Where's Robert Sutherland Telfer?!

[vio]

Does anyone know what happened to Mr. Telfer(Scott Erickson on The New Class)? I tried to dig up any info online I possibly could to see what he's up to these days and there's just nothing! It's literally like he just disappeared off the face of the earth after his one season on TNC. He doesn't even have a MySpace. Clearly he didn't like acting very much, but usually you can find out what former actors are up to these days online. I hope he didn't pass away or something...

[miniZackMorris]

i hope so too! maybe he did like acting but they canned him. then maybe he gave up or nobody else would give him a role

[ThomasE]

I think that he was definitley canned after season one of the new class. The trend to me was fire three and bring in another three every year.

[miniZackMorris]

after season four that didnt happen. but fo rthe first 4 it did

[EccentricGenius]

Yeah, what the bloody hell ever became of him, anyway? It seems like he literally disintegrated into dust shortly after SBTB: The New Class wrapped up its lackluster inaugural season in early December of '93. Other than a bit role in the infamous Ed O'Neill comedy Dutch in 1991, it appears that his thirteen episode stint as charming schemer (and bargain-basement Zack wannabe) Scott Erickson on season one of The New Class remains Robert Sutherland Telfer's final acting credit to date, sad to say (according to his profile on IMDb).

I've always wondered how Telfer would've interacted with the late Dustin "Screech" Diamond in subsequent episodes of The New Class had Scott (as well as Telfer himself) continued onward to season two alongside his fellow classmates Tommy D. (Jonathan Angel), Megan (Bianca Lawson), Lindsay (Natalia Cigliuti), and possibly Rachel (Sarah Lancaster)...guess we'll never know, will we? (Sarah Lancaster, of course, made her debut appearance as Rachel--albeit in a minor role--in "Swap Meet," one of the few decent episodes of The New Class' otherwise mediocre debut season.)

[TMC]

It's strange because, it's almost like Robert Sutherland Telfer doesn't exist and hasn't existed since the end of his stint on Saved by the Bell: The New Class. I don't mean this to be funny, but I seriously wonder if he's even still alive. If he is, he would be 46 years old now.

But if you try to Google his name, you're likely going to come up short on anything substantial about him, his background, or his life. Robert doesn't have a Wikipedia page, which I consider a litmus test or measuring stick for how notable you truly are as a public figure or celebrity. He also, by the looks of it, doesn't have any social media presence, what so ever (no Instagram, Twitter, Facebook as far as I could tell, etc.).

[EccentricGenius]

Originally Posted by TMC

It's strange because, it's almost like Robert Sutherland Telfer doesn't exist and hasn't existed since the end of his stint on Saved by the Bell: The New Class. I don't mean this to be funny, but I seriously wonder if he's even still alive. If he is, he would be 46 years old now.

But if you try to Google his name, you're likely going to come up short on anything substantial about him, his background, or his life. Robert doesn't have a Wikipedia page, which I consider a litmus test or measuring stick for how notable you truly are as a public figure or celebrity. He also, by the looks of it, doesn't have any social media presence, what so ever (no Instagram, Twitter, Facebook as far as I could tell, etc.).

Good point, TMC. I've heard dozens of rumors pertaining to Robert Sutherland Telfer's (Scott Erickson) post-SBTB: The New Class whereabouts scattered across the internet over the last decade of so, the most notable (and rather absurd) coming from the late Dustin "Screech" Diamond, who claimed--according to his infamous "tell-all book," Behind The Bell--Telfer was abruptly s**tcanned from The New Class in late 1993 (shortly after the conclusion of its abysmal debut season) by The New Class' executive producer (and the Chuck Lorre of nineties teen/tween TV), Peter Engel, for being a "radical conservative." Personally, I find that allegation very difficult to believe, along with the rest of the horses**t Diamond had mentioned in the aforementioned Behind The Bell.

I certainly hope and pray Telfer is still alive and kicking to this very day, considering the fact that his IMDb profile has no other credits (other than a brief role in the forgettable Ed O'Neill flick Dutch two years prior) following his one-season stint as charming schemer--and ersatz Zack wannabe--Scott Erickson during the lackluster inaugural season of The New Class in the autumn of '93. I honestly believe in my heart of hearts Telfer is either serving a life sentence without parole in a federal penitentiary, living anonymously (under an assumed name and identity, obviously) in the federal Witness Protection Program, or, worse, dead as a doornail and buried six feet under in a crypt at Forest Lawn. I could be wrong, though, and I hope to God I am.

Thanks for commenting, TMC. Enjoy your day, bro.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by EccentricGenius

Good point, TMC. I've heard dozens of rumors pertaining to Robert Sutherland Telfer's (Scott Erickson) post-SBTB: The New Class whereabouts scattered across the internet over the last decade of so, the most notable (and rather absurd) coming from the late Dustin "Screech" Diamond, who claimed--according to his infamous "tell-all book," Behind The Bell--Telfer was abruptly s**tcanned from The New Class in late 1993 (shortly after the conclusion of its abysmal debut season) by The New Class' executive producer (and the Chuck Lorre of nineties teen/tween TV), Peter Engel, for being a "radical conservative." Personally, I find that allegation very difficult to believe, along with the rest of the horses**t Diamond had mentioned in the aforementioned Behind The Bell.

I certainly hope and pray Telfer is still alive and kicking to this very day, considering the fact that his IMDb profile has no other credits (other than a brief role in the forgettable Ed O'Neill flick Dutch two years prior) following his one-season stint as charming schemer--and ersatz Zack wannabe--Scott Erickson during the lackluster inaugural season of The New Class in the autumn of '93. I honestly believe in my heart of hearts Telfer is either serving a life sentence without parole in a federal penitentiary, living anonymously (under an assumed name and identity, obviously) in the federal Witness Protection Program, or, worse, dead as a doornail and buried six feet under in a crypt at Forest Lawn. I could be wrong, though, and I hope to God I am.

Thanks for commenting, TMC. Enjoy your day, bro.

This is what somebody said in the Saved by the Bell subreddit about why Robert Sutherland Telfer was allegedly really canned from The New Class after the first season:

I guest starred on a first season episode and I know why Telfer was booted from the show. He was abusive to the guest stars and female crew members. He went around to the guest stars individually called us names and wanted to fight us for absolutely no reason. He would also make outrageously inappropriate comments to makeup and script supervisors on set during rehearsals. Looking back, I can’t believe they let him get away with it.

[EccentricGenius]

Originally Posted by TMC

This is what somebody said in the Saved by the Bell subreddit about why Robert Sutherland Telfer was allegedly really canned from The New Class after the first season:

Interesting. I always thought Robert Sutherland Telfer (Scott Erickson) was terminated--along with two of his fellow co-stars, Isaac Lidsky (Barton "Weasel" Wyzell) and Bonnie Russavage (Vicki Needleman)--after the lackluster debut season of Saved By The Bell: The New Class due to both dismal reviews and mediocre ratings, but after reading this post on Reddit, I'm beginning to realize I was incorrect in my initial theory as to why Telfer was abruptly fired after his lone season on SBTB: The New Class.

Thanks for sharing, TMC. Enjoy your day.