It's been over 30 years since "Saved by the Bell" debuted on NBC, and in that time we've
said goodbye to several members of the Bayside family, including one of the show's core group
of friends. Here are some of the actors from "Saved by the Bell" who’ve passed on.
Best remembered for playing Bayside teacher Mr. Tuttle on "Saved by the
Bell," Jack Angeles died at the age of 59 in 2009. According to the actor's obituary, he
"passed away suddenly and peacefully following a brief hospitalization."
Angeles was a lawyer in New York City before relocating to California in 1982.
He played a lawyer on the primetime soap opera "Falcon Crest" in 1989, and that same year
he debuted as Mr. Tuttle on "Saved By the Bell." A well-liked rival of Mr. Belding,
Mr. Tuttle lost out on the principal job prior to the events of the show.
The two rarely saw eye to eye, with Tuttle leading the local teacher's union.
Angeles appeared as Mr. Tuttle in the first two seasons of "Saved by the Bell,"
then returned for the fourth and final season, where he leads a rebellion against Mr. Belding.
Comedian and actor Monty Hoffman,
who played Coach Sonski on "Saved by the Bell," died at age 60 in 2013.
The funnyman used to joke about his time on the show in his standup routine. In one bit, he talked
about how he assumed a kid at the mall recognized him from his role on "Saved By the Bell."
"I thought he recognized me from the show. So finally I go, 'Kid,
what seems to be the problem?' And he goes, 'Hey mister, are you the guy from the Operation game?'”
Hoffman made his on-screen debut in the Marvel movie "Howard the Duck" in 1986 and would become
a regular TV guest star during the 1990s. He went on to make appearances in "Roseanne,"
"Married With Children," "Boy Meets World," "Everybody Loves Raymond," and, of course,
"Saved by the Bell." His biggest role was that of Tommy Barlett on the short-lived Drew Carey sitcom
"The Good Life," though some may also remember him from his feature-length appearances.
Hoffman made quite the impression on director Judd Apatow on the set of "Funny People,"
in which he played himself. Apatow once said that having Hoffman around
"was very exciting, especially for me and Adam [Sandler]."
Louan Gideon played Becky, the wife of Principal Richard Belding in "Saved by the Bell."
Although she only appeared in a single episode of the show, she went through quite the ordeal.
In Season 4's "Earthquake," Zack hatches a plan to get out of the physics test that he hasn't studied
for. Mr. Belding's wife is heavily pregnant, and when she shows up at Bayside the week of the test,
Zack concocts a story about a secret baby shower that just so happens to clash with the test. The
blindsided Mr. Belding approves the party, which takes an unexpected turn. An earthquake strikes,
trapping Zack in an elevator with Becky Belding. Ultimately,
Mr. Belding's most irksome student helps deliver his baby.
Gideon reprised the role of Mrs. Belding in 1995 when she showed up during a Christmas
episode of "Saved by the Bell: The New Class." By this point, she was recurring
on "The Secret World of Alex Mack" as Danielle Atron, the villainous CEO of a chemical company.
Other notable credits for Gideon include "Seinfeld," "3rd Rock from the Sun," "Sabrina,
The Teenage Witch," and "Malcolm in the Middle." Gideon died of cancer in 2014 at the age of 58.
Gary Beach was best known for his Tony Award-winning turn as hapless theater director
Roger DeBris in the stage and film versions of "The Producers." But "Saved by the Bell" fans
will no doubt remember him as Gem Diamond, the salesman that scams Zack in the Season 4 episode
"Class Rings." Zack has been left in charge of procuring rings for Bayside's graduating seniors,
and he falls for Gem's sales patter hook, line, and sinker. After he realizes that the rings
contain fake stones, it's an intervention from Screech that ultimately saves the day.
Beach only appeared in one episode of "Saved by the Bell," and while it was
far from his only TV credit, he was more of a stage person. In 2001, he was quoted as saying,
"I always wanted to be a performer, but it never occurred to me to be
a television performer or a movie actor. To me, it was always Broadway."
He also earned Tony nominations for his work on 1994's "Beauty and the Beast"
and the 2004 revival of "La Cage aux Folles."
Beach died in 2018 at the age of 70.
Henry Polic II, who was best known for his collaboration with Mel Brooks and for his
work voicing the Scarecrow in "Batman: The Animated Series," died of cancer in 2013.
The Pittsburgh native spent his final days in a Los Angeles assisted living facility. He was 68.
Polic studied acting at Florida State University before making the move to Hollywood.
