Mark Salling

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title: "Mark Salling" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1982-births", "2010s-missing-person-cases", "2018-deaths", "2018-suicides", "20th-century-american-male-actors", "21st-century-american-criminals", "21st-century-american-male-actors", "21st-century-american-male-musicians", "21st-century-american-singer-songwriters", "american-acoustic-guitarists", "american-bass-guitarists", "american-male-bass-guitarists", "american-male-child-actors", "american-male-composers", "american-male-criminals", "american-male-drummers", "american-male-film-actors", "american-male-guitarists", "american-male-pianists", "american-male-singer-songwriters", "american-male-television-actors", "american-multi-instrumentalists", "american-people-convicted-of-child-pornography-offenses", "criminals-from-texas", "culver-academies-alumni", "formerly-missing-american-people", "guitarists-from-texas", "male-actors-from-dallas", "male-suicides", "missing-person-cases-in-california", "drummers-from-dallas", "record-producers-from-texas", "actors-and-actresses-who-died-by-suicide", "singer-songwriters-from-texas", "suicides-by-hanging-in-california", "lake-highlands-high-school-alumni"] description: "American actor and musician (1982–2018)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Salling" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American actor and musician (1982–2018) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

Field	Value
name	Mark Salling
image	Mark Salling Glee Premiere.jpg
caption	Salling in 2009
birth_name	Mark Wayne Salling
birth_date
birth_place	Dallas, Texas, U.S.
education	Culver Military Academy
Lake Highlands High School
Los Angeles College of Music
death_date
death_place	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
death_cause	Suicide by hanging
occupation
years active	1996–2015
known for	Noah "Puck" Puckerman on Glee
::

| name = Mark Salling | image = Mark Salling Glee Premiere.jpg | image_size = | caption = Salling in 2009 | birth_name = Mark Wayne Salling | birth_date = | birth_place = Dallas, Texas, U.S. | education = Culver Military Academy Lake Highlands High School Los Angeles College of Music | death_date = | death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S. | death_cause = Suicide by hanging | occupation = | years active = 1996–2015 | known for = Noah "Puck" Puckerman on Glee Mark Wayne Salling (; August 17, 1982 – January 30, 2018) was an American actor and musician known for his role as Noah "Puck" Puckerman on the television series Glee.

Salling studied at the Los Angeles College of Music before working as a guitar teacher. He also worked as an occasional actor, appearing in Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering (1996) and The Graveyard (2006) before gaining a recurring role in Glee in 2009. Initially a regular character, from the fifth season he was reduced to a recurring guest star role. On the show, he soloed and dueted on cover versions of various songs. Pursuing a music career, he established his own label, Pipe Dreams Records, in partnership with Fontana Distribution. On this label he released an album, Pipe Dreams, in 2010.

In 2015, Salling was arrested for possession of child pornography. In 2017, he pleaded guilty to the charges as part of a plea deal. He died by suicide on January 30, 2018, before a sentencing hearing scheduled for March 7.

Early life and education

Salling was born in Dallas, Texas, the younger of two children to John Robert Salling Jr., an accountant, and Condy Sue Salling (née Wherry), a school secretary. He was home-schooled at an early age. He attended, but did not graduate from, Culver Military Academy and later graduated from Lake Highlands High School in 2001. While in high school, he was a member of the school wrestling team. After graduating from high school, Salling attended the Los Angeles Music Academy College of Music in Pasadena, California and began studying guitar, giving guitar lessons to make a living.

Career

Music

Salling sang, wrote, and produced his own music under the name Jericho. He also played the piano, guitar, bass guitar, and drums. Jericho's debut album Smoke Signals was released on February 8, 2008 by Jericho Records. On October 25, 2010, Salling released a rock/jazz album, Pipe Dreams, which was inspired by Alice in Chains, Nine Inch Nails, Miles Davis, and Herbie Hancock. It was released by Pipe Dreams Records, Salling's own label, in partnership with Fontana Distribution. He was the composer, performer, and producer of each track. The first single, "Higher Power", premiered on August 10, 2010.

On the television show Glee, he soloed and dueted on cover versions of various songs, including "Sweet Caroline", "Only the Good Die Young", "The Lady Is a Tramp", "Run Joey Run", "Beth", "Just Give Me a Reason", "Good Vibrations", and "Fat Bottomed Girls". During filming, Salling paid tribute to the cast of Glee by writing a song and creating a video titled "Chillin' on Glee", which featured various cast and crew members.

