"Screech" on 'Saved by the Bell': Dustin Diamond's Dark Past With Substance Abuse

Born in San Jose, California, Dustin Diamond began his acting career at a very early age, rising to fame for his portrayal of "Samuel 'Screech' Powers" in 'Saved by the Bell', sharing screen with Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Tiffani Thiessen, Mario Lopez and Elizabeth Berkley, among others.

After 'Saved by the Bell' ended, Diamond went on to do stand-up comedy, performing at multiple venues.

He then appeared in 'The Munsters Today', 'Getting By' and 'Jane White Is Sick & Twisted'.

Apart from his acting career, Diamond formed an alternative metal band called Salty The Pocketnife, where he played bass and wrote most of the band's music.

By 2001 the actor filed for bankruptcy. In a 2006 appearance on 'The Howard Stern Show', the star encouraged the audience to purchase a T-shirt on his website, so he could raise $250,000 and avoid foreclosure on his house.

In 2014 "Screech" was arrested in Wisconsin for possession of a switchblade. Allegedly, he had pulled it during an altercation at a bar where a man ended up being stabbed.

In May 2015 he was convicted of disorderly conduct and carrying a concealed weapon. In June he was sentenced to four months in jail, but was released on probation after serving three months. 

In court, Diamond stated he did not intentionally stab the man in question, and that he was only trying to protect his girlfriend, Amanda Schutz, after seeing ner nose was "pouring blood."

Diamond said he then took out his pocketknife to prevent Amanda from getting hurt. He said: "I figured it would take the fight out of the people."

Eventually, a woman admitted to punching Schutz in the face, but insisted the latter had initiated the altercation.

In 2016 Dustin faced new legal issues after testing positive for oxycodone, meaning he had violated his probation conditions. These stated that he had to maintain absolute sobriety, not only in terms of alcohol, but also in terms of not taking any prescription medication without medical supervision.

As per 'The Hollywood Reporter', Dustin's probation agent revealed that the actor had denied the use of drugs or alcohol, but he then said he may have taken a painkiller as he was having a toothache two days before the test took place. 

Diamond spent two days in the Ozaukee County Jail.

In 2016, Dustin reunited with his 'Saved by the Bell' co-star Mario Lopez for an interview. His appearance in 'Extra' marked Dustin's first interview since being released from Wisconsin's Ozaukee County Jail.

Diamond told Lopez that his time in jail wasn't easy. He said: "It's pretty daunting, it's pretty scary going into that environment. I found that as long as you follow the rules and stay with the system, it works. You can get in and out unscathed."

In January 2021 it was revealed that the 'Saved by the Bell' actor was battling a stage 4 cancer diagnosis. His representatives told 'People' at the time: "We can confirm that Dustin does have cancer. It's very serious, though we are still waiting for more details, which we will have shortly. He's in a lot of pain."

The star's spokesperson told 'Entertainment Weekly' that he was "undergoing chemo" and would be hospitalized for "at least another week."

Only three weeks later, on February 1, 2021, Dustin Diamond's death was announced. The 'Saved by the Bell' actor died from the disease after completing his first chemotherapy session in Florida. He was 44.