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

Dennis Haskins, who for more than a decade played the lovable but stern Principal Richard Belding on Saved by the Bell, has died, his agent, Jay Schachter, announced in a statement. He was 75. “It’s a tragic loss. Everyone loved Mr. Belding, and those of us who got to know Dennis loved him even more,” Schachter said. “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.” Details of his death were not provided. Haskins played Principal Belding first on the Disney Channel show Good Morning, Miss Bliss, which was retooled after one season and became Saved by the Bell on NBC, running from 1989-93. He then reprised the character on Saved by the Bell: The New Class, which aired from 1993-2000. Haskins would go on to play Belding one final time in February 2015 when he reunited with Bell stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Elizabeth Berkley, Mario Lopez and Tiffani Thiessen for a sketch on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The Chattanooga, Tennessee-born actor appeared in numerous TV shows and films throughout his decades-long career, including Seth MacFarlane’s A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014), Mad Men, Hot in Cleveland and New Girl. He also was on the Showtime series I’m Dying Up Here, Cartoon Network’s Robot Chicken and FX’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Haskins made his onscreen debut in 1979 when he showed up on an episode of CBS’ The Dukes of Hazzard. He played basketball for a year at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and in 2000 was honored with the school’s Most Distinguished Alumni Award. He also had a regional high school academic decathlon named after him, The Dennis Haskins Open. Also a musician, Haskins in 2000 participated in two USO tours for troops in Kosovo, Macedonia and Bosnia and again in 2002 in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Oman and Kyrgyzstan. He also flew with the Blue Angels. He is survived by his son, Dustin.