Where is the “Saved by the Bell” cast now? See the stars 37 years after the series premiere
Where is the “Saved by the Bell” cast now? See the stars 37 years after the series premiere
Madeline Boardman, Kevin JacobsenSun, August 16, 2026 at 12:40 PM UTC
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Tiffani Thiessen as Kelly Kapowski, Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Zack Morris, Dustin Diamond as Screech Powers, Mario Lopez as A.C. Slater, Lark Voorhies as Lisa Turtle, and Elizabeth Berkley as Jessie Spano on ‘Saved by the Bell’Credit: Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty
From 1989 to 1993, older millennials and younger Gen Xers were obsessed with the beautiful stars of Saved by the Bell. Chronicling the lives of a group of teenage friends attending Bayside High School, the four-season NBC sitcom tackled subjects relevant to its young viewership, from universal themes like relationship drama and peer pressure to heavier topics like substance abuse.
Stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Mario Lopez, Dustin Diamond, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Elizabeth Berkley, and Lark Voorhies rocketed to fame on the sitcom, propelling many of them to further success in the industry. Now, on the 37th anniversary of its premiere, we’re looking back on the careers of the Saved by the Bell cast and what they’ve gotten up to since leaving Bayside.
Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Zack Morris)
Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Zack Morris on ‘Saved by the Bell’; Mark-Paul Gosselaar attends the 2019 FOX Winter TCA Tour at the Fig House on Feb. 6, 2019, in Los AngelesCredit: Courtesy Everett Collection; Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic
After popping up in episodes of The Twilight Zone, The Wonder Years, and Punky Brewster, Mark-Paul Gosselaar landed a starring role on Saved by the Bell as Zack Morris. He played the preppy high schooler for three years, also bringing Zack to the short-lived Saved by the Bell: The College Years, Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas, and an episode of Saved by the Bell: The New Class.
“We remember just that time or the filming — anything we did on location was like a treat for us,” Gosselaar told PEOPLE in May 2025 of his memories of the show. “And so we remember those things. We have memories outside of being on set, but the actual episodes, it’s like we couldn’t tell you.”
He wrapped his run as the character in the ‘90s, going on to land small-screen roles on Hyperion Bay and D.C. In 2001, Gosselaar joined NYPD Blue as Det. John Clark Jr. He spent four years in the role and followed it up with turns on Commander in Chief, John From Cincinnati, and Raising the Bar. The actor starred as Peter Bash on Franklin & Bash, Mike Lawson on Pitch, and Paul Johnson on Mixed-ish. He’s also appeared on Nobodies, The Passage, and Will Trent.
Gosselaar reprised his role as Zack Morris (now governor) in the 2020 reboot of Saved by the Bell. Following the show’s conclusion, he popped up as himself in an episode of Barry and joined the cast of the Fox procedural Found, which aired from 2023 to 2025.
Gosselaar has been married to his wife, Catriona McGinn, since 2012. He has two children with McGinn and two others from a previous marriage.
Mario Lopez (A.C. Slater)
Mario Lopez as A.C. Slater on ‘Saved by the Bell’; Mario Lopez attends the 98th annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre on March 15, 2026, in Hollywood, Calif.Credit: Alice S. Hall/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty; Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty
After appearing in episodes of a.k.a. Pablo and Kids Incorporated, Mario Lopez found his spot in Saved by the Bell’s Bayside High as resident jock A.C. Slater. He continued the role on Saved by the Bell: The College Years, Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas, and Saved by the Bell: The New Class.
“When you’re young, you don’t really have time to process things and you take a lot of things for granted,” said Lopez at a panel in March 2023. “It goes by really quick. So I think as you get older, you realize, wow, you know, time is fleeting. That was such a special part of our lives that you wish you could just kind of bottle up and sort of take it with you wherever you go.”
Soon after, he joined Pacific Blue as Bobby Cruz, wrapping the gig in 2000. He then had a recurring role on The Bold and the Beautiful in 2006, played Dr. Mike Hamoui on Nip/Tuck, and lent his voice to the children’s program The Chica Show.
Lopez has largely focused on unscripted television in his career, serving as a host, reporter, and correspondent on shows like Entertainment Tonight, America’s Best Dance Crew, The X Factor, and Extra, but that doesn’t mean he’s left the sitcom world behind. In February 2020, he debuted the comedy The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia, which Lopez co-created with Seth Kurland. Lopez was back, sans mullet, as Slater for the Saved by the Bell Peacock revival series. He’s also appeared as himself in projects as varied as Girls5eva, Hacks, Heads of State (2025), Loot, and Wonder Man.
Lopez is married to Courtney Mazza; they have three children together.
Elizabeth Berkley (Jessie Spano)
Elizabeth Berkley as Jessie Spano on ‘Saved by the Bell’; Elizabeth Berkley attends the annual H.E.A.R.T. Brunch featuring Stella McCartney on April 18, 2017, in Los AngelesCredit: NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection; Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images
Elizabeth Berkley landed an early role as Saved by the Bell’s Jessie Spano, an involved student with big dreams. Her most enduring moment on the show is the episode in which Jessie gets hooked on caffeine pills, leading to an iconic breakdown.
“[It] really let us have the opportunity to emotionally go there,” Berkley told EW in November 2020. “And what I mean by that is that the issues we go through at that age, while also dealing with teen angst, are extreme. Jessie was dealing with perfectionism. Many others struggle with overextending themselves and anxiety. Adults, from their perspective, can say, ‘Oh, this won’t last forever,’ but kids many times can’t see it that way.”
