Gary Coleman Diff'rent Strokes Authentic Signed WHEN HE WAS A CHILD PHOTO COA

Description: AN AUTOGRAPHED VINTAGE ORIGINAL 8X10 INCH PHOTO BY GARY COLEMAN WHEN HE WAS A CHILD Gary Wayne Coleman (February 8, 1968 – May 28, 2010) was an American actor and comedian. Coleman was the highest-paid child actor on television throughout the late 1970s and 1980s. He was rated first on a list of VH1's "100 Greatest Kid Stars."[1] Coleman was best known for playing the role of Arnold Jackson in the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes (1978–1986), which he reprised in numerous other television series such as Hello, Larry (1979), The Facts of Life (1979–1980) and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1996), among others. For playing the role of Arnold, he received several accolades, which include two Young Artist Awards; in 1980 for Outstanding Contribution to Youth Through Entertainment and in 1982 for Best Young Actor in a Comedy Series; and three People's Choice Awards; a consecutive three wins for Favorite Young TV Performer from 1980 to 1983; as well as nominations for two TV Land Awards. Coleman's stardom resulted in several roles thereafter, including the television film The Kid from Left Field (1979), his feature film debut On the Right Track (1981), the comedies Jimmy the Kid and The Kid with the Broken Halo (both released in 1982), the cult film Dirty Work (1998), the satirical-comedy film An American Carol (2008) and the independent film Midgets vs. Mascots (2009). He was the star of The Gary Coleman Show (1982) where he voiced Andy LeBeau, and he additionally provided the voice of Kevin in the animated show Waynehead (1996–1997). He also starred in the video games The Curse of Monkey Island (1997) and did some voice acting and motion capture for Postal 2 (2003). Coleman struggled financially in later life; in 1989, he successfully sued his parents and business adviser over misappropriation of his assets, only to declare bankruptcy a decade later. Very few details of Coleman's medical history have been made public, although his battles with issues such as growth deficiency, substance abuse, and depression during his life earned significant media coverage. Coleman died at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo, Utah on May 28, 2010, aged 42. He had been admitted two days earlier after falling down the stairs at his home in Santaquin and striking his head, resulting in an epidural hematoma.[2] Early lifeGary Wayne Coleman was born[3] in Zion, Illinois, on February 8, 1968. He was adopted by W. G. Coleman, a fork-lift operator, and Edmonia Sue, a nurse practitioner.[4] Due to focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a kidney disease, and the corticosteroids and other medications used to treat it, his growth was limited to 4 ft 8 in (142 cm),[5][6] and his face kept a childlike appearance even into adulthood. He underwent two unsuccessful kidney transplants in 1973 and again in 1984, and required dialysis.[7] Career The cast of Diff'rent Strokes with guest star Nancy Reagan in 1983. Coleman is not present in this photo.1974 - 1978: early works to breakthroughIn 1974, Coleman's career began when he appeared in a commercial for Harris Bank. His line (after the announcer said, "You should have a Harris banker") was "You should have a Hubert doll."[8] "Hubert" was a stuffed lion representing the Harris bank logo.[9][10] The same year, he appeared in an episode of Medical Center.[9] In 1977, Coleman appeared in a pilot for a revival of The Little Rascals as Stymie, which ultimately ended up not getting picked up as a series.[11][12] His work on the Little Rascals pilot caught the attention of an executive,[12] and in 1978 Coleman was cast as Arnold Jackson in Diff'rent Strokes, playing one of two black brothers from Harlem adopted by a wealthy white widower in Manhattan.[12] After the premiere, Diff'rent Strokes became a hit, and ran for 8 seasons, ending in 1986. 1979 - 1986: Subsequent successColeman received recognition and praise for his work on Diff'rent Strokes; for his role he received five Young Artist Award nominations, of which he won two, and won the People's Choice Awards for Favorite Young TV Performer four years in a row, from 1980 to 1983.[11] At the height of his fame on Diff'rent Strokes, he earned $100,000 per episode, and he became known by his character's catchphrase "What'chu talkin' 'bout, Willis?", uttered skeptically in response to statements by his brother Willis, who was portrayed by Todd Bridges. According to Bridges' autobiography Killing Willis, Coleman was forced to work long hours on the set of Diff'rent Strokes despite his age and debilitating health problems, which contributed to him feeling depressed and withdrawn from the rest of the cast.[13] A Biography Channel documentary estimated that Coleman was left with a quarter of the original amount of money he received from his years on Diff'rent Strokes after paying his parents, advisers, lawyers, and taxes.[14] In 1989, Coleman sued his adoptive parents and former business advisor for $3.8 million for misappropriating his trust fund[15][16] and won a $1.28 million judgment in 1993.[17] Coleman had appeared on The Jeffersons as Raymond, George Jefferson's nephew, and on Good Times in 1978 as Penny's friend Gary. Coleman accepting an NAACP Image Award for The Kid from Left Field in 1980, pictured alongside Danielle Spencer and Kim FieldsIn 1979, Coleman made his television film debut playing the lead in The Kid from Left Field, a baseball comedy. The television film was made by NBC to enhance Coleman's name recognition and boost his commercial value.[18] It was the 15th highest-rated prime time show of the week, with a Nielsen rating of 21.4.[19] In that same year, he acted in "Cosmic Whiz Kid" an episode of the first season of science-fiction show Buck Rogers in the 25th Century as a time-displaced whiz kid; and appeared later in that season, in a 1980 episode named "A Blast for Buck".[20] In 1980, Coleman played the lead in the television film Scout's Honor.[21] In 1981, Coleman made his feature film debut with the comedy On the Right Track, headlining as Lester, a young shoeshine orphan who lives in a locker in a train station, who achieves fame for having an uncanny talent for gambling on horses.[22] Coleman's mother explained that "it was a script written some time ago for someone else, it was rewritten for Gary reconstructed for him. It was one of several ideas presented us for him. Gary has a very big love for trains, and we thought this might be a good one for him to do".[23] Though it received a number of reviews concluding that it was sappy and capitalizing on Coleman's TV following, many found the film charming, well written, well acted, with Coleman being a solid actor in his first lead role in a motion picture.[24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33] The film was a financial success, it grossed 13 million at the box office ranking it at 61 on highest grosses of that year. On home-video rentals that film added 10 to 15 millions to their revenue.[34][35] In 1982, Coleman starred in Jimmy the Kid. The film was financially successful,[36] but received resoundingly negative reviews,[37] with critic Roger Ebert writing "... movies like this don't really have room for brilliant performances. They're written by formula, cast by computer and directed by the book, and when a little spontaneity creeps in, it seems out of place."[38] On April 4th of that year, Coleman starred in the television film The Kid with the Broken Halo.[39] The film served as the basis for Saturday morning cartoon The Gary Coleman Show, which started that year on September 11,[40] where Coleman had the lead voice role as Andy LeBeau, an angel in training who comes to earth to help others and gain his wings.[41] Moving forward, Coleman played the lead in the comedic television films The Kid with the 200 I.Q. (1983),[42] and The Fantastic World of D.C. Collins (1984).[43] In 1985, Coleman played a teenage arsonist in the television film Playing with Fire, it was his first dramatic project.[44] In 1986, Coleman hosted the made-for-home video educational film Gary Coleman: For Safety's Sake, in it Coleman provides various safety advice around a home.[45] 1987 - 2010: Hiatus and return to actingWhen Diff'rent Strokes ended Coleman went on a hiatus, and returned to the screen playing himself on "Bosom Buds vs. Mod Squad" and episode of Couch Potatoes. From thereon, the majority of Coleman's adult roles were single appearances in television episodes.[46] Coleman voiced the role of Kevin in the animated show Waynehead, which ran from 1996 to 1997.[47][48] He also voiced Kenny Falmouth in the video game The Curse of Monkey Island in 1997, which gained him attention, being one of the first few major mainstream actors to appear in a video game.