Dennis Haskins, the actor best known for his role as principal Richard Belding on the high school comedy series "Saved by the Bell," has died, his agent said Monday. Haskins was 75. The cause and manner of death were unavailable.
He made his network television debut in 1979 on "The Dukes of Hazzard." Haskins also appeared on "Archie Bunker's Place," Magnum, P.I.," "7th Heaven," "Hot in Cleveland" and nearly 100 other shows as an actor and voiceover artist.
His death was confirmed by his longtime friend and caretaker in his hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee. No cause of death has been announced. Some reports say Haskins was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Haskins was honored with The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's Most Distinguished Alumni of 2000 award and has a regional high school academic decathlon named after him, The Dennis Haskins Open.
In recent years, Haskins traveled the country, visiting many Minor League Baseball stadiums in the summer, greeting fans, signing autographs and taking pictures.
Haskins first played Mr. Belding in "Good Morning, Miss Bliss" on the Disney Channel in 1988. The show was renamed "Saved by the Bell" the following year and became a defining sitcom of the 1990s. His greeting of “hey, hey, hey, what is going on here?” became one of the sitcom’s most recognizable running bits and remains instantly associated with the character decades later.
Haskins’ role on the show, which aired from 1989 to 1993, would come to define him for millions of fans. "Everyone loved Mr. Belding and those of us who got to know Dennis, loved him even more.
Haskins was born and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and attended the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he reported for the student newspaper, acted in campus productions and was a founding member of the community theater group known as the Harlequins, according to his university biography. As a young man, he worked as a music manager, agent and concert promoter and boasted Tom Jones and Gregg Allman among his clients.
His acting career was boosted by his portrayal of Mr. Belding on Disney Channel's "Good Morning, Miss Bliss" in 1988, according to the university bio. The next year, NBC aired the show as "Saved by the Bell"; it ran until 1993. He reprised the role on "Saved by the Bell: The New Class," which aired Saturday mornings from 1993 to 2000 on NBC. After the show’s end, he found work in several movies and television shows, including "It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia."
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