Acting

Salling acted in Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering (1996) and The Graveyard (2006). In 2008, he was cast as Noah "Puck" Puckerman on the Fox series Glee. On June 28, 2013, it was reported that Salling would not be returning as a regular on Glee fifth season, but would instead be a recurring guest star on the series.

Personal life

Salling dated Glee co-star Naya Rivera from 2007 to 2010, and Playboy model DJ Roxanne Dawn from 2010 to 2011. He resided in Shadow Hills, Los Angeles, California.

Salling was a long-time member of the Echo Park Ornithology Club in Los Angeles, and even penned their theme song. The president and founder of the organization said that Salling "really enjoyed birdwatching a lot, and he really cared about birds... he had a lot of animals at his house and he worked at an animal rescue when I knew him. We went birdwatching together."

Legal issues

Sexual assault charges

In January 2013, Salling's ex-girlfriend Roxanne Gorzela accused him of committing sexual battery on March 25, 2011, by having unprotected sex without her knowing that it was unprotected. He denied the charges and filed a counter-suit for defamation of character. In March 2015, Salling settled with Gorzela out of court and agreed to pay her $2.7 million.

Child pornography charges

On December 29, 2015, Salling was arrested at his Los Angeles home on suspicion of possessing several thousand photos and videos depicting child pornography, following a tip-off to the police from one of his ex-girlfriends. He was released later on $20,000 bail, but a search pursuant to a warrant found more than 50,000 images of child pornography, downloaded between April and December 2015, on his computer and USB flash drives.

On May 27, 2016, he was charged with receiving and possessing child pornography. As a result of the charges, Salling was removed from the cast of Adi Shankar's film Gods and Secrets, later renamed The Guardians of Justice.

On September 30, 2017, he pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography as part of a plea deal, which was expected to result in Salling being sentenced to four to seven years in jail, in addition to registering as a sex offender and entering a treatment program, among other conditions. The guilty plea was formalized on December 18, 2017, and Salling's sentencing date was set for March 7, 2018.

Death

Salling hanged himself on January 30, 2018, near his home in the Sunland area of Los Angeles. His body was found six hours after he was reported missing. The manner of his death was confirmed by the Los Angeles coroner's office and his death was ruled a suicide. He was cremated. Because Salling's death preceded the date he was scheduled to report to prison to begin serving his sentence, the entire sentence was thrown out, and a restitution agreement of $50,000 to ten individuals who had been identified in his illicit holdings was deemed null and void.

Filmography

Film

::data[format=table]

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1996	Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering	James Rhodes	Direct-to-video
2006	**	Eric	Direct-to-video
2011	Glee: The 3D Concert Movie	Noah "Puck" Puckerman/Himself
::

Television

::data[format=table]

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1999	first=Michelle	last=Corriston	url=http://people.com/crime/mark-salling-arrested-for-child-porn-his-big-break-on-glee-and-troubled-past/
2009–2015	Glee	Noah "Puck" Puckerman	url=https://www.sagawards.org/media-pr/press-releases/16th-annual-screen-actors-guild-awards%C2%AE-recipients
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2010)
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2011)
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2012)
Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice TV: Breakout Star Male (2010)
Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Music: Group (2010) (shared with Glee Cast)
Nominated—Choice TV: Scene Stealer Male (2011)
2010	The X Factor	Himself	Special guest
2011	The Glee Project	Himself	Episode: "Sexuality"
2014	Rocky Road	Harrison Burke	TV movie
::

Discography

Studio albums

::data[format=table] | Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | US | US Heat | US Indie | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | 2008 | Smoke Signals (released under stage name Jericho) | — | — | — | | | 2010 | Pipe Dreams | 189 | 5 | 29 | | | "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | | | | | | ::

Singles

::data[format=table]

Year	Title	Album
2010	"Higher Power"	Pipe Dreams
::

