Dennis Haskins, the actor whose portrayal of Principal Richard Belding made him a fixture of 1990s television, has died at 75, according to reporting by TMZ confirmed by his agent.
Haskins passed away at his home in Los Angeles, California, the outlet reported. No cause of death has been released.
Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Haskins built a long career as a working actor, but it was the role of Bayside High’s perpetually exasperated principal on “Saved by the Bell” that made him a household name to a generation of viewers.
‘Everyone loved Mr. Belding’
His agent, Jay Schachter, described the loss in a statement to TMZ as both professional and deeply personal.
“It’s a tragic loss. Everyone loved Mr. Belding and those of us who got to know Dennis, loved him even more. He was a great person, and he loved, I mean absolutely LOVED his fans,” Schachter said.
The agent, who said he had represented Haskins for more than two decades, remembered him as unfailingly generous with the public that embraced him.
“He always had time for them, no matter what,” Schachter said. “He was my client and dear friend for over 20 years, and I will miss him terribly.”
Haskins was a regular presence on the convention and fan-circuit for years after the show ended, an era that gave his character a second life on cable reruns and streaming.
The ‘Saved by the Bell’ cast and its losses
His death is the second to hit the show’s core cast in recent years. Dustin Diamond, who played Samuel “Screech” Powers, died in 2021 at age 44.
“Saved by the Bell” premiered in 1989 and ran through 1993, following a group of students at the fictional Bayside High School in California. Haskins’ Mr. Belding served as the adult foil to the show’s teenage leads, a role that made him one of the most recognizable authority figures on television during the period.
He later reprised the character in subsequent iterations of the franchise, keeping the Belding name alive well past the show’s original run.
Haskins was 75.
Source: www.thegatewaypundit.com — https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/09/dennis-haskins-best-known-playing-mr-belding-saved/