Gary Coleman
Gary Wayne Coleman was an American actor, comedian, and writer whom VH1 rated first on a list of "100 Greatest Kid Stars" on television. He won and was nominated for several awards throughout his career, including receiving nominations from the Young Artist Awards and the People's Choice Awards.
He was best known for his role as Arnold Jackson in the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes. Along with this, he was also the star of the animated-show The Gary Coleman Show, and voiced Kevin in the animated-show Waynehead. He also made many guest appearances across many television shows, of which also include voice roles, and also appeared at several televised awards ceremonies. Aside from his work on television, Coleman worked in film, debuting with the film On the Right Track. His other notable films include starring in Jimmy the Kid, The Kid with the Broken Halo, Church Ball, An American Carol, and Midgets vs. Mascots. He also made appearances in music videos, and starred in the video games The Curse of Monkey Island as Kenny Falmouth, and Postal 2 as himself.
In spite of having a successful acting career, Coleman struggled financially in later life. In 1989, he successfully sued his parents and business adviser over misappropriation of his assets, only to declare bankruptcy a decade later. On May 28, 2010, Coleman died of a subdural hematoma at age 42.
Early life
Gary Wayne Coleman was born in Zion, Illinois, on February 8, 1968. He was adopted by W. G. Coleman, a fork-lift operator, and Edmonia Sue, a nurse practitioner. Due to focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a congenital kidney disease, and the corticosteroids and other medications used to treat it, his growth was limited to, and his face kept a childlike appearance even into adulthood. He underwent two unsuccessful kidney transplants in 1973 and 1984, and required frequent dialysis.Career
Acting career
In 1974, Coleman's career began when he appeared in a commercial for Harris Bank. His line was "You should have a Hubert doll." "Hubert" was a stuffed lion representing the Harris bank logo. The same year, he appeared in an episode of Medical Center. While best known for his role on Diff'rent Strokes, Coleman had appeared earlier on television, on The Jeffersons as Raymond, George Jefferson's nephew and on Good Times as Penny's friend Gary. He also appeared in a 1977 pilot for a revival of The Little Rascals as Stymie.Coleman was cast as Arnold Jackson in Diff'rent Strokes, playing one of two black brothers from Harlem adopted by a wealthy white widower in Manhattan. The series was aired from 1978 to 1986. He later became known by his character's catchphrase "What'chu talkin' 'bout, Willis?", uttered skeptically in response to statements by Todd Bridges who portrayed his character's brother, as well as to other characters. At the height of his fame on Diff'rent Strokes, he earned $100,000 per episode. According to Bridges' autobiography Killing Willis, Coleman was made to work long hours on the set of Diff'rent Strokes despite his age and health problems, which contributed to his being unhappy and separating himself from the cast.
Coleman became a popular figure, starring in a number of feature films and television films, first appearing in the baseball comedy film The Kid from Left Field. He soon made his debut with the comedy feature film On the Right Track, headlining as Lester. The film had a moderate financial performance; however, it was received with mixed reviews and criticism, with critics stating that the film rode nearly entirely on Coleman's credibility and presence. Aside from this, he played the lead in the comedy film Jimmy the Kid, which had also been received negatively, and starred as Andy LaBeau in the film The Kid with the Broken Halo.
The latter eventually served as the basis for The Gary Coleman Show in 1982, where he had a voice role. He later was cast in the animated show Waynehead, voicing Kevin, which ran from 1996 to 1997. He also made video game appearances in The Curse of Monkey Island and Postal 2. In 2005, Coleman appeared in John Cena's music video for his single "Bad, Bad Man", and played himself as a villain taking Michael Jackson and Madonna hostage. The video was a spoof of 1980s culture, focusing on The A-Team.
In the years prior to his death, Coleman consistently made guest appearances in television, and appeared on the shows The Surreal Life, Drake & Josh, and Nitro Circus. His final television role was a voice role in the animated-series Robot Chicken. His final film roles were starring as Charles Higgins in the sports-comedy film Church Ball, appearing as a slave in the satirical comedy film An American Carol, and appearing as Gary in the comedy film Midgets vs. Mascots.
