‘Saved by the Bell’: Lark Voorhies Followed the Hit Sitcom With This Iconic Soap Opera
In Hollywood, many actors start on a soap opera before transitioning to other TV shows. But there are occasions when the opposite occurs. That was the case for former Saved by the Bell star Lark Voorhies. After her run on the NBC comedy ended, Voorhies landed a role on the CBS daytime drama The Bold and the Beautiful.
Lark Voorhies played Jasmine Malone on ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’
Two years after the cancellation of Saved by the Bell, Voorhies joined The Bold and the Beautiful in 1995. Voorhies played aspiring fashion designer Jasmine Malone. Jasmine begins working at Spectra Fashions but clashed with her boss Sally Spectra (Darlene Conley). Eventually, a frustrated Jasmine quits and starts working at the Bikini Bar, where she becomes infatuated with bartender Sly Donovan (Brent Jasmer).
Jasmine and Sly start dating, but Sly’s more interested in Jessica Forrester (Maitland Ward). Sly’s plot to get Jessica pregnant so he could get his hands on the Forrester money backfired when Jessica turned the tables on him. Later, when Jasmine learned Sly attacked Jessica as retaliation for her prank, he held the two women hostage at the Bikini Bar. A fire broke out, and Dylan Shaw (Dylan Neal) rescued the ladies while Sly perished in flames.
Voorhies would leave the CBS soap opera one year after her debut. She returned to The Bold and the Beautiful in 2004 when her character got a job at Forrester Creations. However, like her first run, Voorhies’ second tenure with the soap opera would be brief.
Lark Voorhies is best known for ‘Saved by the Bell’
Fans will always remember Voorhies for her role as Lisa Turtle on Saved by the Bell. Lisa was a spoiled, rich girl with a love of fashion. Throughout the series, one of Lisa’s central storylines is Screech Powers’ (Dustin Diamond) crush on her. Lisa constantly rebuffs Screech’s romantic gestures; however, there are a few moments where she warms up to him.
Following the end of the show’s run in 1993, Voorhies would reprise her role in the spinoff Saved by the Bell: The College Years and the film Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas. When a Saved by the Bell reboot was announced in 2019, Voorhies was one of the main cast members not included. According to New York Daily News, Voorhies felt “slighted and hurt” at not being included in the reboot. However, she would later make an appearance that showed Lisa working as a fashion designer in Paris.
Life after ‘Saved by the Bell’
Aside from her work on Saved by the Bell, and The Bold and the Beautiful, Voorhies worked on other TV shows. She’s made guest appearances on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and In the House. Aside from acting, Voorhies has also become an author with the publication of three books.
In recent years, Voorhies has come forward about her diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder. Voorhies has openly discussed her condition and its symptoms. According to a December 2020 report by Daily Mail, Voorhies said with the help of her mother, she’s made “so much progress” since her diagnosis.
