Dennis Haskins, the actor who played Principal Richard Belding, the flustered but soft-hearted administrator of Bayside High on “Saved by the Bell,” has died at 75. His agent, Jay Schachter, confirmed the death Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
The cause of death has not been made public. Haskins had been living with Parkinson’s disease, WTVC in Chattanooga reported.
Schachter called the death a tragic loss. “Everyone loved Mr. Belding, and those of us who got to know Dennis loved him even more,” he said. He added that Haskins always made time for fans, no matter the circumstances. “He was a great person, and he loved, I mean absolutely LOVED his fans,” Schachter said.
Haskins had been a client and a dear friend of his for more than 20 years, Schachter told People. He said he was heartbroken and would miss him terribly.
Co-Stars Pay Tribute
Tiffani Thiessen, who co-starred on the series, said in a statement to Page Six through her rep on Sept. 29: “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.”
Mario Lopez, who played A.C. Slater, shared his “heartbroken” reaction the same day on X. “He played the principal, but Dennis was the biggest kid on the SBTB set,” Lopez wrote.
Lark Voorhies, another cast member, wrote on Instagram on Sept. 29: “Knowing Dennis Haskins for almost 40 years has been one of the truest blessings of my life,” adding that she would miss his “warmth and laughter more than words can say.”
A Private Health Battle
Dimples Karaoke, a now-closed bar in Burbank, Calif., counted Haskins as a regular, and the venue paid tribute on Instagram after the death was reported. The post, quoted Sept. 29, said Haskins had battled Parkinson’s disease for the last eight years and had kept it private.
“He had been silent about his fight with Parkinson’s, among other health concerns, because he did not want the attention,” the tribute said.
From Miss Bliss to Bayside
Haskins, who was born in Chattanooga, Tenn., first played the role on “Good Morning, Miss Bliss,” a series reworked into the teen sitcom “Saved by the Bell” after a single season. The character came with him.
“Saved by the Bell” debuted in 1989 and ran four seasons until 1993. Mark-Paul Gosselaar starred as the star athlete Zack Morris, and the show tracked him and his circle of friends through the fictional Bayside High School in California. Dustin Diamond, Tiffani Amber Thiessen, Mario Lopez, Elizabeth Berkley and Lark Voorhies rounded out the cast.
Through all of it, Belding stayed the constant — an adult who trailed Zack’s schemes by one step and could never hold on to his anger about them. Haskins played the role for more than a decade, reprising it in “Saved by the Bell: The New Class,” which aired 1993 to 2000. He also reprised Principal Belding in “Saved by the Bell: The College Years” and “Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style,” making him one of the franchise’s longest-serving cast members.
A sketch on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” brought him back to the part once more in 2015, alongside Thiessen, Lopez, Gosselaar and Berkley. The reunion drew a roar from viewers who had not seen the group together in years.
Haskins had a decades-long working life, and his other television credits across eras and genres included “Mad Men,” “New Girl” and “The Dukes of Hazzard.” Belding was his most famous role.