Political career
Coleman later ventured into politics, and in the 2003 California recall election he was a candidate for governor. His campaign was sponsored by the free newsweekly East Bay Express as a satirical comment on the recall. After Arnold Schwarzenegger declared his candidacy, Coleman announced that he would vote for Schwarzenegger. Coleman placed 8th in a field of 135 candidates, receiving 14,242 votes.Personal life
Coleman was an avid railfan, model railroader, and supporter of Amtrak. He became interested in trains sometime before the age of five during his frequent train trips to Chicago, in support of his burgeoning acting career. Fans often saw him at stores specializing in model trains in areas in which he lived, and he worked part-time at Denver-area, Tucson-area, and California hobby stores to be around his hobby. Coleman built and maintained miniature railroads in his homes in several states. One of his train layouts appears in the September 1990 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman. Coleman is photographed on the front cover, with his Rio Grande layout. He preferred to model in HO scale, but modeled in other scales as well. One such model railroad was over in size. Currently, at least one of Coleman's model railroads is being preserved in Colorado Springs, Colorado.A Biography Channel documentary estimated he was left with a quarter of the original amount of money he retrieved from his years on Diff'rent Strokes after paying his parents, advisers, lawyers, and taxes. He later successfully sued his parents and his former advisers for misappropriation of his finances and was awarded $1.3 million.
In a 1993 television interview, Coleman said he had twice attempted suicide by overdosing on pills. Around that time, he was living in Denver, Colorado, where he hosted a Sunday night show on the local radio station KHIH titled Gary Coleman's Colorado High, which played light jazz and new-age music. He gave part of his salary to the Colorado Kidney Foundation. In 2005, Coleman moved from Los Angeles to Santaquin, a small town about south of Salt Lake City, Utah, where he lived for the remainder of his life. In early 2007, he met Shannon Price, 22, on the set of the film Church Ball, where she was working as an extra. Price and Coleman married several months later. On May 1 and 2, 2008, they made a well-publicized appearance on the show Divorce Court to air their differences in an attempt to save their marriage. Nevertheless, they divorced in August 2008, and Coleman was granted an ex parte restraining order against Price to prevent her from living in his home when he was hospitalized after their divorce. According to a court petition later filed by Price, she and Coleman continued to live together in a common-law marriage until his death. However, a judge ultimately ruled against Price after hearing evidence that she carried on affairs with other men during the time she claimed to be with Coleman, and "physically abused Coleman in public, led him around by the hand like a child displayed no physical affection toward him in front of anyone".
Financial struggles
In August 1999, Coleman filed for bankruptcy protection. Multiple people, he said, were responsible for his insolvency, "from me, to accountants, to my adoptive parents, to agents, to lawyers, and back to me again". He lost $200,000 on an arcade he named the Gary Coleman Game Parlor, which was located at Fisherman's Village in Marina del Rey, California. Ongoing medical expenses contributed significantly to Coleman's chronic financial problems and compelled him, at times, to resort to unusual fundraising activities. In 1999, he partnered with UGO Networks on an online auction titled "Save Me!". Items included his couch, a "tiny pimp suit" with matching gold Nikes and an autographed ice scraper. Items attracted more than $5,000 in bids. In 2008, he auctioned an autographed pair of his pants on eBay to help pay his medical bills. The auction attracted considerable attention, including fake bids up to $400,000. The pants were eventually bought for $500 by comedian Jimmy Kimmel, who hung them from the rafters of his television studio.Legal troubles
In 1989, Coleman sued his adoptive parents and former business advisor for $3.8 million for misappropriating his trust fund, and won a $1.28 million judgment in 1993. In 1998, Coleman was charged with assault while working as a security guard. Tracy Fields, a Los Angeles bus driver and fan of Coleman's work on Diff'rent Strokes, approached him in a California mall and requested his autograph, while Coleman was shopping for a bulletproof vest. When Coleman refused to give her an autograph, an argument ensued, and Fields reportedly mocked Coleman's lackluster career as an actor. Coleman then punched Fields in the face several times in front of witnesses. He was arrested and later testified in court that she threatened him, and he defended himself. "She wouldn't leave me alone. I was getting scared, and she was getting ugly," he said. Coleman pleaded no contest to one count of assault, received a suspended jail sentence, and was ordered to pay Fields' $1,665 hospital bill and to take anger management classes.In 2007, Coleman was cited for misdemeanor disorderly conduct in Provo, Utah after a "heated discussion" in public with his wife. In 2008, Coleman was involved in a car accident after an altercation at a Payson, Utah bowling alley, which began when Colt Rushton, age 24, photographed Coleman without his permission. The two men argued, according to witnesses. In the parking lot, Coleman allegedly backed his truck into Rushton, striking his knee and pulling him under the vehicle, before hitting another car. Rushton was treated at a local hospital for minor injuries and released. Coleman later pleaded no contest to charges of disorderly conduct and reckless driving, and was fined $100. In 2010, he settled a civil suit related to the incident for an undisclosed amount. In 2009, Coleman and his ex-wife were involved in a domestic dispute, after which Price was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence, and both parties were cited for disorderly conduct. In January 2010, months before his death, Coleman was arrested on an outstanding domestic assault warrant in Santaquin, booked into the Utah County Jail, and released the following day.
