Gary Coleman
Highest Rated: 17% Church Ball (2006)
Lowest Rated: 0% Midgets vs. Mascots (2009)
Birthday: Feb 8, 1968
Birthplace: Zion, Illinois, USA
Born on Feb. 8, 1968 in Zion, IL, a small city on the shores of Lake Michigan, 40 miles south of Chicago, Coleman was raised by his adoptive parents, Willie, who worked for a pharmaceutical company, and Sue, a nurse. By the time he was five years old, Coleman suffered from Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis, a congenital kidney defect that resulted in three operations and permanently stunting his growth, leaving him standing at 4'8" for the rest of his life. But his short stature worked to his advantage when he began appearing in Chicago-area commercials - at nine years old, Coleman could pass for five. In 1978, he auditioned for a television revival of "The Little Rascals." Though the project never made it off the ground, network executives were impressed with his talent and cast him in "Diff'rent Strokes" (NBC/ABC, 1978-1986). Coleman played Arnold Jackson, a precocious eight-year-old who, along with his trouble-making brother, Willis (Todd Bridges), is adopted by a wealthy employer (Conrad Bain) and brought in to live in Manhattan with him and his teenage daughter (Dana Plato). With Coleman's pudgy cheeks, ability to pout on cue, and his oft-repeated catchphrase, "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?," the show was an immediate hit. The series first aired on NBC in November 1978 and ran for six seasons, making its final appearance in August 1986 on rival network ABC. Throughout the show's run, Coleman capitalized on his image with several television movies, three of which co-starred distinguished actor Robert Guillaume. First was "The Kid from Left Field" (NBC, 1979), a remake of the 1953 movie with Dan Dailey and Anne Bancroft. Coleman played the son of a former baseball player-turned-refreshments vendor who leads the San Diego Padres from worst in the league to the World Series. After playing a homeless sh shine boy living in a train station locker in his feature film debut, "On the Right Track" (1981), he teamed up with Guillaume once again in "The Kid with the Broken Halo" (NBC, 1982), a children's fantasy about a child angel (Coleman) who returns to Earth to save three souls. Rounding out their creative partnership between Coleman and Guillaume was "The Kid with the 200 I.Q." (1983), a melodrama about a precocious kid with a large IQ, but no confidence or maturity. Following ht end of the show, Coleman would struggle both personally and professionally, facing numerous health problems over the years. In 2010, Coleman was rushed to the hospital for a fall he had taken at his Utah home. It was determined by doctors that he had suffered a brain hemorrhage. Only two days after the incident, the decision was made to remove the actor from life support. He was 42 years old.
Photos
Gary Coleman
Filmography
Movies
Credit | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
0% |
|
Midgets vs. Mascots | Gary (Character) | - | 2009 |
12% |
|
An American Carol | Bacon Stains Malone (Character) | $7.0M | 2008 |
No Score Yet |
|
A Christmas Too Many | Pizza Guy (Character) | - | 2007 |
17% |
|
Church Ball | Charles (Character) | $465.0K | 2006 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Diff'rent Strokes | Self | - | 2006 |
No Score Yet |
|
A Carol Christmas | Ghost of Christmas Past (Character) | - | 2003 |
No Score Yet |
|
Shafted! | Mister Gary Coleman (Character) | - | 2000 |
14% |
|
Dirty Work | Self | $10.0M | 1998 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Like Father, Like Santa | Ignatius (Character) | - | 1998 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Fox Hunt | Murray Lipschitz Jr. (Character) | - | 1996 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Playing With Fire | David Phillips (Character) | - | 1985 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Fantastic World of D.C. Collins | D. C. Collins (Character) | - | 1984 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Kid With the 200 I.Q. | Nick Newell (Character) | - | 1983 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Kid With the Broken Halo | Andy LeBeau (Character) | - | 1982 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Jimmy the Kid | Jimmy (Character) | - | 1982 |
No Score Yet |
|
On the Right Track | Lester (Character) | - | 1981 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Scout's Honor | Joey Seymour (Character) | - | 1980 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Kid From Left Field | Jackie Robinson `'J.R.'` Cooper (Character) | - | 1979 |
TV
Credit | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
No Score Yet | 85% | Robot Chicken | Unknown (Guest Voice) | 2011 |
No Score Yet | 91% | Drake & Josh | Gary Coleman (Guest Star) | 2004 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Surreal Life | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2004 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Parkers | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2002 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Baby Bob | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2002 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Hughleys | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2001 |
No Score Yet | 73% | My Wife and Kids | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2001 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Drew Carey Show | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2001 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Jamie Foxx Show | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2000 |
85% | 76% | The Simpsons | Himself (archive footage) (Guest Voice) | 1999-2000 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Son of the Beach | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2000 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | MADtv | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1995 1998 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Parent 'Hood | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1997 |
25% | No Score Yet | Homeboys in Outer Space | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1997 |
No Score Yet | 96% | Married ... With Children | Property Inspector (Guest Star) | 1994 1996 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Unhappily Ever After | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1995 |
No Score Yet | 93% | Martin | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1995 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Wayans Bros. | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1995 |
91% | 86% | The Ben Stiller Show | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1992 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | 227 | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1990 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Simon & Simon | Lewis Peoples (Guest Star) | 1986 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Diff'rent Strokes | Arnold Jackson (Character) | 1978-1986 |
No Score Yet | 82% | Amazing Stories | Unknown (Character) | 1985 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Gary Coleman Show | Unknown (Voice) | 1982 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Facts of Life | Arnold Jackson (Guest Star) | 1979-1980 |
38% | 54% | Buck Rogers in the 25th Century | Hieronymous Fox (Character) | 1980 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Good Times | Gary James (Guest Star) | 1978 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Jeffersons | Raymond Jefferson (Guest Star) | 1978 |
64% | No Score Yet | The Naked Truth | Unknown (Guest Star) |