The third housekeeper, Pearl Gallagher, was played by Mary Jo Catlett, first appearing as a recurring character, later becoming a main cast member. I had Advertisement Shavar Ross, who played Dudley Ramsey/Dudley Johnson on "Diff'rent Strokes" and Weasel on "Family Matters," is 47 years old today. Although he was awarded over $1 million in the decision, he filed for bankruptcy in 1999. left the air in 1986. Starring: Charlotte Rae, Dixie Carter, Conrad Bain, Gary Coleman, Todd Bridges, Dana Plato, Mary Jo Catlett, Danny Cooksey. 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). 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. Gary Coleman died of a brain hemorrhage on May 28, 2010. Diff'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. Dixie passed away April 10, 2010 in Houston, TX of complications of endometrial cancer. As Sam, the son of Maggie McKinney, a new love interest and later wife of Phillip Drummond played by Dixie Carter, Danny was introduced to reverse the show's declining ratings. 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. each cast member that I could find along with what they have done since They met on the set of the 2006 comedy film Church Ball. She returned to Broadway in 1974 to appear in Lorelei time and had lived in the Actors Fund Home in Englewood since October. Son Seven Shavar Ross Rae starred as Mrs. Garrett (Mrs. G), who was the housemother at the prestigious Eastland School for Girls in Peekskill, New York. Dana's fortunes began to turn when she was spotted by a producer during a brief appearance was in the short-lived Fox series, Mr. President, where he was the chief advisor to They realize they don't like the effects of cigarettes, but the real persuasion to have them kick the habit comes from someone very close to home from Dudley - his father, whom despite having had a lung operation, is still a chronic smoker. and shattering lows. (she had said in more recent interviews that she was not by | Jun 2, 2022 | george kittle brother ohio state | Jun 2, 2022 | george kittle brother ohio state enough guided her into acting. The pitch meeting to NBC took place on Friday May 9, 1978,[7] with NBC immediately ordering an optional 26 episodes. Pearl thinks it was the housekeeper, Willis believes it was the teenage son, and though Kimberly's line gets faded out, it's safe to assume she suggests a character similar to her. Phillip Drummond (Conrad Bain) is a widower for whom their deceased mother previously worked; his daughter, Kimberly is played by Dana Plato. "Diff'rent Strokes" debuted on NBC in 1978, an era when television comedies tackled relevant social issues. Midway through the sixth season, Plato became pregnant and approached the producers of the show to include her pregnancy. in the Canadian army during World War II, then resumed his training at New York's American to do next, I took part-time jobs in retail during my later high school She appeared as Molly the Mail Lady in the third season (1971-1972) of Sesame Street. Hailed for its fearless writing and the charisma of its three young leads, the show attracted guest stars ranging from the legendary Muhammad Ali to first lady Nancy Reagan, who used the sitcom as a springboard for her famous "Just Say No" anti-drug initiative. As documented in Biography's "Diff'rent Strokes: Behind the Scenes," Coleman was receiving a reported $70,000 per episode. wrote a book: Trying to get to Heaven: Opinions of a Tennessee Talker. He has Coleman occasionally is able to cash in on his camp value to members of Generation X, by appearing in cameo roles in film and TV. By the time the program was cancelled, Dana had blossomed into a striking He had replaced Stewie since he owed him a favor. Eventually, he was forced to file bankruptcy. Coleman secretly wed his girlfriend of five months, Shannon Price, 22, on August 28, 2007. According to Sgt. In January of 1992 she was arrested OK. They live in a penthouse with Drummond, his daughter Kimberly (Plato), and their housemaid. Where There's Smoke. The disease claimed her life in 2014. TV credits include her first role as a waitress on The Phil Silvers Show, Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, Mary Tyler In the first, season 5's "A Growing Problem," Willis moves out of the penthouse to live with Jerry (Lawrence Monoson) who abuses alcohol. Lanny Lambert in December 1983. on TV's "The Gong Show." Sadly, in August of 2007, the organization came to an end. York City and as a music consultant for New York City Board of Education fame often has its own pitfalls. Easily move forward or backward to get to the perfect clip. This is a one disc compilation consisting of eight episodes from Season 2. He was casting a new sitcom for NBC which was to become I am School, Back to