Mark Salling


Date Of Birth
August 17th, 1982

Biography
Mark Salling was born and raised in the Lake Highlands area of Dallas, growing up with his father, John Salling Jr. and his mother and brother, Condy and Matthew. His passion growing up wasn't acting, but playing music - he started playing the piano at the mere age of 5, and began songwriting at the age of 7. Most of his childhood was spent playing guitar in local bands. Before landing the breakout role of Puck in the FOX musical comedy Glee, he was spending time doing guitar sessions and teaching others how to play.

He made his acting debut in the 1996 horror feature Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering as James Rhodes. This was followed by an episode of Walker, Texas Ranger, an action-crime Western where he played the role of Billy. In 2006, he played Eric in another horror feature, The Graveyard. Salling was struggling to make a break into showbiz for 7 years before his current role came along. In 2009, he bagged the role of character Puck in the highly-acclaimed Glee, a series about a Spanish teacher who dreams of reviving the old glory of his high school’s glee club.

Place of Birth
Dallas, Texas, USA

Birth Name
Mark Wayne Salling

Gender
Male

Fun Facts
- He's a gifted songwriter and musician, playing both the piano and guitar, and having written songs for musicians Josh Green and Danielle McKee.

- He's an animal lover.

- Fan of Family Guy and The Simpsons.

- Into a variety of music, from 90s grunge through to country music and rap, and currently smooth jazz.

- His band Jericho recently released their debut album, "Smoke Signals".

- He was raised in a traditional Christian household, and as such, religion is an influence in his songwriting.

- Shaving his hair into a mohawk for his audition wasn't the first time he'd done so, but he figured he'd use the look again for his character to see if it made him stand out from others auditioning. He says "Lo and behold, it worked out. And now I'm stuck with it."

Awards

Filmography
2009: Glee - Noah "Puck" Puckerman
2006: The Graveyard - Eric
1999: Walker, Texas Ranger - Billy
1996: Children of the Corn: The Gathering - James Rhodes

Nickname

Height
5"11' He does NOT wear heels in Glee to make him look taller

Quotes
"Puck has dreams of stardom, just like any other character in the club. He wants to get out of the town, and he has musical aspirations just like everyone else."

"One lady brought us a baby to sign [during the Hot Topic tour]. She'd made a little Glee dress and we signed it, so that was unusual."

"It was never a revelation I had, it was just what I did. Playing music was always a part of my life, I don't know anything else."