Gary Wayne Coleman (February 8, 1968 – May 28, 2010) was an American actor and comedian. Coleman was the highest-paid child actor on television throughout the late 1970s and 1980s.
On Married... with Children, he appeared as himself in Season 8 and Season 10.
Career[]
Coleman was best known for playing the role of Arnold Jackson in the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes (1978–1986). The character was known for his short stature and his catchphrase "What'chu talkin' bout, Willis?". He reprised the character and/or used his catchphrase in numerous other television series such as Hello, Larry (1979), The Facts of Life (1979–1980) and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1996), among others.
Despite the success of the show, earning $100,000 an episode and winning several awards for his role, he often faced challenges including long hours on set with his health problems and feeling alienated. He also ended up suing his parents and several people around him due to them mishandling the money he earned from the show, eventually getting a portion of it back in 1993, nearly several years after the show ended.
As an adult, he did not have as much success in acting compared to when he was a child. He worked several different jobs to make ends meet, including mall security after filing for bankruptcy in 1999, as well as working at multiple train hobby stores, as he was very passionate about model trains. He had also attempted to run as an independent candidate for governor of California during the 2003 recall elections, but eventually dropped out and offered to support fellow actor and republican candidate, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who eventually won.
In a 1993 interview with Brad Lemack, Coleman revealed that he wanted to get out of acting due to the troubles it brought into his life, from his parents and managers stealing money from him to being hounded in public for autographs and demanding that he say his catchphrase. He also noted that despite hating the catchphrase that made him popular, he was forced to use it in some compacity with virtually every acting job that he got after Diff'rent Strokes.[1]
Appearance on Married... with Children[]
Although he did not appear on the show until Season 8, he is first mentioned by name in the Season 4 episode "What Goes Around Came Around", when Peggy watches a television commercial for a show called Ethan and the Jackal, starring Coleman and Ned Beatty as "two wrongly fired Harvard professors who love the classics, and hate crime".
In Season 5's "You Better Shop Around (Part 2)", as the Bundys and D'Arcys prepare to compete at Foodie's, former child actor Jerry Mathers is shown walking around the store with a director's chair that has Gary Coleman's name crossed out and Jerry's name written below it.
He first appeared in the season 8 episode "How Green Was My Apple" as a building code inspector sent to inspect the Bundy's driveway.
Upon seeing him, Al Bundy believes that the inspector is Gary Coleman, but he immediately denies it. As the rest of the family begins to insult him for trying to fine Al, he starts to increase the fee that he was going to charge for the driveway. Kelly eventually asks him if he really is Gary Coleman from Diff'rent Strokes, which he denies once again. She then says that she is glad that he is not Gary Coleman because she hated that show, which immediately upsets him, causing him to increase the fine again.
Upon writing the ticket, Al tells him that the ticket needs to go to the D'Arcy residence as they own the driveway. He then tells the inspector that the D'Arcys might not let him on the property, "...because the only black person they respect is Ted Danson". Becoming upset with what Al just told him, he immediately asks "What'chu talking 'bout, Bundy?". Realizing that he just blew his cover, Gary declares that he has to now write up a ticket for himself and quickly leaves the residence.
He returned playing himself in the season 10 episode "The Joke's on Al". As Al and Jefferson try to outdo each other with pranks, Gary arrives at the Bundy residence. Upon seeing him, Bud and Kelly are excited as they believe that he is Webster Long from the 1980s sitcom, Webster. He explains that he is from "Publishers Sweepstakes" and is there to present a check for $10 million, causing the trio to jump around and celebrate. When Jefferson arrives, Al tells him that Steve Urkel from the sitcom Family Matters gave him $10 million, before Jefferson reveals that it was all a prank.
Sometime later, as Al plans to wed June Morgan, Gary arrives, now dressed as a minister and greets Ike. Upon seen him, Bob Rooney mistakes him for Isaac from the 1980s sitcom The Love Boat. After Peggy arrives back home and knocks June out, Coleman ends officiating the ceremony where Al and Peg renew their vows.
Personal Life[]
Coleman met his wife, Shannon Price in 2006 while filming the movie Church Ball (which also starred MWC guest stars Fred Willard and Clint Howard) in Provo, Utah. The couple later divorced in 2008 and made the divorce procedure public by appearing on the televised court show, Divorce Court. Despite the divorce, the two still lived in the same house until Coleman's death.[2][3]
In July 1998, while working as a security guard, he was accused of assaulting a fan named Traci Fields after she persisted in asking him for an autograph. Although he agreed to do so, he ended up tearing it up after she demanded that he must personalize the autograph, followed by Fields hurling several insults at him, eventually leading to a brawl between the two. Although Coleman claimed self-defense, as Fields was significantly heavier and taller than him, he was give a year of probation, paid a $400 fine and ordered to enroll in anger management classes. [4][5] The incident would be partially referenced in The Simpsons episode, "Grift of the Magi" with Coleman guest starring as himself. In the episode, he works as a security guard for a toy factory and demonstrating his martial arts skill. It was referenced again in an episode of Chappelle Show, with Coleman (played by Dave Chappelle) fighting a woman who mocked him for working in security after not giving her an autograph and refusing to say his catchphrase. After the brutal fight, he plants several store items in her pockets to get her charged with shoplifting.
Following his failed attempt to win the 2003 recall election, Coleman chose to move from California to Utah in order to live in peace and get away from Hollywood.
In her 2022 memoir, actress and former Saturday Night Live cast member, Molly Shannon accused Coleman of sexual harassment in 1987. She mentioned that their shared talent agent, Mark Randall, had arranged for the then 23 year old Shannon to meet Coleman at his hotel suite in Los Angeles, where Coleman's friendly personality and playful tickling turned aggressive, causing Shannon to lock herself in his bathroom before eventually fleeing and warning Randall about Coleman.[6][7]
Death[]
On May 26, 2010, he was admitted to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo, Utah, after a fall in his home, believed to have been brought on from a seizure and caused him to hit his head. On May 27, he was reported to be conscious and lucid in the morning, but then became unconscious and was put on life support in the afternoon, before finally passing away on May 28.
Following his death, rumors circulated that his ex-wife, Shannon Price was responsible for his death. She noted in the 2020 documentary The Gary I Knew, that she had suffered a seizure a month before his death and that he was still helping her out despite their divorce and him having his own health problems to deal with. On the day he had died, she had asked him to microwave some pizza rolls for her as she was bedridden. He had just gotten back from his dialysis treatment, and indicated that he may have been in a weakened state from it when he fell.[2] Upon the release of the Peacock documentary, Gary in September 2024, rumors swirled again about Shannon Price murdering Coleman.[8]
References[]
- ↑ Gary Coleman 1993 interview with Brad Lemack (courtesy of RerunIt.com)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 A Look Back At The late Gary Coleman | The Gary I Knew | Full HD Documentary | Documentary Central
- ↑ Raw Video: Gary Coleman on 'Divorce Court'
- ↑ People v. Gary Coleman Trial - January, 1999
- ↑ A Case of Size, Sense and Sensitivity. Los Angeles Times (February 5, 1999). Retrieved on September 3, 2024.
- ↑ Molly Shannon’s Encounter With a “Relentless” Gary Coleman
- ↑ Gary Coleman chased Molly Shannon around hotel, put hands under her shirt. NY Post (April 11, 2022). Retrieved on September 3, 2024.
- ↑ Doomed child star Gary Coleman’s ex-wife addresses shocking claims that she ‘murdered’ him. NY Post (September 2, 2024). Retrieved on September 3, 2024.