Eric Dane Saved By The Bell: From Early TV Turns to Final Months Fighting ALS

Eric Dane Saved By The Bell is a phrase tied to the actor's earliest television work, and it returns to public attention as Dane has died at 53, ten months after publicly confirming a diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). His final months were defined not only by illness but by an intense campaign to raise awareness and funding for a disease that remains incurable.

Eric Dane Saved By The Bell: early television credits and rise to fame

Long before he became widely recognised for his role as Dr Mark Sloan on a popular medical drama, Dane’s résumé included small parts on network television. His early credits list a role in Saved by the Bell in 1991, plus appearances on shows in the 1990s that documented his steady climb from guest spots to regular casting.

That trajectory culminated in a breakout role in the medical drama where he appeared in more than 100 episodes as the charismatic plastic surgeon Mark Sloan, a character often referred to by a nickname tied to his on-screen persona. Subsequent long-form work included a leading role on a post-apocalyptic drama series, where he played a commanding officer in a run that spanned several seasons.

Final months: moving the needle on ALS

Dane shared in April 2025 that he had been diagnosed with ALS, also known as motor neurone disease, which causes progressive loss of the nerve cells that control voluntary muscle movement and eventually impairs the ability to speak, eat, walk and breathe independently. He died 10 months after confirming that diagnosis.

In the months after his diagnosis, Dane devoted his public time to campaigning. He helped launch a three-year initiative in September that set an ambitious goal to increase federal research funding by more than $1 billion. By December he had joined the board of directors of an organisation dedicated to ALS research, and he played a role in helping one of its campaigns surpass a $500, 000 fundraising target.

He also used his craft to bring attention to the realities of the disease. In November he appeared on an episode of a medical drama as a firefighter struggling to accept help after an ALS diagnosis, and he later described performing that role as challenging but cathartic. In recent interviews he spoke plainly about his motivations, saying he was trying to save his life and urging improvements to a research and care landscape he characterised as rocky and burdened by hurdles.

Legacy and implications

Dane’s public campaign blended fundraising, board-level advocacy and dramatic work that reflected his own experience living with ALS. He was also named on a prominent list of 100 influential people in health, recognition that highlighted the impact of his advocacy in a brief but intense public campaign.

• Age at death: 53.
• Diagnosis announced: April 2025; death followed ten months later.
• Major campaign launched: three-year effort aiming to raise over $1 billion in federal research funding.
• Board appointment: joined an ALS research organisation's board and helped a campaign exceed $500, 000.
• Recent acting work reflecting personal struggle: played a firefighter with ALS in a medical drama episode.

His combination of celebrity, personal testimony and organisational involvement focused attention on ALS research funding and care pathways. While medical treatments can improve quality of life, no cure exists; Dane’s final months were explicitly dedicated to trying to change that reality for himself and others.

Interest in eric dane saved by the bell as part of his wider legacy underlines how early roles remained a noticeable element of a career that later became defined by a high-profile television character and, ultimately, by his advocacy during illness. Recent details about his campaigning and board work may shape ongoing fundraising and research efforts tied to motor neurone disease.