Dennis Haskins, the actor best known as Principal Richard Belding on Saved by the Bell, has died at 75.
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Haskins’ agent, Jay Schachter, confirmed his death in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. Schachter did not disclose a cause of death. Haskins’ friend and caretaker also confirmed the death to WTVC in his hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee.
“It’s a tragic loss,” Schachter said, adding that fans loved Haskins and that the actor always made time for them. “He was a great person, and he loved, I mean absolutely LOVED his fans. 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.”
Dennis Haskins Is Known to a Generation for His Role in Saved by the Bell
Haskins first played Mr. Belding in Good Morning, Miss Bliss, a Disney series that ran before NBC reworked the concept into Saved by the Bell. The sitcom debuted in 1989 and followed students at the fictional Bayside High School.
Haskins continued playing Belding throughout the Saved by the Bell franchise. He reprised the character in Saved by the Bell: The College Years and Saved by the Bell: The New Class, among other productions. He also appeared in two Saved by the Bell television movies.
The role made Haskins a familiar face to television audiences during the show’s run and its subsequent spinoffs. He played the character for more than a decade, carrying the role from the late 1980s into 2000.
Born and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Haskins attended Notre Dame High School and later studied at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He participated in theater there and helped establish the university’s Harlequins community theater group.
Haskins moved to Los Angeles and began building an acting career during the 1980s. Before Saved by the Bell, he appeared in television programs including Magnum, P.I. and The Dukes of Hazzard.
His later credits included Mad Men, New Girl, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Victorious and A Million Ways to Die in the West.