the Future, and Pee-Wee's Big Picture. place. in March of 1990 and Dana was allowed visitation of her son, but her husband won physical She performed some of the lyrics for the first season theme song. The pilots did not sell although they were later edited into a television film for some markets. Other appearances include Magnum, P.I., Chicago Ms. Rae was 92. who posted the $13,000 bail for her. The introduction of Maggie and Sam had not boosted ratings, and in the spring of 1985, in the face of sagging ratings, NBC cancelled Diff'rent Strokes. probably best known for her role as Julia Sugarbaker in the tv series, Designing Women. "Diff'rent Strokes," and Dana landed the part of Kimberly. the web and also on Android and iOS. Gooch) peace and blessings! 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. She also is a profound In the season, Bridges continued as a main cast member, but was absent in several episodes. "I had just won a Golden Globe and was feeling on top of the world," she told Saratoga Living'sAnn Hauprich in 2003. the other cast members worked, and after Todd Bridges appeared, was encouraged by Vanilla Ice to say "What'chu talkin' 'bout, Willis?" Coleman was a candidate for governor in the 2003 California recall election. Cited for parole violation, she served 30 days In 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. I appeared as Dana was fired from Diff'rent Strokes after the RIP Gary. He was casting a new sitcom for NBC which was to become Danny has a daughter, Zoe, with wife Amber, a make-up artist and actress. Some of her other sitcom guest appearances included The Love Boat, 227, Baby Talk, Can't Hurry Love (which starred Nancy McKeon), The King of Queens and Girl Meets World. In 1997, he did a tv commercial for Klondike Ice Cream Bars as well as some for baseball on ESPN. Gary Coleman, who played adopted son Arnold Jackson, died in 2010 after a fall down a flight of stairs in his home. He has since Dana landed roles on over 100 TV commercials as a "He was always very caring and supportive. All three experienced various legal problems while Bridges and Plato also struggled with drug addictions, all of which were documented in the press. It didn't last long and Gary was supposed Lunchtime Specials (directed by Soleil-Moon Frye/Punky Brewster). of Disney's Kids Inc. in 1988. Her first role as the "Old Lady" came in a 1975 episode of Good Times. Dana was helped by Las Vegas singer, Wayne Newton, Note: The last time I heard from Steve was in 2000. York-based films as Lovers and Other Strangers (1970) and Woody Allen's Bananas (1973). on TV's "The Gong Show." [2] The series stars Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as Arnold and Willis Jackson, respectively who are two black boys from Harlem taken in by a rich white Park Avenue businessman and his daughter. [41], 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. Determined that her condition would not rule her life, she got serious about health and nutrition, and with the help of the right doctor, was able to continue working. Making ends meet as a security guard, Coleman often let his anger get the best of him with sadly public consequences. run, which lasted from 1978 to 1986. She resides in Carlsbad, California. Ross was born in New York City in the South Bronx. I was basically an In a Regina Post-Leader interview, Bain played down Bridges' brushes with the law. Roberto was portrayed by Sal Lopez and Eddie was portrayed by Shannon Presby. She also had a long career as a stage actress. do get evidence that Robert is guilty by criminal negligence or actual participation, Arnold and Dudley give into peer pressure and experiment with smoking. Shavar married Jacqueline Ross on December 15, 1992. He "Alcohol became my drug of choice so I could get sleep at night," Rae told Fox News. child, including appearances for KFC, Arco and Dole bananas. He was an amazing father.". tyke. She has appeared in numerous movies and tv series. 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. Dana and Lanny would divorce Sadly, he would outlive two of his young co-stars and see a third descend into a life plagued with drug abuse and brushes with the law. The show had Robert Guillaume (who played Benson) and had people working at a station either a train or radio and was on Sundays. 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. "Diff'rent Strokes" Football Father (TV Episode 1980) Shavar Ross as Dudley Johnson. Updated Mach 2012: Nikki is still working as an Assistant Director. so episodes. Bridges was offered the role without needing an audition. In 1990, he was acquitted on charges of assault 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-cum-informant. As detailed by Turner Classic Movies, Rae was born Charlotte Rae Lubotsky on April 22, 1926, in Milwaukee. 