References

References

1. Kaufman, Gil. (January 30, 2018). "'Glee' Actor Mark Salling Dies at 35".
2. "Mark Salling". [[TV Guide]].com.
3. (January 20, 2018). "Mark Salling Dead in Apparent Suicide a Month Before His Sentencing in Child Porn Case". [[Meredith Corporation]].
4. [http://www.fox.com/glee Fox's official ''Glee'' page] {{webarchive. link. (September 5, 2009)
5. Deb, Sopan. (January 30, 2018). "Mark Salling, Former 'Glee' Star, Is Found Dead". [[The New York Times]].
6. (January 30, 2018). "Former "Glee" Actor Mark Salling Dead of Apparent Suicide: Fast Facts to Know".
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8. Sitzer, Carly. (January 30, 2018). "See the Last Public Photos of Mark Salling Before His Alleged Suicide".
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10. (January 30, 2018). "Mark Salling's Mom Was His 'Biggest Defender' Before His Death".
11. Chen, Eva. (September 2010). "Mark Salling: Naughty by Nature". [[Teen Vogue]].
12. "Mark Salling Bio". MarkSallingMusic.com.
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14. "Pipe Dreams by Mark Salling". iTunes.
15. Stack, Time. (August 10, 2010). "'Glee' star Mark Salling announces debut album and premieres new single: Listen to it here!".
16. "Glee — Sweet Caroline". Glee.
17. (October 31, 2009). "Mark's Tribute to his Glee Family".
18. Ausiello, Mark. (June 28, 2013). "'Glee' Season 5: Heather Morris, Mark Salling and 2 Others Not Returning as Regulars".
19. Serna, Joseph. (December 30, 2015). "'Hundreds of images' seized in 'Glee' actor Mark Salling child porn case, police say". [[Los Angeles Times]].
20. (January 31, 2018). "Mark Salling Was a 'Devout Christian' with Passion for Birdwatching Before His Downfall: Friend".
21. (January 19, 2013). "Mark Salling Sexual Battery: 'Glee' Star Sued By Ex-Girlfriend". The Huffington Post.
22. "'Glee' Star Sued For Alleged Sexual Assault". Wonderwall.com.
23. Gennis, Sadie. (January 19, 2013). "Mark Salling Sued by Ex-Girlfriend for Sexual Battery". TVGuide.com.
24. Ryder, Taryn. (January 19, 2013). "Mark Salling: There Is 'No Truth' to Sexual Battery Lawsuit". Yahoo Celebrity.
25. (March 25, 2015). "'Glee' Star Mark Salling Settles with Former GF in Fight Over Sexual Encounter". TMZ.
26. Serna, Joseph. (December 29, 2015). "'Glee' actor Mark Salling arrested on suspicion of possessing child porn". [[Los Angeles Times]].
27. (December 29, 2015). "'Glee' Actor Mark Salling Reportedly Arrested in Child Pornography Case".
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29. Cullins, Ashley. (May 27, 2016). "Glee Actor Mark Salling Indicted for Possessing Child Pornography".
30. Khatchatourian, Maane. (May 31, 2016). "Mark Salling Dropped From 'Gods and Secrets' After Child Porn Indictment". [[Variety (magazine).
31. (October 4, 2017). "Mark Salling Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography, Faces 4-7 Years in Prison".
32. (December 18, 2017). "Mark Salling Officially Enters Guilty Plea in Child Porn Case".
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36. (February 6, 2018). "Mark Salling Will be Cremated After Committing Suicide".
37. "Mark Salling's Child Pornography Victims Will Not Receive $50,000 in Restitution: Expert".
38. Penn Turing, Martha. (July 28, 2011). "Before They Were Gleeks: Mark Salling".
39. Zumberge, Marianne. (December 29, 2015). "'Glee' Star Mark Salling Arrested for Possession of Child Pornography". [[Variety (magazine).
40. "Glee The 3d Concert Movie".
41. Corriston, Michelle. (December 29, 2015). "Mark Salling Arrested for Child Porn: Inside the Glee Star's Big Break and Troubled Past".
42. "16th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® Recipients - Screen Actors Guild Awards". [[Screen Actors Guild]].
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45. "Nominations Announced for the 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® - Screen Actors Guild Awards". [[Screen Actors Guild]].
46. Milet, Sandrine. (June 28, 2010). "Teen Choice Awards 2010: Second (Giant) Wave Of Nominees Announced!". Viacom.
47. Soll, Lindsay. (June 14, 2010). "Teen Choice Awards 2010: First Round Of Nominees Announced". [[Viacom (2005–present).
48. (June 29, 2011). "Teen Choice Awards 2011 Nominees Announced: Harry Potter vs Twilight". Huffington Post.
49. Bierly, Mandi. (December 6, 2010). "'Glee' rocks 'The X Factor' with 'Don't Stop Believin'".
50. Mullins, Jenna. (July 29, 2011). "The Glee Project: Watch Mark Salling & Ashley Fink Get Their Sexuality On". [[E! Online]].
51. (September 2, 2014). "Rocky Road".
52. "Mark Salling Album & Song Chart History: ''Billboard'' 200". Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
53. "Mark Salling Album & Song Chart History: Heatseekers Albums". Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
54. "Mark Salling Album & Song Chart History: Independent Albums". Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
55. (August 11, 2010). "GLEE's Mark Salling to Release New Solo Album, 10/12". Broadway World.

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