Whatever happened to Tom Wade Huntington (Tony Dillon)?

[EccentricGenius]

I recently rewatched the final two seasons of Saved By The Bell: The New Class and I wondered whatever happened to actor Tom Wade Huntington, who played Valley High School transfer student--an all-too-recurring trope throughout SBTB: The New Class' grossly overlong and interminable seven-season run--Tony Dillon. Tony was apparently a replacement for fellow Valley transplant Ryan Parker (Richard Lee Jackson had departed from SBTB: The New Class in late 1997 after three seasons, shortly after production had wrapped on the fifth season).

Despite his best efforts, Huntington's presence did little to reverse SBTB: The New Class' dwindling ratings, and NBC wrapped up production on SBTB: The New Class permanently in November of '98 (luckily, the final 26 episodes of SBTB: The New Class were ultimately separated into two standalone seasons, and NBC aired the remainder of the run in '98 and '99); Huntington did, however, receive a YoungStar award nomination in 1999 (in the category of Best Performance By A Young Actor In A Saturday Morning TV Program).

Aside from a brief stint as Jed on Days Of Our Lives in the autumn of 2000, as well as a pair of supporting roles in two direct-to-video films later in the decade (2001's No One Can Hear You and 2005's Stinger), Huntington's role as Tony Dillon on SBTB: The New Class appears to be his only significant (not to mention substantial) credit to date; in fact, his profile on IMdb (the Internet Movie Database) has no additional credits after 2005.

If anyone knows what Tom Wade Huntington is up to these days, feel free to drop me a line anytime...I'd love to hear from all of you!

Enjoy the remainder of your terrific Tuesday, and have a safe and happy holiday season!

[TMC]

This is what the old Saved by the Bell...Reviewed blog had to say about what Tom Wade Huntington did after The New Class:

Tom Wade Huntington may be the biggest mystery post-The New Class since Spankee Rodgers. He had a few minor roles through 2005, and then he kind of dropped off the face of the planet, keeping no social media accounts I can find. To top it off, when I commented on Cookies and Sangria‘s Where Are They Now post for The New Class and pointed out they left off Rodgers and Huntington, an anonymous poster commented that Huntington has been dead since 2008. This sent me in a frenzy to see if I could confirm this rumor, and I have not. Through some persistent searching, though, I think I was able to track down his mother and sister on Facebook, and, judging by their posts, it seems like he moved back to his hometown in Missouri post-acting and is probably leading a relatively normal life.

[EccentricGenius]

Originally Posted by TMC

This is what the old Saved by the Bell...Reviewed blog had to say about what Tom Wade Huntington did after The New Class:

Even though it appears that his all-too-brief acting career is long behind him, I'm both satisfied and relieved to discover that Tom Wade Huntington (Tony Dillon) is still alive and kicking, albeit living the quiet life in his home state of Missouri.

Funny you had mentioned Spankee Rodgers (Bobby Wilson from Saved By The Bell: The New Class' sophomore season) in your comment...I've always been curious about his current whereabouts as well; if my memory serves me correctly, he's now a minister in Los Angeles. Aside from two guest appearances on The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air during its sixth (and, sadly, final) season in the autumn of 1995, Rodgers' one-season--not to mention one-note--role as the socially awkward Bobby Wilson during SBTB: The New Class' second season unfortunately appears to be his only significant credit on IMdb (The Internet Movie Database) to date, though he may have played minor roles on The Steve Harvey Show and Sister, Sister (under a different name) at the tail end of the nineties.

And while I'm still on the subject of Spankee Rodgers, is there any evidence that the late Dustin "Screech" Diamond whipped out a switchblade in front of him backstage on the set of SBTB: The New Class? Inquiring minds want to know.

If only Robert Sutherland Telfer (Scott Erickson from the lackluster debut season of SBTB: The New Class) would emerge from the Cold War-era bomb shelter he's been hiding in for the last three decades, I'd be as giddy as a homecoming queen on prom night. On a serious note, however, I'm starting to become worried and concerned about Telfer's current activities as well as his current whereabouts; I sincerely hope--and pray--to God that he's still among the living, whether he's living anonymously under an assumed name in the Witness Protection Program, serving a sentence in a federal penitentiary, or simply enjoying a quiet and private life far away from the glitter and glamour of Tinseltown, not unlike the aforementioned Tom Wade Huntington. Again, inquiring minds want to know.

Thanks for commenting, TMC! Enjoy the remainder of your terrific Tuesday, as well as the rest of your holiday season, bro!