It’s been more than three decades since “Saved by the Bell” debuted on NBC in 1989. The high school sitcom quickly became a huge hit with kids across the globe, catapulting its young stars to international superstardom. In honor of Elizabeth Berkley’s 49th birthday on July 28, 2021, Wonderwall.com is taking a look back at the Bayside High crew, how they’ve changed over the years and what they’re up to now.
Keep reading to catch up with the iconic actors and actresses who brought “Saved by the Bell” to life…
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Elizabeth Berkley starred as high-achieving straight-A student Jessie Spano — Zack Morris’s longtime pal and next-door neighbor and Slater’s off-and-on girlfriend — on “Saved by the Bell.”
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Following her departure from “Saved by the Bell,” Elizabeth Berkley shimmied her way through the infamous 1995 box office bomb “Showgirls,” which sadly had a negative impact on her career. She went on to win small roles in “The First Wives Club,” “Any Given Sunday” and “The Curse of the Jade Scorpion,” but for the most part, her subsequent work on the big screen failed to make an impression. She also had stints on “Titus,” “The L Word” and “CSI: Miami,” starred in several made-for-TV movies, hosted the short-lived 2008 Bravo reality TV show “Step It Up and Dance,” competed on the 17th season of “Dancing With the Stars,” published the 2011 self-help book “Ask-Elizabeth” — which was inspired by her touring workshops for teen girls — and had great success on the stage in the 2004 Broadway revival of “Sly Fox” and in the 2005 off-Broadway revival of “Hurlyburly.” In 2003, Elizabeth married artist Greg Lauren. They welcomed son Sky in 2012. In 2020, she returned to the role of Jessie Spano on Peacock’s “Saved by the Bell” revival.
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Mark-Paul Gosselaar starred as Zack Morris — the coolest guy at Bayside High — on “Saved by the Bell.”
After “Saved by the Bell,” Mark-Paul Gosselaar starred as Detective John Clark Jr. on “NYPD Blue” from 2001 to 2005. He then portrayed Peter Bash on “Franklin & Bash” from 2011 to 2014. Aside from those two series, he has an impressive track record for headlining extremely short-lived TV shows. (Among them are “Hyperion Bay,” “D.C.,” “Commander in Chief,” “Raising the Bar,” “Truth Be Told,” “Pitch,” “Nobodies,” “The Passage” and, most recently, “Mixed-ish,” which was canceled after two seasons in early 2021.) In 1996, the former teen heartthrob married model-actress Lisa Ann Russell, whom he met when she appeared on a 1993 episode of “Saved by the Bell: The College Years.” They had two children — son Michael and daughter Ava — before calling it quits in 2010. Two years later, Mark-Paul married advertising exec Catriona McGinn, with whom he’s since welcomed son Dekker and daughter Lachlyn. In 2020, he returned to the role of Zack Morris on three episodes of Peacock’s “Saved by the Bell” revival.
Tiffani Thiessen starred as popular cheerleader Kelly Kapowski — Zack Morris’s long-term off-and-on love — on “Saved by the Bell.”
After “Saved by the Bell,” Tiffani Thiessen starred as bad girl Valerie Malone on “Beverly Hills, 90210” from 1994 to 2000. She then had memorable stints on “Two Guys and a Girl,” “Good Morning, Miami” and “What About Brian” before scoring her next big break with “White Collar,” which aired from 2009 to 2014. She also starred in the comedies “Son in Law” and “The Ladies Man,” appeared in the 1999 “From Dusk Till Dawn” sequel, headlined a number of made-for-TV movies, starred on the Netflix series “Alexa & Katie” and hosted the Cooking channel series “Dinner at Tiffani’s” from 2015 to 2017. Following high-profile romances with actors Brian Austin Green, David Strickland and Richard Ruccolo, to whom she was engaged, she married Brady Smith in 2005. They welcomed daughter Harper in 2010 and son Holt in 2015. In 2020, Tiffani returned to the role of Kelly Kapowski on three episodes of Peacock’s “Saved by the Bell” revival, and she currently hosts the MTV clip show “Deliciousness.”
Mario Lopez starred as popular jock and Army brat A.C. Slater on “Saved by the Bell.”