[49] He had ventured into politics, and in the 2003 California recall election he was a candidate for governor. His campaign was sponsored by the free newsweekly East Bay Express as a satirical comment on the recall. After Arnold Schwarzenegger declared his candidacy, Coleman announced that he would vote for Schwarzenegger. Coleman placed 8th in a field of 135 candidates, receiving 14,242 votes. In 2003, Coleman portrayed a fictional version of himself in the video game Postal 2 (2003).[50] The second game in the Postal franchise, it received a cult following following its release,[51] and brought Coleman much attention. In 2005, Coleman appeared in John Cena's music video for his single "Bad, Bad Man" (from the album You Can't See Me) and played himself as a villain taking Michael Jackson and Madonna hostage. The video was a spoof of 1980s culture, focusing on The A-Team.[52][53] Coleman's final television role was a voice role in the animated series Robot Chicken. His final film roles were starring as Charles Higgins in the sports comedy film Church Ball (2006), appearing as a slave in the satirical comedy film An American Carol (2008), and appearing as Gary in the comedy film Midgets vs. Mascots (2009). Personal life Coleman in 2007Coleman was an avid railroad fan, and he later worked part-time at Denver-area, Tucson-area, and California hobby stores to be around his hobby.[54][55] Coleman built and maintained miniature railroads in his homes in several states throughout the 1990s. Currently, at least one of Coleman's model railroads is being preserved in Colorado Springs, Colorado.[56] In a 1993 television interview, Coleman said he had twice attempted suicide by overdosing on pills.[57] Coleman lived in Santaquin, a small town about 50 miles (80 km) south of Salt Lake City, Utah, from 2005 to the remainder of his life.[58][59] In early 2007, Coleman met Shannon Price, 22, on the set of the film Church Ball, where she was working as an extra.[60] Price and Coleman married several months later.[61] On May 1 and 2, 2008, they made a well-publicized appearance on the show Divorce Court [62] to air their differences in an attempt to save their marriage. However, they divorced in August 2008, and Coleman was granted an ex parte restraining order against Price to prevent her from living in his home when he was hospitalized after their divorce.[63] According to a court petition later filed by Price, she and Coleman continued to live together in a common-law marriage until his death.[64] However, a judge ultimately ruled against Price after hearing testimony that she engaged in love affairs with other men during the time when she claimed to have been with Coleman, and "physically abused Coleman in public, led him around by the hand like a child [and] displayed no physical affection toward him in front of anyone."[63] Legal problemsIn 1998, Coleman was charged with assault while working as a security guard. Tracy Fields, a Los Angeles bus driver and fan of Coleman's work on Diff'rent Strokes, approached him in a California mall and requested his autograph while he was shopping for a bulletproof vest. When Coleman refused to give her an autograph, an argument ensued, and Fields reportedly mocked Coleman's lackluster acting career. Coleman then punched Fields in the face several times in front of witnesses. He was arrested and later defended himself in court, alleging that Fields had threatened him. He said: "She wouldn't leave me alone. I was getting scared, and she was getting ugly." Coleman pleaded no contest to one count of assault, received a suspended jail sentence and was ordered to pay Fields' $1,665 hospital bill and to take anger management classes.[65][66][67] In 2007, Coleman was cited for misdemeanor disorderly conduct in Provo, Utah after a "heated discussion" in public with his wife, Shannon Price.[68][69] In 2009, Coleman and his ex-wife were involved in a domestic dispute, after which Price was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence, and both parties were cited for disorderly conduct.[70] In 2008, Coleman was involved in an altercation at a Payson, Utah bowling alley, which began when Colt Rushton, age 24, photographed Coleman without his permission. The two men argued, according to witnesses. In the parking lot, Coleman allegedly backed his truck into Rushton, striking his knee and pulling him under the vehicle, before hitting another car. Rushton was treated at a local hospital for minor injuries and released.[71][72] Coleman later pleaded no contest to charges of disorderly conduct and reckless driving and was fined $100. In 2010, he settled a civil suit related to the incident for an undisclosed amount.[73][74][75] Months before his death in 2010, Coleman was arrested on an outstanding domestic assault warrant in Santaquin, booked into the Utah County Jail[76] and released the following day.[77] Financial problemsIn August 1999, Coleman filed for bankruptcy protection.[78] He claimed that multiple people were responsible for his insolvency, "from me, to accountants, to my adoptive parents, to agents, to lawyers, and back to me again."[79] He lost $200,000 on an arcade that he had named the Gary Coleman Game Parlor, which was located at Fisherman's Village in Marina del Rey, California.[80][81] Ongoing medical expenses contributed significantly to Coleman's chronic financial problems and sometimes compelled him to resort to unusual fundraising activities. In 1999, he partnered with UGO Networks for an online auction titled "Save Me!". Items included his couch, a "tiny pimp suit" with matching gold Nikes and an autographed ice scraper. Items attracted more than $5,000 in bids.[82] Health problems and deathIn 2009, Coleman underwent heart surgery. Although the details of the procedure were never made public, he is known to have developed postoperative pneumonia.[58] In January 2010, Coleman was hospitalized after a seizure in Los Angeles, and in February, he experienced another seizure on the set of The Insider television program.[83] On May 26, 2010, Coleman was admitted to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo, Utah, in critical condition[84] after falling down the stairs at his Santaquin home and hitting his head, possibly after another seizure, and experiencing an epidural hematoma.[2] According to a hospital spokesman, Coleman was conscious and lucid the next morning, but his condition subsequently worsened.[1] By mid-afternoon on May 27, he was unconscious and on life support.[85] He died at 12:05 pm MDT (18:05 UTC) on May 28, 2010, at age 42.[86][87] The weekend after Coleman's death, a scheduled funeral was postponed and later canceled following a dispute regarding the disposition of his estate and remains among Coleman's adoptive parents, former business associate Anna Gray and Price. Coleman's former manager Dion Mial was initially involved but withdrew after Coleman's 1999 will, which had named Mial as executor, was found to have been superseded by a 2005 will replacing Mial with Gray. The earlier will had stipulated that Coleman's wake be "...conducted by those with no financial ties to me and can look each other in the eyes and say they really cared personally for Gary Coleman",[88][89] but the later version directed "...that there be no funeral service, wake, or other ceremony memorializing my passing."[90][91] AftermathQuestions were raised as to whether Price, who approved discontinuing Coleman's life support, was legally authorized to do so. The controversy was exacerbated by a photograph published on the front page of the tabloid newspaper Globe depicting Price posed next to a comatose, intubated Coleman under the headline, "It Was Murder!" While Coleman's final will named Gray as executor and awarded his entire estate to her, Coleman and Price married in 2007. Although she had divorced Coleman in 2008, Price claimed in a court petition that she had remained his common-law wife, with the two sharing bank accounts and presenting themselves publicly as husband and wife until Coleman's death. Her assertion, if validated by the court, would have made her his lawful heir.[90] In May 2012, judge James Taylor stated that while Price had indeed lived in Coleman's home after their marriage ended, their relationship at the time of his death failed to meet Utah's standard for a common-law marriage.[92] The hospital later issued a statement confirming that Coleman had completed an advance healthcare directive granting Price permission to make medical decisions on his behalf.[93] An investigation by Santaquin police was closed on October 5, 2010, after the medical examiner ruled Coleman's death accidental and no evidence of wrongdoing could be demonstrated.[94][95] The disposition of Coleman's ashes remains unknown. Price said that had she been granted disposition, she would have scattered the ashes at the Golden Spike National Historic Site in Utah as a tribute to Coleman's lifelong love of trains.[96] Legacy Coleman promoting Postal 2 at E3 2003Coleman is frequently listed as one of the most influential child actors in the world. He was rated first on a list of VH1's "100 Greatest Kid Stars" on television,[1] and was noted by MTV for having an "Undeniable Impact on Pop Culture."