Mark-Paul Gosselaar's 4 Kids: Everything to Know

Mar. 15, 2025

Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Catriona McGinn, Michael Charles Gosselaar, Ava Lorenn Gosselaar, Dekker Edward Gosselaar, Lachlyn Hope Gosselaar at The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation 26th Annual Time For Heroes Family Festival.Photo:WENN Rights Ltd / Alamy

WENN Rights Ltd / Alamy

Mark-Paul Gosselaarkeeps busy these days as a father to four kids: Michael, Ava, Dekker and Lachlyn.

He shares his two eldest, Michael and Ava, with his ex-wife, Lisa Ann Russell, and his two youngest, Dekker and Lachlyn, with his current wife,Catriona McGinn.

While speaking to PEOPLE in 2020, Gosselaar shared howhe and McGinn are documenting the funny and sweet moments of parenting.

“The minute Dekker sat up and Michael goes to bed without a night light [and] Ava loses her tooth — there’s literally milestones every single day with children,” he said. “We write it down in a journal every once in a while. Anytime the kids say a funny quote, we write it down … and then we read them out loud. It just shows how the time progressed.”

During an appearance onThe Jennifer Hudson Showin January 2025, Gosselaar said he prioritizes being a good husband and father over his acting career.

“My day revolves around making sure my wife is good.Making sure the kids are good, and then I go to work for a little bit and then I come back,” he shared.

Here’s everything to know about Mark-Paul Gosselaar’s four kids: Michael, Ava, Dekker and Lachlyn.

Michael Charles Gosselaar, 21

Michael Charles Gosselaar.Ari Perilstein/Getty

Ari Perilstein/Getty

Mark-Paul and Russell’s eldest son, Michael Charles Gosselaar, was born in Los Angeles on Jan. 31, 2004.

Mark-Paul added that his kids are, for the most part, “indifferent” about his work as an actor. “Honestly, my kids are ‘screenagers’ — if it isn’t something they can watch in five minutes, they don’t,” he explained.

In a 2016 interview withEntertainment Tonight, Mark-Paul shared that Michael was interested in following in his father’s acting footsteps.

“He has athletic ability, but doesn’t want to be an athlete,” the actor said. “He wants to do something in this business, so I will support that.”

However, Mark-Paul noted that he wanted his son to become an actor as an adult, adding, “I wouldn’t want him to go through it as a child, but when he becomes 18 he can do whatever he wants.”

Mark-Paul has spoken about his own experience as a child actor and why he doesn’t want hiskids entering the industrywhile they’re young. “That’s one of the reasons I don’t want my children in it is because I don’t feel it’s a place for children,” he said in the Hulu documentaryKid 90.

Ava Lorenn Gosselaar, 18

Ava Lorenn Gosselaar.Ari Perilstein/Getty

Mark-Paul and Russell’s daughter,Ava Lorenn Gosselaar, was born in L.A. on May 7, 2006.

When Ava was just 2, Mark-Paul shared that being a father had changed how he thought about his career.

“Having children has made me mature in ways that I think are positive to my career and yes, my family does affect the type of work that I accept,” he toldTheWashington Post. “Mainly with traveling. If a show were to be filmed in another state other than California, I would have to make a very educated decision regarding it."

The father of four has also hinted thatAva has some serious athletic ability.

Dekker Edward Gosselaar, 11

Dekker Edward Gosselaar.Jesse Grant/Getty

Jesse Grant/Getty

Mark-Paul and McGinn married in July 2012 and welcomed their son, Dekker Edward Gosselaar, on Sept. 30, 2013.

Shortly before Dekker’s birth, the actor dropped some hints about his name to PEOPLE, saying, “It is not traditionaland it is not too quirky. It is different, but it’s not something odd.” He also shared: “We’ve always wanted a big family. The kids are looking forward to a little sibling, and are asking a lot of funny questions right now.”

After welcoming his third child, Mark-Paul told PEOPLE: “We are overjoyed with the new addition to our family. We are madly in love with our little boy. He is healthy and just perfect — all we could ask for.”

Dekker’s parents have shared that he’s a smart, motivated student. On the podcastKids Under Construction, the couple spoke about how Dekker was adjusting to remote learning during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“He’s like us in that he has this built-in resilience,” McGinn shared. “Like, he just knows, ‘This is what I gotta do. This is what everyone’s doing.’ ”

“He’s just started his journey in school, but he actually likes the work. He likes math, it’s the first thing that he wants to do in the morning. He likes the reading, he loves his teachers," Mark-Paul added.

Dekker wasn’t as enthusiastic about writing, but for the most part, “he enjoys school,” the actor continued. “We’re lucky. He’s made it easy for us.”

Lachlyn Hope Gosselaar, 10

Lachlyn Hope Gosselaar.Jesse Grant/Getty

Mark-Paul and McGinn’s youngest daughter, Lachlyn Hope Gosselaar, was born in L.A. on Feb. 17, 2015.

While four kids might seem like a lot, the actor previously told PEOPLE he was ready to embrace it. “It’s a lot ofgreatwork,” he said in an interview just months after Lachlyn was born.

He also shared that four-kid households run in the Gosselaar family. “My mother had four of us. My brother has four. It runs in the Gosselaar family. I’m keeping up tradition," he explained.

source: people.com