Gary Coleman
Birthday:
Birthplace:
Not Available
African-American child star Gary Coleman grew up in Zion, IL, where his father worked as a forklift operator and his mother was a nurse. Before reaching the age of five, Coleman had undergone three operations for a congenital kidney defect known as nephritis. As a result of his medical condition, he would never grow any taller than 4'8". His smallness proved to be a professional advantage when he began appearing in Chicago-area TV commercials; even at the age of nine, he could still pass as a precocious five-year-old. In 1978, Coleman auditioned for a proposed television revival of the old Little Rascals comedy series. Though the project fell through, ABC chief executive Fred Silverman was enchanted by the talented tyke. Silverman cast Coleman as Arnold Jackson on the upcoming sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, which moved to NBC along with Silverman in the fall of 1978. It was this extraordinarily popular series, coupled with the precocious Coleman's spirited TV talk show appearances, that catapulted the ten-year-old to stardom. Within a year of Diff'rent Strokes' debut, Gary Coleman Productions was formed, for the purpose of starring the youngster in theatrical features like On the Right Track (1981) and made-for-TV movies like Scout's Honor (1980) and The Kid With the Broken Halo (1982). This last project was spun off into the Saturday-morning cartoon series The Gary Coleman Show (1983), with Coleman providing his own voice. An instinctive comic performer and extremely quick study, Coleman rapidly grew weary with the rigors of show business. As he grew older, Coleman's spontaneous cuteness faded. After the cancellation of Diff'rent Strokes in 1986, Coleman found the going decidedly rough. Occasionally he'd play a "stunt" part like a villainous gang leader on the TV series 227, in addition to appearances on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The Drew Carey Show and other programs, but his short stature and ever-diminishing acting range made him difficult to cast. He still remained in the public eye, albeit as the central character in a bitter legal squabble between himself and his parents. Gary Coleman's later TV appearances were largely confined to a series of late-night commercials for a "psychic" telephone service, though he made headlines in 2003 when he ran in the Recall Election for Governor of the State of California, placing 8th behind winner Arnold Schwarzenegger and 6 others. Coleman died of cranial bleeding following a fall in late May 2010. He was 42 years old.
Photos
Highest Rated Movies
Filmography
MOVIES
RATING | TITLE | CREDIT | BOX OFFICE | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|---|
0% | Midgets vs. Mascots |
|
— | 2009 |
12% | An American Carol |
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$7M | 2008 |
No Score Yet | A Christmas Too Many |
|
— | 2007 |
17% | Church Ball |
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$0.3M | 2006 |
No Score Yet | A Christmas Too Many |
|
— | 2005 |
No Score Yet | How Arnold Won the West |
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— | 2004 |
23% | Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star |
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$22.8M | 2003 |
No Score Yet | A Carol Christmas |
|
— | 2003 |
No Score Yet | Shafted! |
|
— | 2000 |
No Score Yet | Like Father, Like Santa |
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— | 1998 |
17% | Dirty Work |
|
— | 1998 |
No Score Yet | Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's |
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— | 1997 |
12% | S.F.W. |
|
— | 1994 |
No Score Yet | The Fantastic World of D.C. Collins |
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— | 1984 |
No Score Yet | The Kid with the 200 I.Q. |
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— | 1983 |
No Score Yet | Jimmy the Kid |
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— | 1982 |
No Score Yet | The Kid with the Broken Halo |
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— | 1982 |
No Score Yet | On the Right Track |
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— | 1981 |
No Score Yet | Scout's Honor |
|
— | 1980 |
No Score Yet | The Kid from Left Field |
|
— | 1953 |
TV
RATING | TITLE | CREDIT | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
No Score Yet |
Diff'rent Strokes
1978-1986
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No Score Yet |
The Parkers
1999-2004
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Weakest Link (2001)
2001-2003
|
|
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No Score Yet |
Family Guy
1999
|
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No Score Yet |
My Wife and Kids
2001-2005
|
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No Score Yet |
The Drew Carey Show
1995-2004
|
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No Score Yet |
The Jamie Foxx Show
1996-2001
|
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85% |
The Simpsons
1989
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No Score Yet |
MADtv
1995-2009
|
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No Score Yet |
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
1990-1996
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No Score Yet |
Married...With Children
1987-1997
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No Score Yet |
Martin
1992-1997
|
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No Score Yet |
The Wayans Bros.
1995-1999
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No Score Yet |
The Facts of Life
1979-1988
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33% |
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
1979-1981
|
|
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No Score Yet |
Good Times
1974-1979
|
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No Score Yet |
The Jeffersons
1975-1985
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Quotes from Gary Coleman's Characters
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