[97] Mike Hogan from Vanity Fair wrote on his career, saying "He was unquestionably a superstar, overshadowing them with his radiant charisma and boundless energy, but the kidney condition that enabled him, even as a teen, to play the world's most precocious little brother on TV also complicated his life in ways most of us will never understand."[98] Actress Lucille Ball stated in a 1980 interview with People magazine that although she rarely watched sitcoms, "I love Gary Coleman. He puts me away. He puts everybody away."[99] Filk music act Ookla the Mok paid tribute to Coleman on their 2003 album "oh okay LA" with the song "A.M. Suicide."[100] He is parodied in Avenue Q, which won the 2004 Tony Award for Best Musical; a fictionalized version of him works as the superintendent of the apartment complex where the musical takes place. In the song "It Sucks to Be Me", he laments his fate.[7] On Broadway, the role was originally performed by Natalie Venetia Belcon.[101] The show's creators, Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez, have said the Coleman character personifies one of Avenue Q's central themes: that as children we are told we are "special", but upon entering adulthood, we discover that life is not nearly as easy as we have been led to believe. They added that their original intent was for Coleman himself to play the Gary Coleman role, and he expressed interest in it but did not show up for a meeting scheduled to discuss it.[102] In 2005, Coleman announced his intention to sue the producers of Avenue Q for their depiction of him, although the lawsuit never materialized. At the 2007 New York Comic Con, Coleman said, "I wish there was a lawyer on Earth that would sue them for me."[103] Following his death in 2010, the casts of the off-Broadway production of Avenue Q in New York City and the Avenue Q National Tour in Dallas dedicated their performances to his memory, and the actors playing the part of Coleman paid tribute to him from the stage at the performances' conclusions.[104][87] The Coleman character remained in the show after modifications were made to relevant dialogue.[105] Randy Kester—Coleman's attorney—told Dallas News in 2010, "The world's going to be a little less happy place without Gary. For being a small guy, he sure had a big impact on the world."[106] Coleman appeared in 2011 in the game's intro Postal III and in 2015 in the expansion pack for Postal 2 - Paradise Lost. In the 2021 Diff'rent Strokes special, actor Kevin Hart played Coleman's signature character of Arnold Jackson.[107][108] Works and awardsMain article: Gary Coleman filmographyThroughout his career, Coleman had garnered over sixty acting credits and over eighty television appearances.[109] For playing the role of Arnold Jackson in the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes (1978–1986), he received several accolades, which include two Young Artist Awards and three People's Choice Awards—the latter being a consecutive three wins for Favorite Young TV Performer from 1980 to 1983—and nominations for two TV Land Awards. YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef.1979Young Artist AwardsBest Young Actor in a Television SeriesDiff'rent StrokesNominated[110]1980Young Artist AwardsOutstanding Contribution to Youth Through EntertainmentHimselfWon1980People's Choice AwardsFavorite Young TV PerformerDiff'rent StrokesWon[111]1981People's Choice AwardsFavorite Young TV PerformerDiff'rent StrokesWon[111]1981Young Artist AwardsBest Young Comedian – Motion Picture or TelevisionDiff'rent StrokesNominated[112]1982Golden Raspberry AwardsWorst ActorOn The Right TrackNominated[113]1982Golden Raspberry AwardsWorst New ActorOn The Right TrackNominated1982Young Artist AwardsBest Young Actor in a Comedy SeriesDiff'rent StrokesWon[114]1982People's Choice AwardsFavorite Young TV PerformerDiff'rent StrokesWon[111]1983Young Artist AwardsBest Young Actor in a Comedy SeriesDiff'rent StrokesNominated[115]2003TV Land AwardsQuintessential Non-Traditional Family (shared with cast)Diff'rent StrokesNominated[116]2004TV Land AwardsQuintessential Non-Traditional Family (shared with cast)Diff'rent StrokesNominated[117] The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage, television, or in movies. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associated terms include teenage actor or teen actor, an actor who gained popularity as a teenager. Famous earlier examples include Elizabeth Taylor, who started as a child star in the early 1940s in productions like National Velvet before becoming a popular film star as an adult in movies. Many child actors find themselves struggling to adapt as they become adults, mainly due to typecasting. Macaulay Culkin and Lindsay Lohan are two particular famous child actors who eventually experienced much difficulty with the fame they acquired at a young age. Some child actors do go on to have successful acting careers as adults; notable actors who first gained fame as children include Mickey Rooney, Tim Matheson, Drew Barrymore, Shia LaBeouf, Jake Gyllenhaal, Mila Kunis, and Molly Ringwald. Other child actors have gone on to successful careers in other fields, including director Ron Howard, politicians Lech and Jarosław Kaczyński, and singer Jenny Lewis. RegulationIn the United States, the activities of child actors are regulated by the governing labor union, if any, and state laws. Some projects film in distant locations specifically to evade regulations intended to protect the child. Longer work hours or risky stunts prohibited by California, for example, might be permitted to a project filming in British Columbia. US federal law "specifically exempted minors working in the entertainment business from all provisions of the child labor Laws."[citation needed] Any regulation of child actors is governed by disparate state laws. CaliforniaDue to the large presence of the entertainment industry in Hollywood, the state of California has some of the most explicit laws protecting child actors. Being a minor, a child actor must secure an entertainment work permit before accepting any paid work. Compulsory education laws mandate that the education of the child actor not be disrupted while the child is working, whether the child actor is enrolled in public school, private school or even home school. The child does their schoolwork under the supervision of a studio teacher while on the set. United KingdomIn the United Kingdom, a child actor is defined as someone under school leaving age.[1] Before a child can work, they require a performance license from their Local Education Authority as well as a licensed chaperone; a parent can only chaperone their own child, and a chaperone's duties include acting in loco parentis and recording arrivals and departure time from the work place, the time a child is working, their breaks, and the amount of tutoring.[1][2] A child requires minimum of three hours of tutoring daily and a lesson must be a minimum of 30 minutes to count towards the total and with regards to 16 and 17-year-old in further education, considerations are made in regards to their studies.[3] There are regulations and guidance to safeguard all actors under the age of 18; OFCOM guidance states a child's health and safety, well-being and welfare are paramount in television production and factors such as their age, maturity and life experiences can affect their performance.[4] OFCOM also advises that broadcasters undertake risk assessments, consider seeking expert advice and follow best practices.[4] IssuesOwnership of earningsIn the United States before the 1930s, many child actors never got to see the money they earned because they were not in charge of this money. Jackie Coogan earned millions of dollars from working as a child actor only to see most of it squandered by his parents. In 1939, California weighed in on this controversy and enacted the Coogan Bill, which requires a portion of the earnings of a child to be preserved in a special savings account called a blocked trust.[5] A trust that is not actively monitored can also be problematic, however, as in the case of Gary Coleman, who after working from 1974, later sued his adoptive parents and former business advisor for $3.8 million over misappropriation of his trust fund.[6][7] Competitive pressureSome people[who?] also criticize the parents of child actors for allowing their children to work, believing that more "normal" activities should be the staple during the childhood years. Others[who?] observe that competition is present in all areas of a child's life—from sports to student newspaper to orchestra and band—and believe that the work ethic instilled or the talent developed accrues to the child's benefit.[citation needed] The child actor may experience unique and negative pressures when working under tight production schedules. Large projects which depend for their success on the ability of the child to deliver an effective performance add to the pressure.