After “Saved by the Bell,” Mario Lopez starred on “Pacific Blue,” “The Bold and the Beautiful,” “Nip/Tuck” and “The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia,” which he created and executive produces. He also starred in several made-for-TV movies, voiced Cruz on “Elena of Avalor,” took on the role of Vince Fontaine in 2016’s “Grease Live!” and portrayed versions of himself in the comedies “Get Him to the Greek” and “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping,” as well as on several TV shows including “Jane the Virgin” and “This Is Us.” But acting is just his side hustle these days: The former teen heartthrob — who hosted the second and third seasons of the short-lived American version of “The X Factor” — hosted “Extra” for more than a decade and won two Emmys for his efforts before transferring over to “Access Hollywood” in the summer of 2019. He’s also dabbled in reality TV: He came in second on the third season of “Dancing With the Stars” back in 2006, and the 2010 VH1 reality show “Mario Lopez: Saved by the Baby” chronicled his path to welcoming his first child, daughter Gia, with then-girlfriend Courtney Mazza, with whom he connected when they co-starred in the 2006 Broadway revival of “A Chorus Line.” They married in 2012 and added sons Nico and Santino to their brood in 2013 and 2019. In 2020, Mario returned to the role of A.C. Slater on Peacock’s “Saved by the Bell” revival.
Lark Voorhies starred as fashionista Lisa Turtle — the resident rich girl at Bayside High — on “Saved by the Bell.”
After “Saved By the Bell,” Lark Voorhies had stints on “Days of Our Lives,” “The Bold and the Beautiful” and “In the House.” She also appeared in “How to Be a Player,” “How High” and several made-for-TV movies. In 2012 — after the former teen idol’s seemingly odd behavior during an interview spurred questions about her mental health and speculation that she might be suffering from addiction issues — Lark’s mother told People magazine that the increasingly reclusive actress had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which she denied. Eight years later, Lark publicly revealed she’d actually been diagnosed with schizoaffective thought disorder, a chronic mental health condition. The former child star, who self-published a trio of books in 2010 and 2011, was briefly engaged to Martin Lawrence in the early ’90s and was married to Miguel Coleman from 1996 to 2004 and then to music engineer Jimmy Green for six months in 2015. In 2020, she returned to the role of Lisa Turtle on an episode of Peacock’s “Saved by the Bell” revival — it was her first acting gig in nearly a decade.
Dustin Diamond starred as super-smart but socially awkward geek Samuel “Screech” Powers on “Saved by the Bell.”
Dustin Diamond was the only member of the original Bayside High crew to return for “Saved by the Bell: The New Class,” which aired from 1993 to 2000. He continued to work regularly as an actor after that but failed to recreate his early success. Instead, he took a stab at stand-up comedy, released an album with his short-lived alternative-metal band Salty the Pocketknife, released a 2006 sex tape and turned to reality TV, appearing on “Celebrity Fit Club,” “Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling” and “Celebrity Big Brother.” In 2009, he drew the ire of his “SBTB” co-stars when he released his controversial tell-all book “Behind the Bell,” which inspired the 2014 Lifetime movie “The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story.” (He later admitted that his ghost writer fabricated or greatly embellished most of the memoir’s sordid details, though he still executive produced the Lifetime movie it spurred.) In 2016, Dustin spent three months behind bars after he was charged with stabbing another man with a switchblade during a late-2014 altercation at a bar in Wisconsin, though he claimed he was simply defending himself and his then-fiancée, Amanda Schutz. (He was previously married to Jennifer Misner from 2009 to 2013.) He spent two more days in jail in mid-2016 when he violated the terms of his probation by testing positive for oxycodone without a proper prescription. In January 2021, Dustin — who was not invited to participate in Peacock’s “Saved by the Bell” revival — was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. Less than two weeks later, he died at 44 with his girlfriend of a year, Tash Jules, by his side.
Dennis Haskins starred as Bayside High principal Mr. Belding on “Saved by the Bell.”
Dennis Haskins went on to star on “Saved by the Bell: The New Class” from 1993 to 2000. He continued to work regularly as an actor after that but failed to score much mainstream recognition. Most notably, he had a three-episode stint on “Men of a Certain Age” and briefly appeared in Seth MacFarlane’s 2014 comedy “A Million Ways to Die in the West” and in the lauded 2019 indie drama “Clemency.” (He also popped up on episodes of shows like “Mad Men,” “New Girl” and “How I Met Your Mother.”) In 2009, Dennis released an album of cover songs. Nearly a decade later, he channeled Mr. Belding while starring in the high-school-set music video for the Dirty Heads’ “Vacation.”
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