“Black and White”, the Spanish name for “Different Strokes”, was an NBC series that aired from 1978 to 1986. With a witty plot full of funny situations, viewers were not only fascinated with the characters, but with the participation of child actor Gary Coleman (Arnold Jackson).
The series also won over fans with its special episodes that tackled real issues like eating disorders, sexual abuse, and bullying. But it was not all happiness, the precipitous decline of the careers of its three young protagonists – Coleman (health and money problems), Todd Bridges (drug addiction) and Dana Plato (drug addiction and theft) – has kept the show among the most talked about topics of popular culture.
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Gary Coleman an ephemeral and painful fame
“Black and White” told the story of Philip Drummond (Conrad Bain), a millionaire living in a Park Avenue penthouse, who adopts and raises two African-American boys played by Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges. The man also has a daughter named Kimberly (Dana Plato).
This job gave Colman the opportunity to make it big on television. His performance allowed him to be current on the screen during the nine seasons of the program. However, he discovered that his fame did not go beyond giving life to Arnold.
After starring in several movies, the actor had financial problems, due in part to the misappropriation of funds by his parents; this bankrupted him in the 1990s. In that year he sued his attorneys and his former manager for embezzling $3.8 million from his accounts. In 1999, Coleman filed for bankruptcy again, attributing his problems to mismanagement of his trust.
Sporadic appearances, problems with the law and early death
Over the years and away from television, Gary Coleman had multiple brushes with the law. In 1998, while working as a security guard, he hit Tracy Fields, a driver who asked for an autograph. The actor was ordered to pay the hospital bills, and although his monetary loss was less than $2,000, the cost affected his career again: much of Hollywood stopped considering him for projects.
In 2007, Coleman married 24-year-old Shannon Price after meeting her on the set of the 2006 sitcom “Church Ball.” In May 2008, he and Price went on Divorce Court not to end their marriage, but to save it. Coleman admitted to the judge that he had a bad attitude, but that was because he hadn’t had an easy life. He accepted a plea deal on domestic violence charges and was fined $595.
2010 would be a tough year for him. In January, he was arrested for failing to appear in court after a domestic problem. His health was deteriorating, and he had seizures several times on the set of “The Insider.” A brain hemorrhage led to his death at the age of 42, on May 28 of that year. According to his will, Gary Coleman was cremated.