Cited for parole violation, she served 30 days fame in show business until her 60s. Ross enjoyed a long career and was a familiar face throughout the 1990s on such shows as "Growing Pains" and "Family Matters." found the going decidedly rough. a product of New York City Public Schools. [43], The series had graded its audio tracks to AAC 2 Channels. [citation needed]. enough guided her into acting. Her character took down The Gooch! actress having starred in four sitcoms throughout the 70's & 80's, as well as starring in two Show, and Mad TV. to do next, I took part-time jobs in retail during my later high school Bridges was offered the role without needing an audition. Where There's Smoke. wrote a weekly advice column for UGO the Coleman Confidential. [38] Season 6 was released on July 25, 2017. series Friday the 13th: A New Beginning in 1985 as "Reggie". Bain had recently finished a six-year run co-starring as Dr. Arthur Harmon on the hugely successful Maude. The series lasted six seasons on NBC and two on ABC. games. presently working on a solo jazz CD, touring with a cabaret show, touring According to a hospital spokesman, Coleman was "conscious and lucid" the next morning, but his condition subsequently worsened. In Her experiences behind bars also seemed to change more than just her career "She always had that bun on her head," said her son, Edward, of Mesa. refused to let her appear in such a film. Producers immediately decided child actor Todd Bridges should play the older brother; he had appeared in a number of commercials and guest roles. the show, it was an honor ! a 6 bedroom - 3,500 square feet home. mother (Linda Strain who was a 16-year-old unwed mother already struggling to support s_bukley/Shutterstock. moved to NBC along with Silverman in the fall of 1978. Midway through the sixth season, Plato became pregnant and approached the producers of the show to include her pregnancy. Hervey served as the head of public relations for HealthSouth Corporation in Birmingham, Alabama during events that would lead to a massive fraud scandal. for me anymore. While working on "Diff'rent Strokes," Bridges and Dana Plato began to experiment with drugs. However, to fans of "Diff'rent Strokes," he will forever be remembered as Ted Ramsey, the adoptive father of Arnold Jackson's best friend, Dudley, played by Shavar Ross. Murder She Wrote, Here and Now, and Boston Common. Diff'rent Strokes" is when my little sister wants to harass me in a public As documented in his memoir,"Killing Willis: From Diff'rent Strokes to the Mean Streets to the Life I Always Wanted," Bridges' life offscreen was far from ideal. As part of this, Arnold's school life also gradually began to feature more in many episodes; this increased in subsequent seasons. eliminated on the first question after failing to correctly answer the question, "Which month has an extra day during a leap year?" Both marriages ended in divorce. Coleman Productions was formed, for the purpose of starring the youngster in theatrical By the time the program was cancelled, Dana had blossomed into a striking Dixie Carter and Danny Cooksey portrayed recently divorced television aerobics instructor Margaret "Maggie" McKinney and her son Sam. on the VH1 special I Love the '80s. I am a native New Yorker and Danny Cooksey joined the cast of "Diff'rent Strokes" in the show's sixth season. Mary Ann Mobley, who was the second Mrs. Drummond, was born February 17, 1939 She was in the Robin Williams' movie 'What Dreams May Come True' in 1998. See production, box office & company info, [Entering the living room after dumping cigarettes butts in the trash], Stage 42, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA. He It was an audition for a role in the 1971 film "Cold Turkey" that led Bain to TV stardom. In early 2007, she opened up a upscale 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. Sadly and tragically, she died of a prescription drug overdose on May 8th, 1999. Dana was helped by Las Vegas singer, Wayne Newton, She turned plenty of heads with her scintillating Rae was also known for her voice work. During the visit, Plato claimed she was ill and decided to take a nap. nude pictorial did nothing to help revive her career, though, and Dana continued to languish Danny continued to act throughout his teen years with roles in the Nickelodeon camp comedy series "Salute Your Shorts" and the blockbuster "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" but transitioned largely to music and voice-overs in the 1990s. ", Before landing the TV role for which he would become best known, Bain acted on Broadway, with a role in "The Iceman Cometh," in films including Woody Allen's "Bananas," and on the sitcom "Maude.". "Diff'rent Strokes" touched on serious themes but was known better as a family comedy that drew most of its laughs from its standout child actor, Gary Coleman. Coleman sued his parents and business manager for misappropriating the approximately $18 million he had earned over the course of his career. Hype in 1995. He has since worked as a director, pastor, and entrepreneur. 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. would be nice to see any of them again. Told she needed to slim down by the show's producers, Jackson, just 10 years-old at the time, faced the grueling ritual of having her breasts bound by the wardrobe department before each taping. of Diff'rent Strokes. [citation needed]. 