Gary Coleman

Gary Coleman was an American actor best known for playing Arnold Jackson on the television sitcom *Diff’rent Strokes* (1978–1986).

Gary Coleman was an American actor best known for playing Arnold Jackson on the television sitcom *Diff’rent Strokes* (1978–1986). Born in Zion, Illinois, he became a child star and was widely recognized for his short stature, which resulted from a kidney disorder. He died in 2010 at age 42 after a brain hemorrhage following a fall.

Early life

Gary Wayne Coleman was born in Zion, Illinois, on February 8, 1968. He was adopted and had a kidney condition in childhood that contributed to his short stature.

Career

Coleman became famous as a child actor, especially for his role as Arnold Jackson on *Diff’rent Strokes*. The role made him one of the most recognizable television child stars of the late 1970s and 1980s.

Later life and death

Coleman continued acting after his peak child-star years and lived in Utah later in life. He died on May 28, 2010, in Provo after a fall that caused a brain hemorrhage.

Public image

Coleman was closely associated with his height and his catchphrase from *Diff’rent Strokes*. His fame often centred on the contrast between his child-star image and later struggles.

Canadian perspective

Gary Coleman was widely known in Canada through television syndication of *Diff’rent Strokes*, which made him familiar to Canadian audiences as a child-star figure from North American popular culture.