Dennis Haskins, Principal Belding on ‘Saved by the Bell,’ Dies at 75

Dennis Haskins, who played Principal Richard Belding on Saved by the Bell for over a decade, has died. He was 75.

His longtime agent, Jay Schacter, confirmed the passing in a statement, writing, “It’s a tragic loss. Everyone loved Mr. Belding, and those of us who got to know Dennis loved him even more.”

“He was a great person, and he loved, I mean absolutely LOVED his fans,” Schacter continued. “He always had time for them, no matter what. He was my client and dear friend for over 20 years, and I will miss him terribly.”

The cause of death has not been revealed. However, an Instagram tribute from Dimples Karaoke, where Haskins was a regular, mentions that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s about eight years ago.

 

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“About eight years ago, he became ill. He had been silent about his fight with Parkinson’s, among other health concerns, because he did not want the attention,” the post read. “He did not want to have to tell people. He would say, ‘What do I even say?’ So I respected his wishes and stayed quiet, and I helped him through his journey into the next chapter of his life.”

The statement continued, “Late last night, that journey ended for him. He is now at peace and is probably entertaining the people in the sky. Just know that if you tried to reach out to him in the last few years, I did read your messages to him, and you were heard.”

Born on November 18, 1950, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Haskins began his acting career in the late 1970s, making his on-screen debut in an episode of The Dukes of Hazzard. He’d go on to appear in several more episodes of The Dukes of Hazzard in different roles, as well as episodes of Archie Bunker’s Place and Magnum PI.

Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Dustin Diamond, Dennis Haskins on Saved by the Bell; NBC / Courtesy: Everett Collection

His big break came in 1987 when he landed the part of Richard Belding, a role he once said he had to audition for seven times. The part was for the teen sitcom Good Morning, Miss Bliss, which was retooled after one season and became Saved by the Bell on NBC.

Saved by the Bell followed a group of high school friends and their principal at the fictional Bayside High School in Los Angeles. The show was a hit, with Haskins’ stern but lovable Principal Belding becoming a fan favorite. It ran for four seasons until 1993.

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Haskins reprised his role in the spinoff series Saved by the Bell: The New Class, which aired from 1993 to 2000. He also appeared in Saved by the Bell: The College Years and the television movie Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas.

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He last reprised the role on a 2015 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in a sketch featuring his fellow former castmates Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Tiffani Amber Thiessen, Mario Lopez, and Elizabeth Berkley.

Outside of the Saved by the Bell universe, Haskins had one-off roles in several shows, including The West Wing, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Robot Chicken, Mad Men, New Girl, and many more.

He was also a musician and released his first album, Karaoke with Your Favorite Principal Dennis, in August 2009. Haskins took his musical talents on two USO tours for troops in Kosovo, Macedonia, and Bosnia, and later in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Oman, and Kyrgyzstan.

In 2000, Haskins was honored with The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Most Distinguished Alumni award and also has a regional high school academic decathlon named after him, The Dennis Haskins Open.

He is survived by his son, Dustin.