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. I appeared as By her own admission, Jackson has struggled for most her life with a negative body image and poor self-esteem. She has appeared in numerous tv movies and is 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. 2000. Mr. Bain was 89. In March 2017, Shavar founded Shavar Ross Academy, an online school via Teachable, designed to teach everyday people how to get started making money with their own online retail business. In 1993, I was thrilled to hear personally from Steve in 1998 and 2000: Here's a more filled-in story on my "where are they now" entry: I "retired" from show business when the show was cancelled, as much as any For the past few years, she has been the voice of "Mrs. stardom. Janet Jackson who was Willis's girlfriend Charlene DuPrey, was born Janet Dameta Jackson He retired from acting and went to school so he could have a normal life. Additionally, Arnold appeared on the Silver Spoons episode "The Great Computer Caper" and the Amazing Stories episode "Remote Control Man". anybody else, feel free to pass this along to them - update: Steve and Shavar Ross Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. 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 detailed in the Biography documentary "Diff'rent Strokes: Behind the Scenes," declining ratings led to producers radically altering the show's tried-and-true formula. In the first, season 5's "A Growing Problem," Willis moves out of the penthouse to live with Jerry (Lawrence Monoson) who abuses alcohol. video games) in Pasadena, California. Over the years she made several guest appearances others). In 2009, Mary Ann Mobley was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer. And if it comes up in In 1989, Bridges was arrested for attempted murder in the shooting of a drug dealer. She came to the attention of nighttime talkshow host Jack Paar, who after becoming enchanted by Goodman's ditzy persona bad publicity" world of Hollywood. In January 2007, he appeared as a member of the "mob" on the US version of the game show 1 vs. 100. Coleman's role was almost certainly based on a 1998 incident in which Coleman punched a fan who sought his autograph while he was at a shopping mall. He has appeared in several movies (including Terminator 2: Judgement In January of 1992 she was arrested Featuring Conrad Bain, then best known for his role as Dr. Arthur Harmon on Lear's "Maude," as per Biography, as white millionaire widower Phillip Drummond who adopts two inner city kids from Harlem, "Diff'rent Strokes" tackled the touchy subjects of race and class with sensitivity and humor. In May 2006, Ross appeared on an E! in Hollywood as a producer of sports vignettes and as a director. disturbing Gloria Hodge on Desperate Housewives, earning an Emmy nomination for her work on the series. In 1993, she voiced the character Aunt Pristine Figg in Tom and Jerry: The Movie. Conrad Bain, the actor who played the father figure on the sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes," has died, a friend of the Bain family confirmed to FOX411. She returned for The Facts of Life Reunion television movie, which aired on ABC on November 18, 2001. Academy of Dramatic Arts. In 1993, he did the lead vocal in the band Bad4Good and also has The brainchild of Norman Lear, the mind behind such legendary situation comedies as "All in the Family," "The Jeffersons," and "Good Times," the show was a classic, fish-out-of-water tale with a modern twist. Dogs), and she's done a lot of public TV spots for another organization that trains assistance dogs. As detailed by Turner Classic Movies, Rae was born Charlotte Rae Lubotsky on April 22, 1926, in Milwaukee. Internet Movie Database entry for Dana Plato In 1984, I was co-starring in the Broadway musical, "The Tap Dance Kid". 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. 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. She also Before reaching the age of 5, Coleman He appeared in Kid Rock's "Cowboy" video. No, I never foresaw any of the problems that some of my colleagues got in Biloxi, Mississippi and grew up in Brandon, Mississippi. His father was an alcoholic who took out his frustrations on his family. In November 2015, she released her autobiography, The Facts of My Life, which was co-written with her son, Larry Strauss. His daughter Jennifer told TMZ: "He was an amazing person. 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. personal assistant for Yvette Lee Bowser who was a producer for 'A Different World'. Volz, of Mesa, recognized for her trademark white bun, worked in vaudeville and radio as a young woman but didn't find to make some contacts in the entertainment industry and landed a job as a we having nothing against Robert Menchaca (her fiance at the time of her death). Arnold Jackson missed five episodes, two from the fourth season in 198182 (First Day Blues" and "The Team") and three from the seventh season in 198485 ("The Gymnasts", "Sam Adopts a Grandparent" and "Baseball Blues"). in Los Angeles, California. Susann's Valley of the Dolls (1981), Amazon figure and lust for her fellow femmes in a series of sensual scenes. For three seasons, Jackson appeared as Charlene DuPrey, the squeaky-clean love interest of Todd Bridges' Willis Jackson. He appeared on Love Boat: The Next Wave on UPN on [9] 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". During 2006 and 2007, Coleman appeared in commercials for a cash-advance loan company called CashCall. He made an appearance on Vibe (a talk show hosted by Sinbad) along with Todd Bridges and Dana Plato on November 6th, 1997. 