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DarleneIllyria · 07-25-2001, 09:21 PM

Article in Biography magazine

Mention the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes and the mental images people tend to conjure up are three young stars and the sometimes sad, sorry adult lives that awaited them. It's hard not to see the show in that light-even for Conrad Bain, the former TV father to Gary Coleman, Todd Bridges, and Dana Plato.
"We did a funny show," Bain says. "But I suspect that many positive qualities are lost, because of stories about our kids and the rather tortured adjustments they had to make as adults."
Diff'rent Strokes (1978-86) made Coleman a TV sensation in the late '70s. He played Arnold, a pint-size, wisecracking Harlem kid who along with brother Willis (Bridges) was adopted into a rich household that included Plato. But success so young, Bain says, can be a "double-edged sword." Coleman's troubles have been largely financial; Bridges run-ins with the law led to time behind bars; Plato's drug use resulted in a fatal overdose in May '99.
"Part of being an adolescent is finding out who you are," Bain says. "But how are you going to find out who you are in that arena? Your childhood is shortened, if not eliminated entirely."
Today, Coleman, 33 and single, works as an actor and sometime security guard. Recent acting gigs include The Simpsons, The Jamie Foxx Show, and Kid Rock's "Cowboy" music video. He has also written a column for the internet.
Bridges, 36, has been acting, directing, and producing small films, including Black Ball and Flossin' (both in 2000). On TV's After Diff'rent Strokes: When the Laughter Stopped (2000), he portrayed a crack dealer. Married in 1998; one son.
Bain, 78, has been inactive as an actor in recent years, re-directing his efforts toward fiction writing. Married since 1945; three grown kids.

*This article is on page 33 and shows 3 pictures. One has the cast together- the second a picture of Gary Coleman from last year and a picture of Conrad Bain in 1998.*

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Hottest Men alive:
Dale Midkiff
Anthony Starke
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TJ · 07-25-2001, 10:53 PM

Which issue is this from? Who's on the cover?

DarleneIllyria · 07-26-2001, 02:24 PM

TJ

It's from August 2001 and it has Helen Hunt on the front of the magazine.

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Hottest Men alive:
Dale Midkiff
Anthony Starke
Tim McGraw
Jonathan Crombie

TJ · 07-26-2001, 05:42 PM

Thanks Jenny for sharing the information with everybody.

07-25-2001, 09:21 PM	#1
DarleneIllyria Gone Forum Star Join Date: Oct 15, 2000 Posts: 19,086	Where are they now? Article in Biography magazine Mention the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes and the mental images people tend to conjure up are three young stars and the sometimes sad, sorry adult lives that awaited them. It's hard not to see the show in that light-even for Conrad Bain, the former TV father to Gary Coleman, Todd Bridges, and Dana Plato. "We did a funny show," Bain says. "But I suspect that many positive qualities are lost, because of stories about our kids and the rather tortured adjustments they had to make as adults." Diff'rent Strokes (1978-86) made Coleman a TV sensation in the late '70s. He played Arnold, a pint-size, wisecracking Harlem kid who along with brother Willis (Bridges) was adopted into a rich household that included Plato. But success so young, Bain says, can be a "double-edged sword." Coleman's troubles have been largely financial; Bridges run-ins with the law led to time behind bars; Plato's drug use resulted in a fatal overdose in May '99. "Part of being an adolescent is finding out who you are," Bain says. "But how are you going to find out who you are in that arena? Your childhood is shortened, if not eliminated entirely." Today, Coleman, 33 and single, works as an actor and sometime security guard. Recent acting gigs include The Simpsons, The Jamie Foxx Show, and Kid Rock's "Cowboy" music video. He has also written a column for the internet. Bridges, 36, has been acting, directing, and producing small films, including Black Ball and Flossin' (both in 2000). On TV's After Diff'rent Strokes: When the Laughter Stopped (2000), he portrayed a crack dealer. Married in 1998; one son. Bain, 78, has been inactive as an actor in recent years, re-directing his efforts toward fiction writing. Married since 1945; three grown kids. This article is on page 33 and shows 3 pictures. One has the cast together- the second a picture of Gary Coleman from last year and a picture of Conrad Bain in 1998. ------------------ Hottest Men alive: Dale Midkiff Anthony Starke Tim McGraw Jonathan Crombie

07-25-2001, 10:53 PM	#2
TJ Site Owner Administrator Forum Star Join Date: Feb 03, 2000 Location: Marietta, GA Posts: 10,664	Which issue is this from? Who's on the cover?

07-26-2001, 02:24 PM	#3
DarleneIllyria Gone Forum Star Join Date: Oct 15, 2000 Posts: 19,086	TJ It's from August 2001 and it has Helen Hunt on the front of the magazine. ------------------ Hottest Men alive: Dale Midkiff Anthony Starke Tim McGraw Jonathan Crombie

07-26-2001, 05:42 PM	#4
TJ Site Owner Administrator Forum Star Join Date: Feb 03, 2000 Location: Marietta, GA Posts: 10,664	Thanks Jenny for sharing the information with everybody.