[citation needed] Ethel Merman, who several times worked in long-running stage productions with child actors, disliked what she eventually saw as their over-professionalization—"acting more like midgets than children"—and disapproved of parents pushing adulthood on them.[8] After the childhood success This section possibly contains synthesis of material which does not verifiably mention or relate to the main topic. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. (May 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Jodie Foster in 1974There are many instances of troubled adult lives due to the stressful environment to which child actors are subjected. It is common to see a child actor grow up in front of the camera, whether in films, TV shows or both. However, it is not uncommon to see child actors continue their careers throughout as actors or in a different professional field. Jodie Foster started acting at age 3, becoming the quintessential child actor during the 1970s with roles in films such as Tom Sawyer (1973), Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), Taxi Driver (1976), Bugsy Malone (1976), The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976), and Freaky Friday (1976). A child prodigy, Foster received her first Academy Award nomination at age 13 and later took a sabbatical from films to attend Yale University. She made a successful transition to adult roles, winning two Academy Awards for Best Actress before the age of 30, and starring in several successful and acclaimed films such as The Accused (1988), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Nell (1994), Maverick (1994), Contact (1997), and The Brave One (2007), thus establishing herself as one of the most accomplished and sought-after actresses of her generation. She has also ventured into directing and her directing credits include films such as Little Man Tate (1991), Money Monster (2016) and television shows such as House of Cards, Orange Is the New Black, and Black Mirror. Now adults, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, the three leads of the acclaimed Harry Potter film series (2001–2011), starred in every installment in the series, and have since continued to act in film, television, and theater in their early 30's. Dakota Fanning rose to prominence after her breakthrough performance at age 7 in the film I Am Sam (2001). Her performance earned her a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination at age 8 in 2002, making her the youngest nominee in SAG history. She later appeared in major Hollywood productions, in such acclaimed blockbuster films as Man on Fire (2004), War of the Worlds (2005), Charlotte's Web (2006), Hounddog (2007), The Secret Life of Bees (2008), Coraline (2009), The Twilight Saga film series (2009–2012), The Runaways (2010), and The Motel Life (2012). Fanning's younger sister, Elle Fanning also rose to prominence as a child actress, having appeared in many films since before she turned 3. Miranda Cosgrove, known mainly for her role as Megan on the Nickelodeon sitcom Drake & Josh as a child, gained more attention for her role as a teenager in the show iCarly. Since the end of the show she has been featured in other roles, including as the voice of Margo in the Despicable Me franchise. Once she was of age, she decided to pursue a college degree in film at the University of Southern California.[9] Late actress Shirley Temple became a public figure and diplomat, beginning in the 1960s. Some of her duties included representing the United Nations, and becoming a U.S. ambassador in countries such as Ghana and Czechoslovakia.[10] Mary-Kate Olsen, who shared the role of Michelle Tanner with her twin sister Ashley on the ABC sitcom Full House, was treated for an eating disorder, deemed anorexia, but Ashley remained less troubled. In an article with the magazine Marie Claire, Mary-Kate expressed the bittersweet nature of the twins' childhood. "I look at old photos of me, and I don't feel connected to them at all," she said. "I would never wish my upbringing on anyone... but I wouldn't take it back for the world." The twins eventually retired from acting to pursue a full-time career in the fashion industry, which, to this day, is continuously successful with an estimated net worth of approximately $100,000,000.[11][12] Mandy Moore is one of the child stars to have success as an adult with the start of her growing career in 1993.Drew Barrymore, a former child star, started acting at age 3. During her childhood she battled with drugs, but recovered and currently continues to act. Natalie Portman took a small break in acting to get a bachelor's degree in psychology from Harvard University before continuing her career as an actress. Rider Strong, known as "Shawn Hunter" in Boy Meets World, was educated at Columbia University and now runs a successful blog and has published a graphic novel.[13] Neil Patrick Harris started his career as a child actor in Doogie Howser, M.D. He continues to act in television, films and theater. Harris is now a cult figure icon. Jonathan Lipnicki, known mostly for the Stuart Little films, now successfully competes in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.[13] Sara Gilbert is known for her role on Roseanne and later created and served as a co-host for CBS's The Talk. Also from Roseanne, Michael Fishman continued to work in film, but behind the scenes and has since been nominated for an Emmy for the work he did in Sports Science. Both Gilbert and Fishman returned for the later series based on Roseanne, The Conners, with Gilbert also serving as an executive producer and guiding the series through its transition after Roseanne Barr was fired after the tenth season of the revived Roseanne.[13] Kirsten Dunst and Lacey Chabert both made the transition from a child actress to an adult actress with a rough patch including depression. After a stay in a rehabilitation center, Dunst was able to recover and continue her career. She proves that the pressures of growing up under the spotlight may not come without repercussions.[14] Roddy McDowall, who had a long and outstanding career including as the regular star of the Planet of the Apes series; Micky Dolenz, who started his career as a child star in the 1950s, grew up to be a musician of the successful 1960s pop group The Monkees, which had its own successful television show; Ron Howard, who, in addition to being the star of both of the long running The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days television series, became an Academy Award-winning director in adulthood; Elijah Wood, who continued his career successfully into adulthood, starring as Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings film series and starring as Ryan Newman in the television series Wilfred. Other careers This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message)Many actors' and child actors' careers are often quite short. Many actors, out of personal choice, that start their careers as child actors decide not to pursue the same careers as adults. Shirley Temple, for example, became a public figure and diplomat. Peter Ostrum, appearing in his only role, the lead character of Charlie Bucket in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, became a large-scale veterinarian surgeon. While Jenny Lewis, formerly of film Troop Beverly Hills in 1989, is a well-known singer-songwriter indie rock musician. Renee Olstead became a Jazz musician. In Poland, former child actors and identical twin brothers Lech and Jarosław Kaczyński became successful politicians, at one time Lech being president and Jarosław the prime minister. Diff'rent Strokes is an American television sitcom, which aired on NBC from November 3, 1978, to May 4, 1985, and on ABC from September 27, 1985, to March 7, 1986.[2] The series stars Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as Arnold and Willis Jackson, respectively, who are two boys from Harlem taken in by a wealthy Park Avenue businessman and his daughter. Phillip Drummond (Conrad Bain) is a widower for whom their deceased mother previously worked; his daughter, Kimberly, is played by Dana Plato.[3][4] During the first season and the first half of the second season, Charlotte Rae also starred, as Mrs. Edna Garrett, the Drummonds' first housekeeper, who ultimately spun off into her own sitcom, The Facts of Life, as a housemother at the fictional Eastland School. The second housekeeper, Adelaide Brubaker, was played by Nedra Volz. The third housekeeper, Pearl Gallagher, was played by Mary Jo Catlett, first appearing as a recurring character, later becoming a main cast member. The series made stars of Coleman, Bridges, and Plato and became known for the very special episodes, in which serious issues such as racism, illegal drug use, alcoholism, hitchhiking, kidnapping, and child sexual abuse were dramatically explored. HistoryDiff'rent Strokes was initially devised to serve as a vehicle for both Conrad Bain and Gary Coleman. Bain had recently finished a six-year run co-starring as Dr. Arthur Harmon on the hugely successful Maude. When that series ended production following star Beatrice Arthur's decision to leave the show in the spring 1978, Tandem Productions producer Norman Lear was keen to find a suitable sitcom for Bain to star in. Ten-year-old Coleman, meanwhile, had caught producers' attention after appearing in a number of commercials and TV guest roles, and the previous year had starred in three pilot episodes by Lear that attempted to revive the Little Rascals film series of the 1920-40s. The pilots did not sell although they were later edited into a television film for some markets. Lear saw immense potential in Coleman and was determined to find him a suitable sitcom, and it was decided that Bain and Coleman would make a good, if unusual, pairing for the project. With Bain himself having considerable input into the options available and directions they took, producers considered a number of settings and formats, including one in which Bain was a gumshoe, with Coleman as his young associate-come-informant.