After saying goodbye to the character in the early ’90s, Berkley hit the big screen in Paul Verhoeven’s Showgirls(1995). The tawdry and controversial film was maligned at the time, but has since found a cult following. Nevertheless, Berkley “won” multiple Razzies for her performance. She would later appear in The First Wives Club (1996), The Real Blonde (1997), and Any Given Sunday (1999). In the 2000s, the actress popped up in episodes of NYPD Blue, Titus, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The L Word, and CSI: Miami.
She has continued to work on the small screen, competing on Dancing With the Stars in 2013 and appearing in episodes of Melissa & Joey,New Girl, Cobra Kai, and All’s Fair. Coming full circle, Berkley returned for the revival of Saved by the Bell. To quote Jessie, “Can you believe that was, like, 30 years ago?”
Berkley married artist/fashion designer Greg Lauren in 2003. They have one son together.
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Lark Voorhies (Lisa Turtle)
Lark Voorhies as Lisa Turtle on ‘Saved by the Bell’; Lark Voorhies attends the ‘Robot Chicken’ season 10 premiere presented by Adult Swim at the Theatre at Ace Hotel on Sept. 27, 2019, in Los AngelesCredit: NBC/Courtesy: Everett Collection; Erik Voake/Getty Images
Lark Voorhies enrolled at Bayside High as the popular, well-dressed Lisa Turtle. She held the role in the series and its spinoffs, and later joined Days of Our Lives as Wendy Reardon. She continued her ’90s soap opera work as The Bold and the Beautiful’s Jasmine Malone, and went on to earn credits for How to Be a Player (1997), How High (2001), and episodes of In the House and The Parkers.
She largely stepped back from acting in the early 2010s, instead devoting her time to writing books. In an appearance on The Dr. Oz Show in February 2020, Voorhies said she was “hurt” by being excluded from the reboot and not being invited when the SBTB cast got together, but surprise! She ended up returning for a cameo after all.
Voorhies dated Mark-Paul Gosselaar while they were starring on Saved by the Bell from 1989 to 1992.
Tiffani Thiessen (Kelly Kapowski)
Tiffani Thiessen as Kelly Kapowski on ‘Saved by the Bell’; Tiffani Thiessen hosts the Gourmet Garden Time Savor event at Amali on Jan. 29, 2020, in New York CityCredit: Courtesy Everett Collection; Lars Niki/Getty Images
Tiffani Thiessen landed her first major role as Saved by the Bell‘s Kelly Kapowski. She played the high school hottie throughout the series and on the spinoff projects, also popping up in episodes of Charles in Charge, Married...With Children, and Blossom.
She then landed a mid-’90s gig as Valerie Malone on Beverly Hills, 90210, and went on to earn credits for 2000’s Ivans Xtc and The Ladies Man, and episodes of Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place; Just Shoot Me!; Fastlane; Good Morning, Miami; and What About Brian.
Thiessen wrapped her five-year run as White Collar’s Elizabeth Burke in 2014, and immediately kicked off a gig hosting her own Cooking Channel show, Dinner at Tiffani’s, from 2015 to 2017.
In addition to reprising the role of Kelly on the Saved by the Bell revival, fans can also watch Thiessen on Netflix’s Alexa & Katie — for which she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy — and MTV’s food-related clip show Deliciousness,which she hosted from 2020 to 2022.
Thiessen has two children with her husband, actor Brady Smith.
Dustin Diamond (Samuel “Screech” Powers)
Dustin Diamond as Samuel ‘Screech’ Powers on ‘Saved by the Bell’; Dustin Diamond visits ‘Extra’ at Universal Studios Hollywood on May 16, 2016, in Universal City, Calif.Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection; Noel Vasquez/Getty Images
Then a relatively unknown actor, Dustin Diamond signed on to play the geeky Samuel “Screech” Powers on Saved by the Bell, continuing the role on Saved by the Bell: The College Years, Saved by the Bell: The New Class, and Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas.
Diamond then spent the 2000s picking up credits for independent films and playing himself in movies like 2003’s Pauly Shore Is Dead and Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star.
The actor subsequently published a 2009 tell-all, Behind the Bell, which he would later claim was ghostwritten. He ran into legal trouble after a 2014 barroom altercation, ultimately serving a short jail sentence. Diamond was not part of the revival, with the show explaining his absence by saying Screech was living “on the International Space Station” with his robot, Kevin.
Diamond died on Feb. 1, 2021, from stage 4 lung cancer at age 44. Before his death, the actor’s reps told EW he was in talks about reprising his role in season 2 of the revival series.
Dennis Haskins (Richard Belding)
Dennis Haskins as Mr. Richard Belding on ‘Saved by the Bell’; Dennis Haskins arrives for Screamfest 2016 premiere of ‘Fear, Inc.’ held at TCL Chinese Theatre on Oct. 19, 2016, in HollywoodCredit: Courtesy Everett Collection; Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images
After kicking off the ’80s with appearances in episodes of CHiPs, Knots Landing, and The Dukes of Hazzard, Dennis Haskins joined Saved by the Bell as Bayside’s principal, Mr. Belding. He played the educator for more than 10 years, starring in the spinoff Saved by the Bell: The New Class after the original series wrapped.
He then spent the 2000s filling his résumé with smaller roles in Max Keeble’s Big Move (2001) and on The West Wingand 7th Heaven.
Haskins also popped up in episodes of Men of a Certain Age, The Bold and the Beautiful, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, New Girl, and Hot in Cleveland, in addition to appearing in films like A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014), Clemency (2019), and A Bennett’s Song Holiday (2020), which remains his most recent onscreen credit.
Haskins has one child with ex-wife Sarah Dianne Goins.
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