Dennis Haskins, actor behind Saved by the Bell's Principal Belding, dies aged 75

Dennis Haskins, who played Principal Richard Belding on the beloved high school comedy series Saved by the Bell, has died at the age of 75, his agent has confirmed.

The actor passed away on Sunday (27th September). The cause of death is yet to be confirmed, but the actor had Parkinson’s disease, according to ABC News4.

“It’s a tragic loss. Everyone loved Mr Belding, and those of us who got to know Dennis loved him even more,” his agent Jay Schachter said in a statement.

“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.”

Haskins first played Principal Belding on Disney Channel’s Good Morning, Miss Bliss, which was reworked after one season and became Saved by the Bell on NBC, running from 1989 to 1993.

He reprised the role in the sequel Saved by the Bell: The New Class from 1993 until 2000.

Haskins then returned to play Belding one final time in February 2015 for a sketch on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, which also starred fellow Bell cast members Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Elizabeth Berkley, Mario Lopez and Tiffani Thiessen.

The actor also went on to release an album inspired by the role called Karaoke With Your favourite Principal Dennis.

Haskins went on to appear in a number of other TV shows and films over his decades-long career, including The West Wing, Mad Men, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, How I Met Your Mother and New Girl.

He is survived by his son, Dustin Haskins.

Authors

Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.