[5] The fictional detective Bulldog Drummond served as inspiration for what would have been Bain's character, and although this concept was ultimately dropped, the surname "Drummond" was retained to become the surname of Bain's character in Diff'rent Strokes. Several such concepts were considered before a rough outline for the eventual series—in which Bain plays a wealthy businessman left to take care of his late housekeeper's son, the orphaned Coleman—was settled upon and given the working title 45 Minutes from Harlem (even though Harlem is only ten to fifteen minutes away from the Upper East Side by subway or taxi).[6] An alternate version of the basic scenario had a slightly harder-nosed Bain as a wealthy estate developer who finds that he can only purchase a potentially lucrative Harlem housing block for redevelopment if he also takes custody of the orphan, Coleman, who lives there; this version was nixed in favor of the former. NBC showed immediate interest and felt the format had potential; at their request the pitch was developed, with Coleman's character, Arnold, gaining an older brother, producers feeling Coleman would benefit from the addition of a second, slightly older child to interact with, and who could add a further dynamic to storylines. Producers immediately decided child actor Todd Bridges should play the older brother; he had appeared in a number of commercials and guest roles. The producers were also impressed by Bridges’ stint on the sitcom Fish, which had also been cancelled earlier in 1978. Bridges was offered the role without needing an audition. The pitch meeting to NBC took place on Friday May 9, 1978,[7] with NBC immediately ordering an optional 26 episodes. A daughter to Bain's character and a housekeeper were added to the lineup. Producer Al Burton had spotted Dana Plato as part of a cheerleading team auditioning on The Gong Show and felt she had a spark about her, and recommended her for the role of Drummond's daughter Kimberly.[7] Producers were keen to cast Charlotte Rae as housekeeper Edna Garrett, feeling that her more "traditional sitcom" talents would work well for the unusual line-up and that as an older character she would have good chemistry with Bain. As with Bridges, Rae was offered the role without audition, but was locked into a contract with CBS; however, Lear was determined to have Rae for the role and used his influence to convince CBS to release her from her contract, freeing her up to be available for the role.[8] The title for the series eventually became Diff'rent Strokes, inspired by the phrase "Different strokes for different folks", popularized by boxer Muhammad Ali in 1966 (Ali himself makes a guest appearance in the second season).[9] The sitcom stars Coleman as Arnold Jackson and Bridges as his older brother, Willis, two children from a poor section of Harlem whose deceased mother previously worked for rich widower Philip Drummond (Bain), and on her deathbed asked him to take care of her sons, their father already being deceased. They live in a penthouse with Drummond, his daughter Kimberly (Plato), and their housemaid. At the outset of the series, the role of housemaid is filled by Rae as Mrs. Garrett; when Rae departed for spin-off series The Facts of Life during the second season, she was replaced by Adelaide Brubaker (Volz), who in turn, was replaced by Pearl Gallagher (Catlett) from the fifth season until the end of the run. They lived in the penthouse suite at 697 Park Avenue in New York City. As Arnold, Coleman popularized the catchphrase "What'choo talkin' 'bout, Willis?"[10][11] with the ending varying depending on whom he was addressing. Early episodes mostly address typical family sit-com issues, but as the series progresses, it sometimes focuses on more serious topics, including drug abuse, alcoholism, hitchhiking, child abuse and crime. Seasons 1–2 (1978–80)The first season aired at 8:00 pm ET on Friday nights. It dealt with common topics such as various growing-up and adjustment issues experienced by Arnold and Willis, and mild culture clashes. Plots that saw Mr. Drummond searching for love, and stories that mildly addressed racism were also sometimes featured. Although billed on the opening credits of each episode, Plato appeared only semi-regularly for much of the first season. On-screen this was explained with her character often said to be away at her private school; in reality the producers were still undecided whether the character was extraneous to the format, with the option that she could simply be faded into the background and written out as away studying should they choose to drop her. But Plato and her character were well received by audiences, and the producers became convinced that her inclusion added an extra element of appeal to the audience, offering a female character for young girls and women to identify with. As a result, from the later first season and on into the second season, Plato became a regular character. Charlotte Rae appeared as Edna Garrett in every first-season episode; the final broadcast episode of the first season, "The Girls' School", also known as "Garrett's Girls", sees her agreeing to accompany Kimberly to her private school, the fictional Eastland, in order to help with preparations for a play- in actuality, this episode acted as the backdoor pilot for the spin-off series The Facts of Life (Garrett's Girls being an early working title). Mrs. Garrett is present for the first 13 episodes of the second season of Diff'rent Strokes, with the character last seen in the episode "The Rivals", after which she leaves, offscreen, to take a permanent position at Eastland, The Facts of Life having by then been picked up for a full series. (Kimberly did not become a regular character in that series, although the two shows had a number of crossovers.) Shortly after the second season began, the show was moved to Wednesdays in a less kid-friendly timeslot, 9:00 pm ET. Following Rae's departure midway through the second season, Nedra Volz took over as the housekeeper, the older and crankier Adelaide Brubaker, introduced in the episode "The Election". Volz appeared on a semi-regular basis, but was not added to the opening credits, instead always credited with the guest cast on the closing credits. The reason for this, in part, was that it was in Rae's contract that she be allowed to return to Diff'rent Strokes should The Facts of Life be canceled. Also first appearing in the second season was Arnold's best friend Dudley Johnson (Shavar Ross), first seen in the episode "Teacher's Pet". Robbie Jason (Steven Mond), another recurring school friend, also makes his first appearance in that episode. Arnold and Dudley (and often Robbie) shared many childhood escapades together, and were featured in many episodes, school-based and otherwise, throughout the show's run. As part of this, Arnold's school life also gradually began to feature more in many episodes; this increased in subsequent seasons. The first and second season also included three hour-long crossover episodes (edited into two-part format for syndication and overseas broadcasts) with NBC sitcom Hello, Larry, which had been moved to the slot immediately following Diff'rent Strokes in an effort to boost its ratings (an effort that ultimately failed; it was canceled after the end of its second season). Seasons 3–4 (1980–82)The third and fourth seasons had some of the show's highest ratings[citation needed] and continued much of the themes of the first two seasons, but also gradually saw the introduction of some more serious topics into storylines. Beginning with the third-season episode "Count Your Blessings" and also touched upon in several other episodes is the fact that Arnold will never grow much taller, reflecting Gary Coleman's real-life medical condition. This same episode introduces wheelchair-aided Melanie Watson, born with osteogenesis imperfecta, as Kathy Gordon, who continued to guest-star one episode per season until Season 6. Also, shortly after Season 4 started, the show kept the same 9:00 pm ET timeslot, but moved from Wednesday to Thursday. Also introduced in the