Happy Birthday, Mark Salling! Five Reasons We Love You

It’s time to help Glee’s Mark Salling (Puck) ring in his dirty thirties! Today (August 17) Mark is turning 30, and so we decided to celebrate the milestone with the five reasons we love the guy — as if his chiseled good looks weren’t enough of a reason.

1. He named his dog after his Glee character!

Naming your daughter after your favorite KISS song — as Puck did with “Beth” — might be slightly questionable. But there’s nothing questionable about naming your dog after a Glee character — at least, not according to us! Lea Michele (Rachel) even helped Mark pick out the name of “Noah” for his Australian cattle dog last year. Come to think of it, dogs are known for humping everything in sight and for taking a ton of naps, which sounds a lot like Puck.

2. We can’t wait to see him in Season 4.

We’re not sure exactly how many episodes he’ll be appearing in, but just the fact that we’ll see him at all on Season 4 is enough to make us breathe easier. Will Puck have headed west to the swimming-pool mecca known as Southern California, or will he still be causing trouble in good ol’ Lima? We’re looking forward to finding out!

3. He’s easy on the eyes — despite that thing on his head.

It’s not easy to make a mohawk look sexy (no offense intended to Mr. T), but Mark somehow does the impossible. After all, not just any guy can have rumors swirl that he once datedNaya Rivera (Santana). As to whether Mark is a “sex tornado” like his character is... well, some things in life will always remain a mystery.

4. We’re excited to meet Puck’s little bro.

You have to be pretty special for Glee to want to make your character’s little brother into a regular part of the show. But that’s just what is in store for Season 4, when Puck’s younger bro Jake Puckerman (Jacob Artist) will be joining the cast. And it sounds like Jake will be even more of a badass than Puck, which seems virtually impossible.

5. That amazing voice!

It’s hard to pick our favorite Puck solo, since they’re all so great, but “Sweet Caroline” and Season 3’s emotional “Waiting for a Girl Like You” are definitely up there. In fact, Mark’s voice is so stellar that he even released an album, Pipe Dreams, in 2010. Long story short, he’s certainly come a long ways from his pre-Glee roles like Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering, dontcha think?Can’t get enough Gleetastic goodness? Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter!