Then vs. Now: ‘Saved by the Bell’ Stars

“Saved by the Bell” became one of the defining teen sitcoms of the late 1980s and early 1990s, turning the halls of Bayside High School into a familiar setting for an entire generation. The series followed Zack Morris and his circle of friends as they dealt with school, dating, friendships, sports and the occasional surprisingly serious issue, all while Principal Richard Belding tried to keep order.

Mark-Paul Gosselaar became the face of the show as Zack, the charming troublemaker known for elaborate schemes and for occasionally breaking the fourth wall to speak directly to viewers. Gosselaar continued acting long after leaving Bayside, taking on dramatically different roles in series including “NYPD Blue,” “Franklin & Bash,” “Pitch” and “Mixed-ish.”

Tiffani Thiessen played Kelly Kapowski, the popular cheerleader who became one of the most recognizable television characters of the era. Thiessen eventually traded Bayside for Beverly Hills when she joined “Beverly Hills, 90210” as Valerie Malone, giving audiences a much different character from the wholesome Kelly.

Then vs Now: 'Saved by the Bell' Stars

Her career later included “White Collar,” “Alexa & Katie,” television hosting and food-related projects, including her cooking series “Dinner at Tiffani’s.” Thiessen has also spoken more candidly in recent years about what life was actually like for the young cast, including the relatively modest money they earned despite the enormous popularity of “Saved by the Bell.”

Mario Lopez became another breakout star through his role as athletic Bayside student A.C. Slater. After the original show ended, Lopez built a career that stretched far beyond scripted television, becoming a familiar entertainment host while continuing to act and make television appearances.

Elizabeth Berkley played Jessie Spano, the intelligent and outspoken member of the group whose ambitious personality occasionally became the center of some of the show’s most memorable episodes.

Berkley made one of the biggest departures from her Bayside image when she starred in the 1995 film “Showgirls,” later appearing in numerous other film and television projects. Decades later, Berkley and Lopez remained closely connected to the franchise and returned as Jessie and Slater for Peacock’s “Saved by the Bell” revival.

Lark Voorhies played Lisa Turtle, the fashionable and confident Bayside student who frequently found herself dealing with Screech’s persistent affection. Voorhies continued acting after the series and appeared in programs including “Days of Our Lives,” “The Bold and the Beautiful,” “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”

The passage of time has also brought considerably sadder moments for the “Saved by the Bell” family. Dustin Diamond, who played Samuel “Screech” Powers, died in February 2021 at only 44 years old after being diagnosed with stage 4 small cell carcinoma. Diamond had portrayed Screech for more than a decade across several versions of the franchise, making the eccentric character one of the longest-running fixtures in the “Saved by the Bell” universe.

His life after the series was sometimes turbulent, with reality television appearances, stand-up comedy and public controversies making him a very different kind of celebrity than he had been during his childhood acting years. Despite reports over the years of tension between Diamond and his former castmates, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Elizabeth Berkley and Mario Lopez later said there had never been genuine animosity between them.

Berkley emphasized Diamond’s importance to the original series, while the cast revealed that discussions had taken place about potentially involving him in the reboot before his death. Another major loss came in September 2026 when Dennis Haskins, the actor who played Principal Belding, died at age 75.

Haskins had first played Belding on “Good Morning, Miss Bliss,” the series that helped lay the groundwork for what would eventually become “Saved by the Bell.” He remained attached to the role longer than most members of the franchise, continuing as Belding on “Saved by the Bell: The New Class” and becoming permanently associated with the character.

Haskins was especially remembered for Belding’s exasperated encounters with Zack and the gang and for the character’s famous “Hey, hey, hey” entrance whenever something suspicious was happening at Bayside. Following his death, former cast members publicly remembered Haskins not just as their television principal but as a friend who remained connected with the people around the show for decades.

Mario Lopez recalled Haskins as someone with a youthful personality off camera, while Lark Voorhies reflected on a friendship with him that stretched back nearly four decades.

The franchise itself eventually received another life when Peacock introduced a new version of “Saved by the Bell” in 2020, mixing a younger generation of Bayside students with familiar faces from the original.

Gosselaar returned as Zack, while Thiessen again appeared as Kelly and Lopez and Berkley took more substantial roles as adult versions of Slater and Jessie.

Seeing the actors return provided a striking contrast with their original appearances, when they were young performers wearing colorful early-1990s fashions and becoming famous almost overnight.

More than three decades after the original series dominated Saturday mornings, the surviving cast members have built careers and families of their own, while the deaths of Diamond and Haskins have added a bittersweet dimension to reunions and retrospectives about the show.

What began as a lighthearted school comedy has ultimately become a time capsule of a particular television era, with the changing lives of its cast serving as a reminder of just how much time has passed since Zack Morris and his friends first walked the halls of Bayside High.