third season is Philip's dotty and eccentric sister Sophia (Dody Goodman), in the episode "Junk Food Junkie". Appearing on a semi-regular basis, she effectively filled the same function as Adelaide as the older female character in many stories, and is present in many third and fourth season episodes. Other recurring characters introduced over the third season included Le Tari as Dudley's adoptive father, Ted Ramsey (in the episode "Football Father"), Janet Jackson as Willis's girlfriend Charlene DuPrey and, in the fourth season episode "Kathy", Arnold's teacher Miss Chung, played by Rosalind Chao, who had played a different character in the third-season episode "Almost American", in which the regular cast only have minor roles, which served as the backdoor pilot for a potential sitcom focusing on the students of an immigration and naturalization class. The pilot was not picked up for a series, and was the only time the characters and setting appeared in Diff'rent Strokes. Due to a pay dispute involving Coleman and his parents—who acted as his managers—over the latter's demand to increase his salary from $1,800 to $30,000 per episode, which resulted in Tandem suing them for breach of contract,[12][13][14] Coleman did not appear in the first four filmed episodes of the fourth season ("The Ski Weekend", "First Day Blues", "The Team" and "Hello Daddy?"), with a separately filmed cameo tagged on to the end of one episode explaining that he was away in the country visiting some of Mr. Drummond's relatives. The final two episodes produced for the third season ("Growing Up" and "The Model") had originally been postponed due to a writer's strike,[citation needed] and the interspersing of these two episodes with the ones without Coleman taped at the start of the fourth season allowed the span of his absence to be broken down onscreen. When the dispute was ultimately settled, Coleman returned to the series, missing only two more episodes (season 7's "The Gymnasts" and "Baseball Blues"). Due to the popularity of Coleman's character, a spin-off series was briefly considered, to be titled Arnold and focusing on the character's school life[citation needed]. But the idea was dropped, both due to producers not wanting to water down the character's appeal in the main series, and deciding that the additional workload would be too much for Coleman.[citation needed]. Seasons 5–6 (1982–84)The fifth season saw a day and timeslot move, to Saturdays at 8:00 pm ET (with the new comedy Silver Spoons following at 8:30). The second episode of the fifth season, "In The Swim", introduced Mary Jo Catlett as the rotund, ever-cheerful Pearl Gallagher, the last of the Drummond household's three maids. Catlett joined the main cast, appeared in almost every episode until the end of the show's run, and was billed on the opening credits from the sixth season onward. "In The Swim" also saw the move of Kimberly from her private school, to the one attended by Willis—a move brought about in part at Plato's suggestion, with it being felt it might open up potential new storylines. The fifth season also introduced a new recurring character in Arnold's class at school, that of Lisa Hayes (Nikki Swasey). Although in her first appearance, in the episode "Cyrano De Jackson", she is sweet on Arnold, in subsequent appearances, the pair were enemies, often squabbling and trading insults, a recurring theme until the end of the series (although Lisa's final appearance, in the penultimate episode of the show's run, "The Photo Club", sees the pair addressing their differences and striking a truce of sorts). The fifth season also continued the upturn of many more storylines dealing with serious topics, becoming the epitome of the "Very Special Episode" concept employed by 1980s sitcoms,[citation needed] a trend that continued until the end of the show's run; the best-known example[15] being the fifth season two-parter "The Bicycle Man" (originally broadcast on February 5 and 12, 1983), in which Arnold and Dudley are lured in by pedophilic bicycle shop owner Mr. Horton (Gordon Jump) who attempts to molest the boys. Midway through the sixth season, Plato became pregnant with her first child, and approached the producers of the show to incorporate her pregnancy into Kimberly's plotline. Initially they agreed to add to Plato's suggestion, but later reversed course. (Incidentally, a Season 3 episode, "Little Mother", had tackled a similar theme, involving a friend of Kimberly who discovers she is pregnant and, because of a misunderstanding, the rest of the family is led to think that Kimberly is pregnant before finding out the truth.) Plato's publicized brushes with substance abuse contributed to this decision, resulting in her dismissal from the series at the end of the sixth season. Although still pulling in reasonable viewing figures by this time, ratings were beginning to fall, so producers decided to add several new characters to the cast to freshen the series up and open up future storylines. Dixie Carter and Danny Cooksey were cast to portray recently divorced television aerobics instructor Margaret "Maggie" McKinney and her son Sam, respectively.[16] Carter was introduced midway into the sixth season (in the episode "Drummond's Lady"); after she abruptly left for California, Drummond and the family took off after her, in the two-part story "Hooray for Hollywood", a storyline that also introduced Sam, Maggie's son from her previous marriage. Phillip proposed to Maggie, and they married in the episode "The Wedding" (first broadcast on February 25, 1984). Several past characters attended the wedding ceremony, including Aunt Sophia, Adelaide, and Mrs. Garrett. Season 7 (1984–85)For the seventh season, Carter and Cooksey were added to the opening credits (with Carter getting special "and" billing, last in the order) and many new areas and ideas were explored, as viewers now got to see Philip as a happily married man. Due to Plato's pregnancy and publicized substance abuse issues, she had been dropped from the regular cast at the end of the previous season. Kimberly was written out of the show with the explanation that she moved to Paris to study for a couple of years, but returned as a guest star for the season finale "A Special Friend", after Plato gave birth. Since there was a new fresh-faced kid in the house with Sam, Arnold now had his own little sidekick and was happy to be a "big brother" for a change. With Willis shifted into the background slightly, this new brotherly duo took center stage for many storylines. In the season, Bridges continued as a main cast member, but was absent in several episodes. Additionally, stories focusing on Arnold's school life, which had featured occasionally in many previous seasons, were delved into much more. Season 8 (1985–86)The introduction of Maggie and Sam had not improved ratings, which continued to decline over the course of the 1984–85 season; as a result, in the spring of 1985, NBC decided to cancel Diff'rent Strokes after seven seasons. However, Embassy Television subsequently reached a deal with ABC to pick up the series for an eighth season; the network change saw Strokes move back to its original night, Friday, airing at 9:00 pm ET. With this move, the show's recognizable theme song was re-recorded, updating it into a then-more modern pop style. (Fellow Embassy sitcoms and former NBC stablemates The Facts of Life and Silver Spoons—respectively entering their seventh and fourth seasons—also debuted similarly updated versions of their theme songs for the 1985–86 season.) Arnold's "What'choo talkin' 'bout?" catchphrase—which was gradually directed less towards Willis and more to other characters over the course of the series; the oft-quoted Willis variant not being used at all during Season 7—was retired, reportedly as Coleman had grown tired of using the line. Dixie Carter opted not to return to the series. It was said that she had left to star in her own series, Designing Women, however she and Coleman had often clashed, leading to tension and animosity on-set.[13] She was replaced in the role by Mary Ann Mobley, who had previously played an unrelated, one-off love interest of Drummond's in the second-season episode "Teacher's Pet". She had been considered for Maggie when the role was created, but was not chosen in part due to the age disparity between her and Bain (the two actors were born 15 years apart, with Bain being the elder).