Actor Dennis Haskins (The Dukes of Hazzard, A Million Ways to Die in the West), who played Principal Richard Belding from NBC’s Saved by the Bell (1989-1993), died at the age of 75 this past weekend in Burbank, California. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Haskins’ agent, Jay Schachter, announced it in a statement but no further details of the cause of his death are available yet.
Before his breakout role, Haskins was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee and played basketball at the University of Tennessee for a year. In 2000, he was honored with the school’s Most Distinguished Alumni Award and had a regional high school academic decathlon named after him called The Dennis Haskins Open.
He had a decade-long-acting career in numerous TV shows and films. His first onscreen debut was in 1979 on an episode of the CBS show, The Dukes of Hazzard (1979). He first appeared as Principal Belding on a Disney Channel show called Good Morning, Miss Bliss (1988-1989). After one season, they changed it to the series Saved by the Bell. Then he reprised his role on Saved by the Bell: The New Class (1993-2000).
Tributes for the beloved actor have flooded social media, beginning with his Saved by the Bell costars. Lark Voorhies (The Bold and the Beautiful, In the House), who played the show’s posh student, Lisa Turtle, posted, “Knowing Dennis Haskins for almost 40 years has been one of the truest blessings of my life, which makes losing him hurt so deeply. We shared so much history together from our earliest days, and through it all, he remained a fabulous person, a loyal friend, and someone with such a kind, gentle heart. I am truly heartbroken by his passing and will miss his warmth and laughter more than words can say. Rest in peace Dennis, you will always hold a special place in my heart.”
Actress Tiffani Thiessen (Fastlane, Son-in-Law) who played cheerleader Kelly Kapowski stated this in her Instagram post: “Dennis Haskins was a steady presence in my teenage years, the kind of figure who kept us in line while making sure we knew he was in our corner. I will always remember his kindness and be grateful for the memories we as a cast got to share with him. RIP Mr. B.”
Actor Thomas Nicholas (Rookie of the Year, The Rules of Attraction) reminisced about his encounters with the actor in Burbank saying, “Over the years, I’d run into him at @thenaca in St. Louis, at @ryanseaman’s birthday party, and we did Comic Cons together. I even got the chance to work with him in 2017 with @lulujovovich on my friend @griff_furst film. Dennis also introduced me Mark Galuska at @clbclippers to perform at their games, simply because that’s the kind of guy he was. Always looking out for people and making connections. He will be missed, but definitely not forgotten. Rest easy, Dennis.”
He appeared in previous shows and films including Seth MacFarlane’s A Million Way to Die in the West (2014), Mad Men (2007-2015), Hot in Cleveland (2010-2015), New Girl (2011-2018), Showtime series I’m Dying Up Here (2017-2018), Cartoon Network’s Robot Chicken (2005-2022), and FX’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005- ).
Haskins played Belding one final time for a sketch called “Bell” that was released in February 2015 on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, starring with Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Franklin & Bash, Good Morning, Miss Bliss), Elizabeth Berkley (Showgirls, The First Wives Club), Mario Lopez (Kids Incorporated, Pacific Blue), and Tiffani Thiessen (White Collar, Alexa & Katie).
Haskins was also a musician who participated in two United Service Organization (USO) tours for troops in Kosovo, Macedonia, and Bosnia in 2000. Then again in 2002 for Afghanistan, Pakistan, Oman, and Kyrgyzstan.