Saved by the Bell, Thiessen and Gosselaar have continued to have success on the small screen, and perhaps even more importantly, they remained close friends, as Thiessen made known in a 2021 interview with Us Weekly . While promoting a partnership with Nutri-Grain, Thiessen said she and Gosselaar “live totally close together” and that their families have “a lot of fun” hanging out together.

Thiessen claimed she and her husband, Brady Smith, even double-dated with Gosselaar and his wife, Catriona McGinn . She noted the time, though, going out was more difficult to schedule between the former Beverly Hills, 90210 star’s young daughter Harper and son Holt (then ages 11 and 6, respectively) and Gosselaar’s son Dekker Edward and daughter Lachlyn Hope (then ages 8 and 6; he  also has a 17-year-old daughter and a 19-year-old son with ex-wife, Lisa Russell.)

Gosselaar and Thiessen might have to juggle responsibilities, but they get by with a little help from their friends. In 2020, Gosselaar took to social media to say he needed some eggs. Later, he posted an Instagram video showing a gift basket of eggs from Thiessen with a note that read: “Fresh butt nuggets for the Gosselaar family,” per Us Weekly.

“Here’s the deal,” Gosselaar said in his video. “I ran out of eggs, and I called a friend of mine who has chickens, and I said, ‘Hey, can you help me out?’ So, she left me a few.”

Gosselaar returned the favor, Thiessen told the outlet.

“He actually left beer for my husband, and I actually made a joke,” said Thiessen. “I said, ‘You know, I’m the one who actually gave the eggs; where was my thank you?’ It goes to show you that he loves my husband. Like, the two of them have a great relationship so they have a lot of fun together.”

Gosselaar and Thiessen also enjoyed a double date with their respective partners in 2020 for Thiessen’s cooking show, Dinner at Tiffani’s , as reported by PEOPLE .

Then, in 2021, Thiessen playfully celebrated the Saved by the Bell’ s wedding anniversary, which happened during the 1994 spinoff Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas.

“Happy 27th Anniversary Kelly & Zach,” Thiessen captioned on Instagram with a flashback photo of the couple dressed to the nines. “Way to keep the love going.”

The Here We Go Again cookbook writer hashtagged #Friendsforever, a nod to a S.B.T.B . song by their fictionalized band, Zack Attack.

Fans can find Mark-Paul Gosselaar starring in the new drama series Found , airing Tuesdays at 10/9c on NBC and streaming the next day on Peacock .  

• Relationships
• Mark Paul Gosselaar

Related Stories

See Christian Stolte's Wife, Kids, and Sweet Grandkids

All About Jake Gyllenhaal’s Girlfriend, Jeanne Cadieu

Blake Shelton & Gwen Stefani Go to ACMs with His Mom

Deal or No Deal Island's Amy & Stephanie on Villain Status

Chris Meloni & Mariska Hargitay Met Up for Rooftop Cocktails and Looked Gorgeous

All About Sabrina Carpenter and Barry Keoghan’s Relationship

The Reason Blake Shelton Didn't Plan Anything for Gwen Stefani on Mother's Day

John Legend Reveals How Chrissy Teigen Got a Neck Brace

Who Is Taylor Kinney's Wife, Model Ashley Cruger?

Chicago Fire's Taylor Kinney Just Got Married! (DETAILS)

All About Devin Booker's Past Romance with Kendall Jenner

What's Happened to Daniel Kyri's Role, Darren Ritter?

Recommended for You

2-Year-Old Mariska Hargitay Appears on the Merv Griffin Show

Ryan Gosling and Jimmy Fallon Deserve Oscars for Playing Identical-Looking Tough Cops

Scarlett Johansson Matches Katie Britt's SOTU Energy in SNL Parody: Watch

Tiffani Thiessen Admits She Has 'Hard Memories' of Her Time on '90210' With Ex Brian Austin Green

In March, Brian Austin Green came clean about his years on Beverly Hills 90210 and his behavior toward then-girlfriend Tiffani Thiessen Shen she joined the cast as Valerie Malone in 1994. Valerie was "bad girl" in town which meant plenty of steamy sex scenes that Green couldn't handle at the time. 

"I'd never been in a real serious relationship before," he said of their romance which lasted from 1992 until 1995 on Shannen Doherty's  Let's Be Clear podcast. "I used to bring Tiffani to events, so she knew everybody from then and then all of a sudden,  she's doing sex scenes and s**t with people that were like my family and my brothers. It was strange. I remember I was really just f**king jealous and boisterous." How did Thiessen feel about the situation? Well, fans finally have their answer.

The 50-year-old actress described herself to Us Weekly as "nervous" when she joined the cast during the fifth season because it was a "show that was already established." From what it sounds like, her time on the long-running series was a mixed bag. You learn a lot from all different types of jobs and people right and so I have a lot of great memories. You know, there's a lot of hard memories, but there was a lot of great memories," she admitted. "At the time when I started, I was actually dating Brian [Austin Green]. That probably made it a little bit easier for me."

While it was easy to make friends with the cast, Thiessen shared that Green's feelings about her character's interactions made the situation "definitely stressful and hard." She added, "I had a boyfriend who definitely was probably not the most secure with me being there. I also had my own insecurities about being on a job that, again, was very established. There were relationships that were super close that I wasn't a part of ."

Thiessen doesn't "hold any grudges" toward Green because "we were all young and stupid." As for her friendship with Green now, she noted, "We're both adults. I mean, our split was pretty amicable. It was easy, like, truly. He moved on . I moved on, and we had to work together." But, it sounds like Green is still a little embarrassed by his young adult behavior. "Looking back on it, I can't imagine what that was like for her," he summed up on Doherty's podcast. "I can't imagine what it was like for her being with me for three years at that point and then having to do these scenes and having her f**king boyfriend, who she lives with by the way, freaking out the way that I was."

Before you go, click here to see more co-star couples we'll always wonder about.

More from SheKnows

• Gwen Stefani's Ex-Husband Gavin Rossdale Is Dating a Woman Who Looks Shockingly Like Her