Playing the Sheriff of Nottingham on "When Things Were Rotten" was his big break,
opening the door to another classic character. He portrayed Dracula on the NBC show "Monster Squad"
the following year. He would go on to guest star on everything from "Mork & Mindy" and "Murder,
She Wrote" to "The Love Boat" and "Fantasy Island" before landing his part on "Saved by the Bell."
He played drama teacher Mr. Bainbridge in the Season 4 episode "Snow White and the
Seven Dorks" in which the gang performs a rap version of the famous story. Fans will
probably remember it as the episode where Zack and Jessie have to kiss and some unexpected feelings
emerge. The highlight of the episode, however, is Bainbridge waxing lyrical about fairy tales.
"Fairy tales are the very foundations of drama.
Well consider the emotional range of Snow White: Loyalty, envy, revenge, romance."
After a long acting career that started in the mid-'60s, comedian Avery Schreiber was
as funny as ever when he guest starred on "Saved by the Bell" in the '80s.
Schreiber played Dr. Mertz in Season 1's "Beauty and the Screech": an enthusiastic,
mustachioed science teacher who likes to hand out molecule hats to his best students.
Schreiber first gained attention appearing on the likes of "Hollywood
Palace" and "The Ed Sullivan Show" with his partner, Jack Burns. He would later
become known for his humorous songs and as the guy from the Doritos commercials.
Schreiber also sharpened his comedic chops working with Mel Brooks — he played the Tax Assessor in
"Robin Hood: Men in Tights" and appeared as a peasant in "Dracula: Dead and Loving It."
Schreiber died of a heart attack in 2002 at the age of 66.
Character actor Mary Pat Gleason, who was best known for playing the waitress Eleanor
in "A Cinderella Story," died of cancer in 2020 at the age of 70. The film's star,
Hilary Duff, responded to her death by telling USA Today,
"I am so saddened by this news. Mary was a wonderful woman who was such an
industry veteran and badass. I loved being on set with her. Just being in her presence,
you felt comfortable and safe — like a warm hug. I feel grateful to have
gotten even the small amount of time with Mary that I did many moons ago."
Gleason had nearly 175 acting credits to her name by the time of her death, including "Full House,"
"L.A. Law," "Friends," "Will & Grace," "Sex and the City,"
"Desperate Housewives," "NCIS: Los Angeles," "Grey's Anatomy," "2 Broke Girls," and "Mom."
"Saved by the Bell" fans will recall seeing Gleason as Madame Oeuf,
a French teacher who is far from fluent in the language. She pops up in the Season 2 episode
"The Babysitters" where Kelly leaves her little brother, Billy, in the care of her friends.
Hamilton Camp appeared in the very first "Saved by the Bell" episode:
1989's "Dancing to the Max." In the episode, Camp plays Mr. Margolies,
Bayside High's music teacher. The actor died in 2005 at the age of 70.
Camp got his first taste of fame in the early 1960s as half of the folk music act
Gibson & Camp. The pair's live album "Gibson & Camp at the Gate of Horn"
is thought to have influenced everyone from Simon & Garfunkel and John Denver
to The Beatles. The duo eventually broke up when Camp made the switch to acting.
Camp went on to become a prolific character actor in the years that followed. He appeared
on "M*A*S*H," "The Twilight Zone," and "Cheers" to name but a few of his 200-plus credits. He kept
just as busy in his post-"Saved By the Bell" career, working primarily as a voice actor.
Fans of the original "Saved by the Bell" would have no doubt loved to see Dustin Diamond return
as the loveable geek Samuel "Screech" Powers in Peacock's reboot. But sadly, that's no longer
possible. The actor died in 2021, just weeks after being told he had stage 4 lung cancer.
He was 44. In a statement to Entertainment Weekly, co-star Mark-Paul Gosselaar said,
"I'm deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Dustin Diamond,
a true comedic genius. Looking back at our time working together, I will miss those raw,
brilliant sparks that only he was able to produce. A pie in your face, my comrade."
Diamond had a string of legal problems and served several months of prison time in
the years leading up to his death, which many presumed was the reason he wasn't invited back.
According to Lark Voorhies, he was contacted about reprising his role,
but he wanted too much money. Speaking to Toronto's KiSS 92.5, Voorhies said,
"The almighty dollar rules on that. He wants to be paid and respected."
Being the most recognizable "Saved by the Bell" cast member, Diamond was holding out for "the
perfect contract," as Voorhies described it. Unfortunately, it never came to be. Instead,
Diamond's final project was the yet-to-be-released movie "The Curse of the Zombie Pirates."
"When do the zombies fall in love?"
"Shh, you'll see."