About Dennis Haskins
Dennis Haskins was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on November 18, 1950. He attended Notre Dame High School there, then the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he wrote for the student newspaper, served as the Student Government Association's entertainment chairman, acted in campus theater, and helped found the Harlequins, a community theater group.
He started out in the music business, working as a manager, agent, and concert promoter whose clients included Tom Jones and Gregg Allman, before turning to acting, with early guest spots on "Magnum, P.I." and "The Twilight Zone." In 1988 he auditioned seven times before winning the role of Principal Richard Belding on Disney Channel's "Good Morning, Miss Bliss." When the show was retooled for NBC as "Saved by the Bell" the next year, Haskins came with it as the only adult in the regular cast, playing Belding across four seasons opposite Bayside High's students.
He kept the role for "Saved by the Bell: The New Class" from 1993 to 2000, and returned to it again in guest and voice appearances for years after, including a cameo in 2012's "Victorious." In between, he worked steadily in guest roles — "Knots Landing," "CHiPs," "Simon & Simon," "The West Wing," "Mad Men," "How I Met Your Mother," "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" — across four decades. He stayed a fixture at fan conventions, and in 2009 released a karaoke album, "Karaoke with Your Favorite Principal Dennis," that included a duet with Brooke Hogan. His former castmate Lark Voorhies, who played Lisa Turtle, wrote after his death that knowing him for almost 40 years "has been one of the truest blessings of my life."
Haskins died on the night of September 27, 2026, at an assisted-living facility in Burbank, California, at 75. His agent, Jay Schachter, said a cause of death was not known at the time.
A Life in Time
- 1950: Born on November 18 in Chattanooga, Tennessee
- 1968: Graduates Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga, then enrolls at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
- 1979: Plays Moss in "The Dukes of Hazzard" series premiere, "One Armed Bandits"
- 1988: Wins the role of Principal Richard Belding on Disney Channel's "Good Morning, Miss Bliss," on his seventh audition
- 1989: "Good Morning, Miss Bliss" is retooled for NBC as "Saved by the Bell"; Haskins is the only adult in the regular cast
- 1993: Reprises Belding in "Saved by the Bell: The New Class," which runs through 2000
- 2009: Releases the karaoke album "Karaoke with Your Favorite Principal Dennis," featuring a duet with Brooke Hogan
- 2012: Returns as Belding for a cameo on Nickelodeon's "Victorious"
- 2026: Dies on the night of September 27, at an assisted-living facility in Burbank, California, at 75
Connected lives
- Ben Jones · Dukes of Hazzard · same series debut
- Chattanooga, Tennessee · Birthplace · Education