- In full:
- Gary Wayne Coleman
Gary Coleman
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Who was Gary Coleman?
Gary Coleman (1968â2010) was an American child actor famous for his short height of 4 feet 8 inches (1.4 metres). He is most known for his role as Arnold Jackson in the television sitcom Diff'rent Strokes (1978â86), where his character's catchphrase, "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?", became widely popular.
Coleman's career faced challenges. After Diff'rent Strokes, he had trouble finding acting roles and worked odd jobs, including as a security guard. He sued his parents and business manager over the depletion of his trust fund and won a settlement. Coleman also dealt with health and legal issues, including multiple suicide attempts and high-profile court cases involving assault. He died from a brain hemorrhage in 2010.
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For what TV show is Gary Coleman best known?
Gary Coleman, born on February 8, 1968, was best known for starring in the situation comedy television series Diff'rent Strokes (1978â86). He played Arnold Jackson, the younger of two impoverished African American brothers adopted by a wealthy white businessman after their mother dies. Coleman's character was at the center of the showâs comic moments, many of which also involved his on-screen brother, Willis (Todd Bridges), and the businessmanâs daughter, Kimberly (Dana Plato). His character's catchphrase, "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?," became very popular in the 1970s and â80s.
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What made Gary Coleman stand out as an actor in his childhood?
Gary Coleman stood out as an actor in his childhood due to his small stature, a result of treatment for nephritis, which led to him being 4 feet 8 inches tall as an adult. This allowed him to play characters much younger than his actual age. His role as Arnold Jackson in Diff'rent Strokes (1978â86), where he delivered the popular catchphrase "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?", made him a prominent child star.
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What were some challenges Gary Coleman faced during his career?
Gary Coleman, the child star of Diff'rent Strokes, faced numerous challenges throughout his career. His small stature, resulting from treatment for nephritis, led him to often play younger characters. After Diff'rent Strokes ended, Coleman found limited acting roles and worked odd jobs, such as a security guard, to supplement his income. At 18, he discovered his trust fund of $18 million had been reduced to $220,000, which led him to sue his parents and business manager for misappropriating his earnings; he won a $1.3 million settlement. Coleman also struggled with his temper, facing multiple assault-related court cases, and admitted to multiple suicide attempts following the legal battle with his parents.
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How did Gary Coleman's health affect his life?
Gary Coleman's life was greatly affected by health issues. He was diagnosed with nephritis, a kidney disorder, at birth. Treatments stunted his growth, resulting in an adult height of 4 feet 8 inches (1.4 meters). His stature led him to play younger characters.
Coleman's health also affected him later in life. In 2010, he suffered a seizure on the set of The Insider. After a fall, he was admitted to the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo, Utah, where he died from a brain hemorrhage.
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What impact did Gary Coleman have on television and popular culture?
Gary Coleman, who was born on February 8, 1968, and died on May 28, 2010, was an American child star who had a significant impact on television and popular culture. He was best known for his role in the television series Diff'rent Strokes (1978â86). His character, Arnold Jackson, and his frequently used catchphrase, "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?", became highly popular in the 1970s and 80s.
Coleman's success on Diff'rent Strokes led him to form his own production company at the age of 10, called Gary Coleman Productions. After Diff'rent Strokes ended, Coleman had trouble finding acting roles and took on odd jobs to supplement his income.
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Gary Coleman (born February 8, 1968, Zion, Illinois, U.S.âdied May 28, 2010, Provo, Utah) was an American child star known for his small stature. He was best known for starring in the situation comedy television series Diffârent Strokes (1978â86).
Coleman was adopted as a baby by Edmonia Sue Coleman, a nurse practitioner, and W.G. Coleman, a pharmaceutical company representative. He had been diagnosed with various medical issues at birth, including a potentially fatal form of the kidney disorder nephritis. As a result of treatment for that condition, he attained an adult height of only 4 feet 8 inches (1.4 metres). Because of his small stature, he often played characters who were much younger than he was.
When Coleman was a young boy, he appeared in a television commercial for a bank in Chicago. That commercial brought him to the attention of agents in Hollywood, and he was subsequently cast in Diffârent Strokes. He portrayed the younger of two impoverished African American brothers adopted by a wealthy white businessman after their mother dies. As the precocious chubby-cheeked Arnold Jackson, Coleman was usually at the centre of the showâs comic capers, many of which also involved his on-screen brother, Willis (Todd Bridges), and the businessmanâs daughter, Kimberly (Dana Plato). âWhatchoo talkinâ âbout, Willis?,â spoken often by Colemanâs character, became a popular catchphrase in the 1970s and â80s.
At the age of 10, Coleman formed the company Gary Coleman Productions. His parents wrote themselves into his contract as paid employees. After Diffârent Strokes was canceled in 1986, Coleman appeared only occasionally on television series and in movies, either as himself or as a minor character. When Coleman was nearly 18, he turned to his trust fund but found that his earnings, which had once totaled almost $18 million, had been depleted to $220,000. He sued his parents and his business manager for allegedly stealing from his earnings and won a settlement of $1.3 million, a fraction of the fundâs anticipated balance.
Coleman supplemented his income with odd jobs, including work as a security guard, when he struggled to find acting roles. He later admitted that he had attempted suicide multiple times following the court fight with his parents. Coleman was also known for his hot temper, and in the 1990s he was involved in multiple high-profile court cases centring on assault. In 2007 he was arrested for disorderly conduct involving a public argument with his then wife, Shannon Price. The following year Coleman and Price appeared on the reality TV show Divorce Court. In 2022 American comic actress Molly Shannon alleged that Coleman had sexually harassed her in a meeting when she was younger.
In 2010 Coleman suffered a seizure on the set of the television show The Insider. After falling and hitting his head in May of that year, he was admitted to the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center (now Utah Valley Hospital) in Provo, Utah, where he died of a brain hemorrhage.