[17] In this final season, Jason Hervey joined the semi-regular cast as Charlie, another of Arnold's school friends. First seen in the episode "Bully For Arnold", a number of storylines focus on Arnold, Dudley, Robbie and Charlie as a quartet. Plots focusing on Arnold and Sam also continued to feature prominently, with Willis by this stage appearing on a secondary, semi-regular basis. After her guest appearance at the end of the previous season, Plato made several guest appearances in the final season, being billed alongside the guest cast as a "special guest star". (Despite not being a regular, Plato also appeared at the end of that season's opening credit sequence with the rest of the main cast.) Her final appearance, in the episode "Bulimia" (originally aired on January 17, 1986), dealt with the revelation of Kimberly's eating disorder, and won praise both for Plato's performance and the sensitivity of the writing. ABC canceled the series after 19 episodes of the proposed 22-episode season were produced, a result of low ratings and a feeling that the series had run its course; although it was also observed that by this time, the once joyous Coleman, now 17, was looking angry and haggard,[14] a combination of his ongoing medical issues and a bitter financial dispute with his parents. The final episode, "The Front Page" (originally aired on March 7, 1986), involves Arnold writing an investigative report for his school newspaper on student athletes using anabolic steroids. It was in many respects a standard episode, with no indication that it would be the series finale due to the show's abrupt cancellation. Bridges, Plato and Catlett were all absent from the episode, and several cast members later voiced their disappointment that they had not realized it would be the final episode, and would have liked to have been present to mark the end of the series onscreen more adequately.[citation needed] Following its cancellation, the show was brought back onto ABC's schedule in June 1986 for three months of Summer reruns, airing on Saturdays at 8:00 pm ET until August 30 of that year (airing opposite The Facts of Life which was on NBC). The final season ranked 69th out of 106 shows, and averaged an 11.5 household rating.[18] CastMain article: List of Diff'rent Strokes charactersMainConrad Bain as Phillip Drummond (1978–86)Gary Coleman as Arnold Jackson, Willis's younger brother and Phillip's adoptive son (1978–86)Todd Bridges as Willis Jackson, Arnold's older brother and Phillip's adoptive son (1978–86)Dana Plato as Kimberly Drummond, Phillip's biological daughter (1978–84, 1985–86 recurring)Charlotte Rae as Edna Garrett, Phillip's first housekeeper (1978–79, 1984 guest)Mary Jo Catlett as Pearl Gallagher, Phillip's third housekeeper (1982–86)Danny Cooksey as Sam McKinney, Maggie's son and Phillip's stepson (1984–86)Dixie Carter as Maggie McKinney Drummond #1, Phillip's second wife (1984–85)Mary Ann Mobley as Maggie McKinney Drummond #2 (1985–86) and as Ms. Osborne (1980)RecurringNedra Volz as Adelaide Brubaker, Phillip's second housekeeper (1980–82, 1984 guest)Janet Jackson as Charlene DuPrey (1980–84)Dody Goodman as Sophia Drummond (1981–84)Shavar Ross as Dudley Johnson (1980–86)Le Tari as Ted Ramsey (1980–84)Rosalind Chao as Miss Chung (1981–83)Steven Mond as Robbie Jason (1980–85)Jason Hervey as Charlie (1985–86)Nikki Swasey as Lisa Hayes (1982–86)Phillip Drummond is the only character to appear in every episode of the series. Arnold Jackson missed five episodes, two from the fourth season in 1981–82 (“First Day Blues" and "The Team") and three from the seventh season in 1984–85 ("The Gymnasts", "Sam Adopts a Grandparent" and "Baseball Blues"). Supporting charactersOutside the Drummond household, there were a large number of supporting characters over the years. In the third season, Janet Jackson played Willis's girlfriend, Charlene DuPrey. She was a frequent recurring character until the sixth season, when Charlene and Willis break up but remain friends. Mr. Drummond's dotty sister Sophia (Dody Goodman) was regularly seen in the fourth season, playing matchmaker for her brother in hopes of getting him to remarry. Dudley Johnson (Shavar Ross) was Arnold's best friend, who, like Arnold, was adopted, and with whom he shared many memorable childhood scrapes. Some of these were important or serious storylines under the "very special episode" heading, which Diff'rent Strokes popularized. Ted Ramsey (Le Tari) was Dudley's adoptive father, who turned up occasionally. Other classmates and friends of Arnold seen over time included Robbie Jason (Steven Mond) and snobby Lisa Hayes (Nikki Swasey), who initially was sweet on Arnold, but later came to despise him, leading to hatred between the pair and many squabbles. Miss Chung (Rosalind Chao) was Arnold's teacher. In the fall of 1985, when the series moved to ABC for the seventh season, Arnold, Dudley and Lisa entered high school, where they gained a new friend in Charlie (Jason Hervey). An oft-mentioned character spanning the entire show's run, was "The Gooch", a notorious bully at Arnold's school. First mentioned in the first-season episode "The Fight," which revolves around his bullying of Arnold, he is mentioned in numerous episodes (and his bullying of Arnold returned as the center of several plots), with Arnold's frequent descriptions of him as a burly and troublesome brute, forever looking for trouble but not very smart. The character never appeared onscreen. In the seventh season, after years of harassing Arnold (and later Sam), the Gooch was finally defeated by Arnold's neighbor and nemesis (and eventually friend) Carmella, a foreign exchange student. EpisodesMain article: List of Diff'rent Strokes episodesSeasonEpisodesOriginally airedRankRatingFirst airedLast airedNetwork124November 3, 1978May 4, 1979NBC2719.9226September 21, 1979March 26, 19802620.3322November 12, 1980May 13, 19811720.7 [a]426October 29, 1981May 20, 198236—524October 2, 1982May 14, 198351—624October 1, 1983May 12, 19845015.1 [b] [19]724September 29, 1984May 4, 19853714.7819September 27, 1985March 7, 1986ABC6911.5Very special episodes Nancy Reagan on the set of Diff'rent Strokes in 1983Diff'rent Strokes was also known for its many "very special episodes," most notably an anti-drug episode ("The Reporter") that featured First Lady Nancy Reagan, who promoted her "Just Say No" campaign, and "The Bicycle Man", a two-part episode that guest starred Gordon Jump as a pedophile who lures Arnold and Dudley into his bicycle shop and attempts to molest them. Another episode involved a con artist (played by Whitman Mayo) posing as a relative of Arnold and Willis in an attempt to get access to the inheritance they were left by a former neighbor. Another episode ("Skin Deep or True Blue") is about Kimberly's new boyfriend, Roger Morehouse (played by Grant Wilson), not allowing his sister, Emily (Melora Hardin), to go to their school's costume ball with Willis because he is black. A more humorous episode on pollution and the environment ("Green Hair") had Kimberly's hair turning green from acid rain. In a two-part episode on the dangers of hitchhiking ("The Hitchhikers"), Kimberly and Arnold (who were out in the cold weather and didn't have money for cab or bus fare) were abducted by a serial kidnapper-rapist (played by Woody Eney), who initially acted as a good Samaritan by giving the two of them a ride and inviting them to his apartment. After the man's true nature became known, Arnold escaped to look for help and the man nearly raped Kimberly before the police arrived to arrest him. At the end of the episode, Bain (in an out-of-character PSA) spoke about what to do if real life situations as the one portrayed on the show were to occur. Two notable episodes dealt with the consequences of alcoholism. In the first, season 5's "A Growing Problem," Willis moves out of the penthouse to live with Jerry (Lawrence Monoson) who abuses alcohol. In the second, season 7's "Cheers to Arnold," Arnold must deal with Ricky (Robert Jayne), a classmate whom he catches drinking a thermos of alcohol in the school bathroom. In the final season (when the sitcom moved from NBC to ABC), the one-hour season opener ("Sam's Missing") revolved around Sam being kidnapped by Donald Brown (Royce D. Applegate), a bereaved father hoping to replace his own dead son, Tommy. Other notable episodes included season 8's "Bulimia," in which the family discovered that Kimberly was suffering from bulimia. In season 7's "A Special Friend," Arnold and Sam met Karen, a street performer. After a performance, she has an epileptic seizure and Sam thinks she's dying. The boys then feel uncomfortable around her and when they begin making jokes about her seizures, they find out that housekeeper Pearl herself has epilepsy but, unlike Karen, controls her seizures with medication. Spin-off and crossoversThe Facts of Life (1979–1988) is a spin-off of Diff'rent Strokes featuring Drummond's former housekeeper, Mrs. Garrett, who had accepted a job as the housemother for a dormitory at Eastland, an all-girls private school that Kimberly was attending. In a late first-season episode of Strokes ("The Girls School", which served as the backdoor pilot of Facts), Mrs. Garrett took Kimberly to the school with the intent of helping her sew costumes for a school play. While there, Mrs. Garrett met Kimberly's classmates and was offered the job as "dorm mother." She declined, but come fall, she had a change of heart. The Diff'rent Strokes cast appeared in the first episode of The Facts of Life (at one point, Drummond asks Mrs. Garrett "Are you sure we can't change your mind to come back to us?"). The success of the spin-off led to several Strokes/Facts crossovers in the ensuing years. While not a spin-off, Hello, Larry (1979–1980) had a connection to Strokes as it was established in a crossover episode that Philip Drummond and Larry Alder (McLean Stevenson) were old Army buddies. Mr. Drummond had bought the company that owned the radio station where Larry worked as a talk show host. The episode "Almost American" (aka "Night School"), was the pilot for a potential spin-off series, which ultimately was not picked up for a full series.