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"Saved by the Bell" finished in 1992, but Diamond reprised the role of Screech on several occasions in the years that followed, most notably in "Saved by the Bell: The College Years" and "Saved by the Bell: The New Class." The California native appeared in 130 episodes of "The New Class" from 1994 to 2000.ĭiamond's career floundered after "The New Class," and he faced troubles in his personal life too. He debuted as the loveable loser in 1988 on the Disney Channel's "Good Morning, Miss Bliss" (which would be picked up and revamped into "Saved by the Bell" by NBC when it was canned after a single season). She notched over 280 credits over the course of her remarkable career (she appeared in "Diagnosis Murder," "Two and a Half Men," "Malcolm in the Middle," and "American Gods" to name a few) and was still working at the time of her death.Ī naturally funny child, Diamond landed the role of Screech with next to no onscreen experience. She was named Best Supporting Actress for her performance in "The Last Picture Show," beating out stiff competition from her co-star and favorite for the Oscar, Ellen Burstyn. Leachman also had an Academy Award in her trophy cabinet. She won two of her eight primetime Emmy Awards for playing the catty Phyllis Lindstrom, who would later get her own spin-off, "Phyllis." Her acting career began when she landed in New York and got in with the Actors Studio, but she wouldn't come to national attention until she debuted on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" some 20 years later. She dropped out before she could graduate and took an unconventional route to Hollywood that included an appearance at the 1946 Miss America pageant. His track "History Can't Be Stopped" was released the day after he died.Ī native of Iowa, Leachman moved to neighboring Illinois to study theater at Northwestern University. The Los Angeles native was still making music and actively promoting his songs at the time of his death. In 2009, he told RadarOnline that he was awaiting surgery after "over 10 episodes of heart failure in the last eight months alone." Doctors identified a problem with his aorta, which was "the same thing that killed John Ritter," Thompson said. Thompson had been dealing with heart issues for over a decade. "Since the first day I met him on the set of 'ER,' he absolutely made me feel at home and welcomed. "What a special spirit we have all lost," Thompson's former castmate Mekhi Phifer said in an Instagram tribute message.
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He made his "ER" bow the following year, beginning a near-200 episode run on the NBC hit.
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He went on to land roles in the hip hop mockumentary "Fear of a Black Hat" and the N.W.A parody picture "CB4," both released in 1993.
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Thompson made his first feature film appearance in 1991's "Cool as Ice," the critically panned movie debut of Vanilla Ice.
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