Different Strokes Actor Leaves Jail

Different Strokes Actor Leaves Jail

Pacific Coast News

By STAFF REPORTER

Published: Today

TROUBLED actor Gary Coleman looks frail and withdrawn after spending a night in prison on a domestic violence rap.

The Diff'rent Strokes child star, known for his catchphrase "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?", was pushed in a wheelchair by a burly Utah County Jail officer.

Coleman, 41, suffered kidney failure as a child and attends hospital three days a week for dialysis treatment.

January 24, 2010 booking photo shows former child actor Gary Coleman
Whatchoo looking at ... Gary Coleman after arrest

He had missed a session during his overnight stay after a "civil disturbance" at his home in Santaquin, Utah, on Sunday.

The star, whose growth was stunted BY the kidney defect and stands at just 4ft 8ins, clutches his $1,720 bail papers as he is wheeled away from the institution.

Coleman has been plagued by problems in his personal life in recent years.

He has admitted that his marriage to Shannon Price, 24, who he wed in 2007, has had its volatile moments.

In 1998, he received a 90-day suspended sentence and a $1,580 fine for assault after he punched a female fan who had asked for his autograph. He was also ordered to attend anger management classes.

The following year, he filed for bankruptcy and admitted he had twice attempted suicide.

In 2008, Coleman and his wife faced a personal injury lawsuit following an incident at a bowling alley.

A member of the public claimed Coleman's wife snatched his mobile after he tried to take her husband's picture, while Coleman tried to hit him in his pick-up truck.

The case was eventually settled out of court.

Coleman was once the highest-paid actor on TV, earning $100,000 an episode.

Diff'rent Strokes ran for eight seasons between 1978 and 1986, attracting huge ratings all over the world, including in Britain.

Coleman's co-stars have also fallen victim to the show's so-called "curse".

His on-screen brother, Todd Bridges, 44, battled cocaine addiction for several years in his 20s and once faced trial for attempting to murder a Los Angeles drug dealer.

Meanwhile, "wholesome step-sister" Dana Plato ended up in a dry cleaning job before being prosecuted for stealing $160 from a video store.

She later turned to drink and drugs, and died from an overdose of painkillers and tranquilisers aged just 35.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2826734/Strokes-actor-leaves-prison.html