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. During 2006 and 2007, Coleman appeared in commercials for a cash-advance loan company called CashCall. He died April 4th, 1987 at the age of 40 of a heart attack in Los Angeles County, California. He married Dori Smith (pictured above) on March 25, 1998. a 6 bedroom - 3,500 square feet home. "I cared about him deeply when he got into difficulty," Bain said. While not a spin-off, Hello, Larry (19791980) 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 and Mr. Drummond had bought the company that owned the radio station where Larry worked as a talk show host. different strokes dudley's dad. Market data provided by Factset. The '70s and '80s show propelled him to greater heights in the entertainment industry. He appeared as a contestant on the Fox reality show Skating with Celebrities, but was eliminated on the second episode of the show. Miss Chung (Rosalind Chao) was Arnold's teacher. 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. with the ending varying depending on whom he was addressing. 15-year-old can retire from anything. In 2004, Coleman appeared on the second season of The Surreal Life and was pressured to quote his famous catchphrase by Vanilla Ice. Diff'rent Strokes was always a terrible show, but in its early years, it was content to try to rub up against an audience by exploiting the cuteness of the child actors and the sweet fantasy at . Carter, cast as Julia Sugarbaker in CBS' "Designing Women," did not join Bain and company for "Diff'rent Strokes" move to ABC. The misadventures of a wealthy Manhattan family who adopted the children of their late African American housekeeper from Harlem. Grammy-Award winning singer Al Jarreau and many others marked his feature film directorial debut. Her other Volz, born in Montrose, Iowa, on June 18, 1908, first hit the stage as a toddler. MyNetworkTV's new show, Decision House with his wife, Dori Bridges on the episode titled, 'Burned Bridges' aired on November 14th, 2007. They are expecting their first child on March 22, 2012. The fifth season also introduced a new recurring character in Arnold's class at school, that of Lisa Hayes (Nikki Swasey). In the show's heyday, Bain didn't mind being overshadowed by the focus on the show's children. Long story short, acting was taking "situation" sitcom called "The Baxters" with Nanette Fabray whom Melanie says was wonderful to work with. car with his own after an argument. [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. Dudley's dad let us have a couple of sips, Man with a Plan (2016) - S04E06 Couples Therapy, American Dad! In her marraige to Arthur she had two The Facts of Life main cast included Lisa Whelchel, Kim Fields, Mindy Cohn and Nancy McKeon (1980-1988). MacDonald's movie Dirty Work. He sued his adoptive parents She will live on in our hearts forever, and will be sorely missed. He With his distinctive square jaw, bushy mustache, and toothy smile, Tari was ubiquitous on 1970s and '80s TV, appearing on everything from "Starsky and Hutch" to "Happy Days." we having nothing against Robert Menchaca (her fiance at the time of her death). for a short stint, but her new notoriety managed to get her work in the "no publicity is Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. a pellet gun and netted her $164) - she was charged with armed robbery and was later sentenced with a deadly weapon after he shot an alleged crack dealer. Bain said in interviews later that he struggled to talk about his TV children's troubled lives because of his love for them. Rae next starred as Edna Garrett in Diff'rent Strokes, which premiered on NBC on November 3, 1978. His Her last film was The Great White bad publicity" world of Hollywood. Hervey served as the head of public relations for HealthSouth Corporation in Birmingham, Alabama during events that would lead to a massive fraud scandal. Rae appeared in every first season episode and part of the second season before she left for the spin-off series The Facts of Life. As detailed by IMDB, he also appeared in many films, including the 1979 crime drama "The Onion Field" and the '80s cult classics "The Hollywood Shuffle" and "Amazon Women on the Moon." Coleman was featured in the 2004 season of The Surreal Life. Cited for parole violation, she served 30 days on the fringes of the entertainment industry. for a pharmaceutical firm and his mother was a nurse. 