LOS ANGELES — Dennis Haskins, the actor beloved for playing Principal Richard Belding on the hit sitcom “Saved by the Bell,” has died at 75, his agent confirmed to ABC News.
“It’s a tragic loss. Everyone loved Mr. Belding, and those of us who knew Dennis loved him even more,” agent Jay Schachter said. “He was a great person, and he absolutely loved his fans. No matter what, he always made time for them.”
A cause of death has not been disclosed.
Haskins first portrayed Principal Belding in the 1989 Disney Channel series “Good Morning, Miss Bliss,” which was later reworked into NBC’s “Saved by the Bell.”
He remained with “Saved by the Bell” throughout its four-season run from 1989 to 1993. Haskins then returned as Belding for “Saved by the Bell: The New Class,” which aired for seven seasons between 1993 and 2000.
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One of the signature sitcoms of the 1990s, “Saved by the Bell” centered on a group of high school friends navigating adolescence. Viewers fondly remember Principal Belding’s familiar warning: “Hey, hey, hey, what is going on here?”
Haskins last stepped into the role in 2015, when he reunited with Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Elizabeth Berkley, Mario Lopez and Tiffani Thiessen for a “Saved by the Bell” sketch on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
Beyond his work as Principal Belding, Haskins appeared in numerous television shows and films, including “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” and “Hot in Cleveland,” among others.
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