[20] In addition, while not official in-universe cross-overs, two sixth season stories saw characters meeting stars of two of NBC's other biggest shows: the episode Mr. T and Mr. T sees Mr. T guest starring when the apartment block is used to film a (fictional) episode of The A-Team; and in the two-part "Hooray for Hollywood," Arnold and Dudley sneak onto the set of a (fictional) episode of Knight Rider in hope of meeting series star, David Hasselhoff. (Although Hasselhoff, in his costume as Michael Knight appears, the voice of K.I.T.T. is not provided by William Daniels, who voices K.I.T.T. in the television series, but by an uncredited voice actor who voiced the car for various Universal Studios promotions.) Additionally, Arnold appeared on the Silver Spoons episode "The Great Computer Caper" and the Amazing Stories episode "Remote Control Man". Later appearances as the charactersIn 1994, Coleman appeared in an episode of Married... with Children ("How Green Was My Apple"), playing a building code inspector whom Al Bundy (Ed O'Neill) called to report an illegal driveway. When Kelly (Christina Applegate) recognizes him, he denies any connection to Arnold Jackson, but utters his catchphrase to Al, "What'cha talkin' about, Bundy?" In 1996, Coleman and Bain reprised their roles for the series finale of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air entitled "I, Done Part II", where they consider buying the Banks mansion. They reference Willis by name before meeting Will Smith's character, leading to Coleman uttering a variation of his catchphrase, "What'cha talkin' about, Will?" Additional catchphrase references and appearances in popular cultureIn 2004, Coleman appeared on the second season of The Surreal Life and was pressured to quote his famous catchphrase by Vanilla Ice.[21][22] He also guest-starred as himself on The Wayans Bros., The Ben Stiller Show, Drake & Josh, The Jamie Foxx Show, The Parkers, Robot Chicken, and The Simpsons. After Diff'rent Strokes ended This section may contain material not related to the topic of the article. Please help improve this section or discuss this issue on the talk page. (March 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)Following the cancellation of Diff'rent Strokes in 1986, Coleman, Bridges, and Plato faced immense struggles in landing other acting jobs. All three experienced various legal problems while Bridges and Plato also struggled with drug addictions, all of which were documented in the press. The press and fans of the series blamed the cast's personal problems and faltering careers on what was eventually dubbed the "curse of Diff'rent Strokes" by various tabloids.[23] Gary ColemanMain article: Gary ColemanIn 1989 three years after the series ended, Coleman sued his parents and his former manager over misappropriation of his trust fund. Although he was awarded over $1 million in the decision, he filed for bankruptcy in 1999. In 1998, Coleman was charged with assault after he punched a woman harassing him and demanding an autograph while working as a security guard at a shopping mall. In 2001, Coleman (still working as a security guard) was videotaped trying to stop a vehicle from entering the mall. The driver ridiculed him and released the tape to be broadcast on numerous television shows.[24] In 2007, Coleman was cited for disorderly conduct in Provo, Utah, for having a "heated discussion" with a woman.[25] On May 26, 2010, Coleman, who had battled health problems since childhood caused by congenital kidney disease, was admitted to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo after falling and hitting his head after suffering a seizure. Coleman was then placed on life support after suffering an intracranial hemorrhage and died on May 28 from complications of his injury at age 42.[26] Dana PlatoMain article: Dana PlatoDuring the series' sixth season, Plato became pregnant and her character was written out of the series (though she would go on to make guest appearances for the final two seasons). In 1984, she married the father of her child, musician Lanny Lambert, but the couple divorced in 1990. Due to financial difficulties and her severe addiction to drugs and alcohol, Plato relinquished custody of her son, Tyler, to Lambert. In an attempt to boost her faltering career, Plato posed for Playboy in June 1989, but her appearance in the magazine did not help her land acting jobs.[23] By 1990, Plato was living in Las Vegas. Despite having made $25,000 an episode while on the series, she was often broke and was working as a cashier at a dry cleaning store.[27] In February 1991, she was arrested after robbing a Las Vegas video store armed with a pellet gun. She was arrested the following year for forging prescriptions for Valium.[28] In 1998, she appeared in a softcore pornographic film entitled Different Strokes: The Story of Jack and Jill...and Jill, which was intended to capitalize on her Diff'rent Strokes fame.[23] After her arrests, Plato publicly admitted that she struggled with an addiction to drugs and alcohol.[29] Plato died of a drug overdose in 1999 at age 34. Her death was ruled a suicide.[30] Her son, Tyler, died by suicide in 2010. Todd BridgesMain article: Todd BridgesAfter the series ended Bridges developed an addiction to cocaine. In February 1988, he was arrested and charged with the attempted murder of a drug dealer at a crack house in South Central Los Angeles. He was acquitted in November 1989.[31] Bridges was also arrested on a concealed weapon charge and possession of cocaine.[23] In 1994, he was arrested after allegedly ramming someone's car after an argument.[32] After years of battling drug addiction, Bridges became sober in the early 1990s.[33] He has traveled across the United States, touring schools and discussing the dangers of drug use.[34] Bridges has continued acting in films and television. Bridges's more high-profile role was as Monk, a shell-shocked Vietnam veteran, conspiracy theorist, and nephew of Chris's boss Doc on the sitcom Everybody Hates Chris.[35] Since Charlotte Rae's death in 2018 at the age of 92, Bridges remains the sole living member of the original cast. DocudramasTwo unofficial docudramas were produced about the show: In 2000, Fox broadcast a one-hour television movie, After Diff'rent Strokes: When the Laughter Stopped. This film which starred unknown actors, focused on Plato's life after the show, leading to her suicide. Bridges guest starred in this film as a drug dealer who sold drugs to a younger version of himself.[36]On September 4, 2006, NBC aired a television drama titled Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Diff'rent Strokes. This film, which chronicles the rise and decline of the sitcom's child stars, also features recent interview clips with Coleman and Bridges. The two briefly appear in the movie's final scene, standing by Plato's grave.[37]Home mediaSony Pictures Home Entertainment (formerly Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment) has released Seasons 1 and 2 of Diff'rent Strokes on DVD in Region 1 and 4. Season 1 was also released in Regions 2 and 5 on October 6, 2008.[38] On September 29, 2009, a "Fan Favorites" DVD was released. This is a one disc compilation consisting of eight episodes from Season 2.[39] On April 6, 2012, it was announced that Shout! Factory had acquired the rights to the series; they subsequently released the third season on DVD on July 17, 2012.[40] Season 4 was released on November 20, 2012.[41] Season 5 was released on April 4, 2017.[42] Season 6 was released on July 25, 2017.[43] Season 7 was released on February 27, 2018.[44] Season 8 was released on May 29, 2018.[44] On August 27, 2013, it was announced that Mill Creek Entertainment had acquired the rights to various television series from the Sony Pictures library, including Diff'rent Strokes.[45] They subsequently re-released the first and second seasons on DVD on July 15, 2014.[46] The series had graded its audio tracks to AAC 2 Channels.[clarification needed] DVD nameNo. ofepisodesRelease datesRegion 1Region 4The Complete First Season24September 14, 2004July 15, 2014 (re-release)November 22, 2006The Complete Second Season26January 31, 2006July 15, 2014 (re-release)November 4, 2008The Complete Third Season22July 17, 2012N/AThe Complete Fourth Season26November 20, 2012N/AThe Complete Fifth Season24April 4, 2017N/AThe Complete Sixth Season23July 25, 2017N/AThe Complete Seventh Season24February 27, 2018N/AThe Complete Eighth Season19May 29, 2018N/A

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