For a lot of us who grew up in the late ’80s and early ’90s, Bayside High wasn’t just a fictional school.
It was part of our childhood.
Dennis Haskins, the actor who brought Bayside High Principal Richard Belding to life on Saved by the Bell, has died at the age of 75. His death was confirmed by his agent, who said Haskins “absolutely loved his fans” and always made time for them. (WRAL News)
And for many Gen Xers, this one hits a little differently.
Saved by the Bell was a huge part of my childhood. Zack, Kelly, Slater, Jessie, Lisa, Screech and, of course, Mr. Belding were familiar faces in our living rooms. Bayside may have been fictional, but for a generation growing up alongside those characters, it felt like a place we knew.
There’s even a personal connection for me: I graduated high school the same year the kids at Bayside did.
The original Saved by the Bell ran from 1989 through 1993, following the misadventures of the students at the fictional Bayside High in Southern California. Haskins’ Mr. Belding was the well-meaning principal constantly trying—and usually struggling—to keep Zack Morris and his friends under control. (AP News)
But looking back now, Mr. Belding represented something more than the guy yelling, “Zack Morris!”
He was one of those adults who was simply there throughout our childhood. A familiar face from a different time, when getting home from school meant turning on the TV and settling in for another episode.
Haskins went on to appear in numerous other television shows and movies, including Magnum, P.I., The Twilight Zone, A Million Ways to Die in the West and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. (WRAL News)
But for millions of us, he’ll always be Principal Belding.
And now, another piece of our childhood is gone.
Rest easy, Mr. Belding.
Thanks for the memories.