Dennis Haskins, Saved by the Bell's Mr. Belding, dies at 75
Agent Jay Schachter confirmed the death of the actor known as Principal Belding. No cause of death was given. Haskins played the role from 1989 to 2000.
Dennis Haskins (75), the American actor who played high school principal Richard Belding on “Saved by the Bell,” has died. His agent, Jay Schachter, confirmed the death to ABC News and TMZ, and TMZ published the news on September 28, 2026. No cause of death has been given.
What the agent said about Dennis Haskins
Schachter told ABC News the following (the quote is our translation from the Serbian text):
“This is a tragic loss. Everybody loved Mr. Belding, and those of us who had the chance to know Dennis loved him even more. He was a wonderful person and he loved, I mean he absolutely ADORED his fans. He always had time for them, no matter what.”
The agent’s follow-up, which he gave to TMZ, speaks to a long friendship. “He was a client and a dear friend for more than 20 years and I will miss him terribly,” Schachter said.
Three series, one principal
Belding first appeared in the Disney Channel series “Good Morning, Miss Bliss.” ABC News says that was in 1989, while Nova.rs gives 1988 for the show. The series was later reworked into “Saved by the Bell” on NBC.
Haskins appeared in all four seasons of “Saved by the Bell,” from 1989 to 1993. He continued the role in “Saved by the Bell: The New Class,” which ran for seven seasons, from 1993 to 2000. TMZ also mentions “Saved by the Bell: The College Years.” In total, he played Principal Belding from 1989 to 2000.
His character was forever trying to keep Zack Morris and the other students at Bayside High in line. He also had the line viewers remembered him for: “Hey, hey, hey, what is going on here?”
The main cast of the series also included:
- Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Zack Morris
- Mario Lopez as A.C. Slater
- Tiffani Thiessen as Kelly Kapowski
- Elizabeth Berkley as Jessie Spano
- Lark Voorhies as Lisa Turtle
- Dustin Diamond as Screech Powers
His last appearance in the role
Haskins last played Principal Belding in 2015. Gosselaar, Berkley, Lopez and Thiessen reunited for a sketch on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
Outside that series, he appeared in several other titles. ABC News singles out, among others:
- “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”
- “A Million Ways to Die in the West”
- “Men of a Certain Age”
- “The Bold and the Beautiful”
- “Victorious”
- “Mad Men”
- “How I Met Your Mother”
- “New Girl”
- “Hot in Cleveland”
A farewell from a Burbank karaoke bar
The Dimples karaoke bar in Burbank, California, which Haskins often visited, said goodbye to him in an Instagram post. It says many people thought Haskins owned the bar, though he did not, and that he simply loved the place and its people. The bar closed about 11 years ago.
Neither ABC News nor TMZ gives a cause of death, and neither reports the exact date he died.
