John Clark Jr. is a fictional character in the television series '' NYPD Blue''. He was played by

Mark-Paul Gosselaar Mark-Paul Harry Gosselaar (; born March 1, 1974) is an American actor. He is known for his television roles, most notably as Zack Morris in ''Saved by the Bell''. In 1991, he won a Young Artist Award for Best Young Actor Starring in an Off-Pri ...

for four years, from season 9 until the end of the series.

Biography

Clark Jr. was partnered with Detective

Andy Sipowicz Andrew Sipowicz Sr. is a fictional character on the popular ABC television series '' NYPD Blue''. Andy began as the secondary focus of a more ensemble-like show, but by the middle of Season 6 he is the clear protagonist of the show and receive ...

after Sipowicz's previous partner, Danny Sorenson, was murdered in an

undercover To go "undercover" (that is, to go on an undercover operation) is to avoid detection by the object of one's observation, and especially to disguise one's own identity (or use an assumed identity) for the purposes of gaining the trust of an ind ...

sting that went wrong. Clark earned his detective badge and choice of precinct after courageous action in an undercover operation. Sipowicz became a mentor, and much of the veteran detective's skill rubbed off on Clark Jr. His father, John Clark Sr., was a by-the-book, average detective who disapproved of his son's choice of precinct. He referred to the 15th Precinct as a "hellhole" and held a strong dislike for Sipowicz, whom he knew from previous experiences. The conflict between father and son came to a head when Clark Sr. threw his son out of the house because of his decision to work with Sipowicz. When Clark Jr.'s name up in connection with a murdered prostitute, he realized that it was his father, not him, then covered for his father until Sipowicz convinced Clark Sr. to clear Clark Jr.'s name. Clark Sr. disrupted his son's career when he showed up drunk at the 15th Precinct, having been forced into retirement then turned into an IAB informant as a result of his involvement with the prostitute. Clark Sr. subsequently committed suicide. Clark Jr. had been dating

Rita Ortiz The following is a partial list of the numerous characters that appeared on '' NYPD Blue'' during the twelve seasons it was on the air. Main cast chart Main 15th Squad detectives (each connects to individual article) * Andy Sipowicz * Bo ...

, but the relationship ended when he pushed her away while grieving his father's death. Clark Jr.'s bipolar ex-girlfriend, Dr. Jennifer Devlin ( Chandra West), later died of a prescription drug overdose. As a result of the tragedies, Clark Jr. experienced a brief, ugly period where he was often drunk and had a number of indiscriminate sexual encounters, causing at least one of the squad's cases to be ruined in court. With Sipowicz's help, Clark Jr. righted himself, and soon began dating

Assistant District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a lo ...

Laurie Munson. Despite these personal troubles and some mistakes early in his career, Clark Jr. developed an excellent

interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" ...

manner and attitude, which Sipowicz noted after observing an interrogation conducted solely by Clark. Clark eventually became the 15th Squad's lead detective, partnering with Baldwin Jones after Sipowicz was promoted to sergeant at the series' conclusion.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark Jr., John Fictional New York City Police Department detectives NYPD Blue characters Television characters introduced in 2001