Posted by: Site Admin
May 28, 2010
In the late '70s and early '80s, Coleman was one of television's brightest stars, the personality around which NBC's "Strokes" -- the story of two inner-city children who are taken in by a wealthy businessman, his daughter and their housekeeper -- was built.
His natural charm and way with a line -- the frequently uttered "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?", directed at his older brother (played by Todd Bridges), became a catchphrase -- helped make the show a breakout hit, a mainstay of the NBC schedule from 1978 to 1985 (and on ABC for a year afterward).
But in later years Coleman's name became a punch line. He was denigrated because of his short stature -- he never grew taller than 4 feet 8 inches because of nephritis, a kidney condition. He sued his parents over mismanagement of his finances; though he won a $1.3 million settlement in 1993, he had to file for bankruptcy six years later. He was occasionally in the news for scuffles. He appeared on TV court shows and had a brief run for governor of California.
Indeed, the 2003 Broadway musical "Avenue Q" featured a character named Gary Coleman who was identified as the former star of "Diff'rent Strokes," and was now the superintendent of an apartment building. (Coleman himself had once been a security guard after "Diff'rent Strokes" went off the air.) The character joined the cast in singing a song called "It Sucks to Be Me."
Coleman was born on February 8, 1968, and raised in Zion, Illinois, near Chicago. He was adopted as an infant by Willie Coleman, a representative for a pharmaceutical company, and Sue Coleman, a nurse. By age 5, Coleman was modeling for retailer Montgomery Ward, a job that was followed by appearances in commercials for McDonald's and Hallmark, according to a 1979 profile in People magazine.
After Norman Lear cast him in an unsuccessful pilot for a new version of "The Little Rascals" -- Coleman played Stymie -- he got the role of Arnold in "Diff'rent Strokes."
"Pudgy cheeks, twinking eyes, and flawless timing made him seem like an old pro packed into the body of a small child," wrote Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh in "The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present."
At the time, NBC was mired in last place among the three major broadcast networks and, excluding movies, had just two series in the Nielsen Top 20. "Strokes" was an immediate hit, finishing in the Top 30 its first three years, and made Coleman into a household name.
Veterans marveled at his comic timing. He appeared several times on Johnny Carson's "The Tonight Show," performed on several specials and had a hit TV movie with "The Kid From Left Field." Until NBC started its mid-'80s rise with "The A-Team" and "The Cosby Show," he was the primary prime-time face of the network.
"Gary is exceptional, and not only by the standards set for children. He's bright, sweet and affectionate. He seems incapable of a wrong reading, and I've never seen that in any actor," co-star Conrad Bain, who played "Strokes' " millionaire industrialist Philip Drummond, told People in 1979.
"His talent," his mother added, "may be God's way of compensating him for what he's been through, and the fact that he'll never have the physical size of other boys." Coleman reportedly had a kidney transplant at 5, and would have another when he was 16.
Coleman was ready for new challenges when "Diff'rent Strokes" was canceled in 1986. "When "Diff'rent Strokes" got canceled, I was enormously thrilled and was very much looking forward to starting the rest of my life," he said in an interview.