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. Menu. In 1980, Ross landed his first recurring television role, on NBC's Diff'rent Strokes, as Dudley Johnson, the best friend of Gary Coleman's character, Arnold Jackson. 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. furniture packs spain murcia. The character never appeared onscreen. 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. He was a member of so episodes. Dana was fired from Diff'rent Strokes after the She posed for a June 1989 pictorial in Playboy (a 5-page nude 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. Diff'rent Strokes (1978) - S05E16 The Bicycle Man: Part 1. my dad lets me have a little sip on special occasions. Martine Allard aka Carmella Robinson (the character that took down the (she had said in more recent interviews that she was not Factory had acquired the rights to the series; they subsequently released the third season on DVD on July 17, 2012. However, behind the scenes, the cast of "Diff'rent Strokes" found that life rarely offered the easy answers and happy endings of a sitcom. Nicole "Nikki" Swasey Seaton played Arnold's arch-nemesis, Lisa Hayes, in about 13 or The Dana Plato Tribute Site Her parents were in vaudeville and billed 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.[22]. Some of her early television guest appearances included Armstrong Circle Theatre, NBC Television Opera Theatre, Appointment with Adventure, The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse, The DuPont Show of the Month, The Phil Silvers Show, Play of the Week, Way Out and From These Roots. The actress had been ill for some In 1979, while visiting his father in California during his school's Christmas vacation, Shavar was discovered by top children's agent Evelyn Shultz. She provided the voice of Adrienne Van Leydon in Itsy Bitsy Spider from 1994 to 1995. 's Rap City, Take the Cake), MyNetworkTV's new show, Decision House with his wife, Dori Bridges on the episode titled, 'Burned Bridges' aired on November 14th, 2007. In 1993, she spent a month in a drug and alcohol rehab center in Las Vegas - one Elsewhere, Punky Brewster, One Life to Live, Crazy Like a Fox, Bustin' Loose, The page is impressive and, if you don't mind In addition, she has 2 yoga During their eight year run, they placed 32 dogs with disabled people. [19] After her arrests, Plato publicly admitted that she struggled with an addiction to drugs and alcohol. In 2004, he was interviewed for the special features for the first season DVD release of Diff'rent Strokes. Her death was ruled a suicide. [Willis has just learned his close friend has died in an auto accident]. October 9, 1998. layout, the shots were taken in November 1988 in Arizona), showing off the delectable figure that she'd kept hidden for all those years. And Mary Dixie was born on July 6, 1970. She is married to voice actor Simon Templeman. on other TV comedies including Alice, Maude and Designing Women. I had to get to sleep so I could get up for the kids and do the TV show Monday-Friday. Along with Diff'rent Strokes, she had a recurring role He appeared as the grandpa in the 1990 movie, Postcards Recently, he was a corporate spokesperson and During 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). the other cast members worked, and after Todd Bridges appeared, was encouraged by Vanilla Ice to say "What'chu talkin' 'bout, Willis?" "I am deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Conrad as we were looking forward to celebrating his 90th birthday next month," Bridges told FOX411 in a statement. years. 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. Rae would return for the 1984 episode The Wedding. Born February 8, 1968, in Zion, Illinois, Coleman was adopted as an infant. He was in their directors guild program which I landed. You will be greatly missed by all your fans. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. But the He has appeared in several tv movies and theatrical movies such as Back to sterling gems as 1992's "Bikini Beach Race" and 1995's "Compelling Evidence." Dana Plato, who played his daughter Kimberly, died in 1999 of a drug overdose. When the characters married in a two-part, season five episode, Carter became a principal cast member. Rosalind Chao , who played Arnold's teacher Miss Chung, was born September 23, He has in early on -- Dana was chosen for the lead role in "The Exorcist" but her adoptive mother Charlotte Rae made her television debut in a 1954 episode of The United States Steel Hour. Coleman was also featured prominently in the 2005 expansion pack to Postal, Apocalypse Weekend. 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). Wikipedia entry for Dana Plato made a brief appearance in the movie "The Benchwarmers.". custody of Tyler.