Dennis Haskins

Dennis Haskins was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on 18 November 1950. He attended Our Lady of Perpetual Help and Notre Dame High School, then the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He played basketball at UTC after failing to make the team at the University of Tennessee, and was also a cheerleader. On campus he wrote for the student newspaper, acted with the Drama Club and Harlequins, chaired SGA entertainment, and joined Blue Key Honor Fraternity, the Raven's Society and Kappa Sigma. As entertainment chairman he helped bring Ike and Tina Turner to UTC in 1973. Through Blue Key he helped run the Freaks vs. Fuzz charity basketball games for scholarships for children of UTC and Chattanooga police officers.

Before Saved by the Bell, Haskins appeared as a contestant on Press Your Luck and Scrabble and took small television roles, including several parts on The Dukes of Hazzard. He auditioned seven times for Mr. Belding and first played the role in Good Morning, Miss Bliss on the Disney Channel in 1988. After a year the series became NBC's Saved by the Bell (1989-1993), with Haskins the only adult regular from the earlier show. He continued as Principal Belding on Saved by the Bell: The New Class until 2000, with guest turns in related specials and The College Years. Later credits included It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and A Million Ways to Die in the West. In 2009 he released the album Karaoke with Your Favorite Principal Dennis, recorded at Mikron Studios in South Pittsburg, Tennessee.

Haskins had one child. He split his time between Los Angeles and Winthrop, Massachusetts, and stayed connected to Chattanooga through alumni events and local media. He was a fan of professional wrestling and appeared in web projects connected to WWE talent. UTC honored him as a Most Distinguished Alumnus in 2000.

NewsChannel 9 (WTVC) reported on 28 September 2026 that Haskins had died at age 75, according to his friend and caretaker. A cause of death was not confirmed publicly. English Wikipedia listed the death under 28 September 2026.

Haskins made Principal Richard Belding one of the most recognizable adult characters of 1990s American teen television. His catchphrase and patient-vs-exasperated comic timing helped define Saved by the Bell for multiple generations. In Chattanooga he is also remembered for campus leadership, charity basketball, and helping put UTC basketball on local television. The Dennis Haskins Open academic decathlon kept his name in regional schools.