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. Dana drifted in and out of the business over the next few years. (Coleman was featured in the 2004 season of The Surreal Life where he managed a restaurant at which The final episode which was "The Front Page", aired on March 7, 1986. Gary retired to Colorado in 1986 after Diff'rent Strokes was cancelled to And being on television only added to my negative feelings about my body.". As reported by The New York Post, Coleman pleaded no contest and was ordered to attend anger management classes. The Facts of Life main cast included Lisa Whelchel, Kim Fields, Mindy Cohn and Nancy McKeon (1980-1988). Although she would establish herself as an unparalleled musical force with her chart-topping third album "Control" in 1986 (via Billboard), she was initially more well-known for her acting than her voice. Danny Cooksey, who played little Sam McKinney, was born November 2, 1975 in Moore, Gary Coleman 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. Please visit the links such as the Internet Movie Database and Wikipedia for the most up to date [19] By 1990, Plato was living in Las Vegas. Dana's mother, Florine 'Kay' Plato, who had guided her career died of a blood disease in January representation. Since then Norman Lear sitcom Maude (1974-78). He made an appearance on Vibe (a talk show hosted by Sinbad) along with Todd Bridges and Dana Plato on November 6th, 1997. 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. Sadly, Plato's second chance didn't stick and soon she was in court charged with using forged prescriptions to illegally obtain valium. Dody Goodman, who played Aunt Sophia, was born Dolores Goodman on October for me anymore. of 1988 and her husband reportedly left her the same week. Some of her other Broadway credits included Three Wishes for Jamie (1952), The Threepenny Opera (1954) and Li'l Abner (1956). In 2017, she was diagnosed with bone cancer. The Dana Plato Memorial Site its pastor for four years. He appeared in Norm As with Day-Glo, Rubik's Cube, Valley girls, Care Bears, Mr. T, the Smurfs and other artifacts from the early 1980s, Coleman's popularity coincided with the childhood of a particularly productive generation of internet users, and in 2008 he remains a minor cult figure. Occasionally he'd play a "stunt" part like a villainous gang for forging Valium prescriptions. Gary Coleman was born February 8, 1968 in Zion, Illinois. on the VH1 special I Love the '80s. Find the exact She By the time the program was cancelled, Dana had blossomed into a striking alongside future "Munsters" stars Al Lewis and Fred Gwynne. of 1988 and her husband reportedly left her the same week. In January of 1992 she was arrested Although billed on the opening credits of each episode, Plato appeared only semi-regularly for much of the first season. where I got my start.". She voiced the character of Nanny in 101 Dalmatians: The Series, which aired from 1997 to 1998. Some of her drama guest appearances included The Defenders, McMillan & Wife, St. Tragic Details About The Cast Of Diff'rent Strokes, Bobby Bank/Getty Images, Shout Factory TV, Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images/Shout Factory TV, Biography's "Diff'rent Strokes: Behind the Scenes,", "Killing Willis: From Diff'rent Strokes to the Mean Streets to the Life I Always Wanted,", refused to comment on his co-stars' troubles. with Carol Channing. Goodman gained a measure of newspaper column Charlotte Rae made her television debut in a 1954 episode of The United States Steel Hour. During my time there, I performed as guest cast for one episode, which I decided wasn't 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. [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). 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. Dana Michele Plato was born in Maywood, California on November 7, 1964. Click here to read about it. ". "My adoptive brother, an older man who my family and I took in and treated him as family, would make passes at me at night in my sleep, and that really affected me. As reported by TMZ, Cooksey's wife, Amber, filed for divorce in 2019 after over 20 years of marriage. (Although Hasselhoff, in his costume as Michael Knight appears, the voice of K.I.T.T. I love them all.". But currently, the only time I hear "Oh my kid, that guy was on 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. from Salt Lake City. cartoon series The Gary Coleman Show (1983), with During their eight year run, they placed 32 dogs with disabled people. 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". sending me out on enough auditions and went with Gary Coleman's manager. Dana Plato, who played his daughter Kimberly, died in 1999 of a drug overdose. Plato sank to a new low in 1991 when she was arrested for robbing a video store. He has appeared in several movies (including Terminator 2: Judgement games. difficult to cast. The short-lived series starred James Cromwell, Richard Masur, Conchata Ferrell, Al Freeman, Jr., Jeannie Linero, Gloria Le Roy, Robin Wilson, Stan Gottlieb, Lee Bergere and Henry Calvert.