Death and memorial
Very few details of Coleman's medical history have been made public. His short stature stemmed from congenital kidney disease and its treatment. He underwent at least two unsuccessful kidney transplants early in his life and required frequent dialysis, which he preferred not to discuss. In 2009, Coleman underwent heart surgery, details of which were never made public, but he is known to have developed pneumonia postoperatively. In January 2010, Coleman was hospitalized after a seizure in Los Angeles, and in February, he suffered another seizure on the set of The Insider television program. On May 26, 2010, Coleman was admitted to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo, Utah, in critical condition after falling down the stairs at his home in Santaquin and hitting his head, possibly after another seizure, and suffering an epidural hematoma. According to a hospital spokesman, Coleman was conscious and lucid the next morning, but his condition subsequently worsened. By mid-afternoon on May 27, he was unconscious and on life support. He died at 12:05 pm MDT on May 28, 2010, at age 42.The casts of the off-Broadway production of Avenue Q in New York City and the Avenue Q National Tour in Dallas dedicated their May 28 performances to his memory, and the actors playing the part of Coleman paid tribute to him from the stage at the performances' conclusions. The Coleman character remained in the show after modifications were made to relevant dialogue. The weekend after Coleman's death, a scheduled funeral was postponed and later canceled due to a dispute regarding the disposition of his estate and remains among Coleman's adoptive parents, former business associate Anna Gray, and Price. Coleman's former manager, Dion Mial, was involved initially, but withdrew after Coleman's 1999 will, which named Mial as executor and directed that his wake be "...conducted by those with no financial ties to me and can look each other in the eyes and say they really cared personally for Gary Coleman", turned out to have been superseded by a later one replacing Mial with Gray, and directing "...that there be no funeral service, wake, or other ceremony memorializing my passing".
Questions were also raised as to whether Price, who approved discontinuing Coleman's life support, was legally authorized to do so. The controversy was exacerbated by a photograph published on the front page of the tabloid newspaper Globe depicting Price posed next to a comatose, intubated Coleman, under the headline, "It Was Murder!"
The hospital later issued a statement confirming that Coleman had completed an advance healthcare directive granting Price permission to make medical decisions on his behalf. An investigation by Santaquin police was closed on October 5, 2010, after the medical examiner ruled Coleman's death accidental and no evidence of wrongdoing could be demonstrated.
While Coleman's final will, signed in 2005, named Gray as executor and awarded his entire estate to her, Coleman and Price married in 2007. Although they divorced in 2008, Price claimed in a court petition that she remained Coleman's common-law wife, with the two sharing bank accounts, and the couple presenting themselves publicly as husband and wife until Coleman's death. Her assertion, if validated by the court, would have made her his lawful heir.
In May 2012, Judge James Taylor stated that while Price had indeed lived in Coleman's home after their marriage ended, their relationship at the time of his death failed to meet Utah's standard for a common-law marriage. The disposition of his ashes remains unreported. Price said, were she granted disposition, she would scatter the ashes at the Golden Spike National Historic Site in Utah as a tribute to Coleman's lifelong love of trains.
Legacy
Coleman is parodied in Avenue Q, which won the 2004 Tony Award for Best Musical. A fictionalized version of Coleman works as the superintendent of the apartment complex where the musical takes place. In the song "It Sucks to Be Me", he laments his fate. On Broadway, the role was originally performed by Natalie Venetia Belcon. The show's creators, Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez, have said the Coleman character personifies one of Avenue Q central themes: that as children we are told we are "special", but upon entering adulthood, we discover that life is not nearly as easy as we have been led to believe. They added that their original intent was for Coleman himself to play the Gary Coleman role, and he expressed interest in accepting it but did not show up for a meeting scheduled to discuss it. In 2005, Coleman announced his intention to sue the producers of Avenue Q for their depiction of him, although the lawsuit never materialized. At the 2007 New York Comic Con, Coleman said, "I wish there was a lawyer on Earth that would sue them for me."Filk music act Ookla the Mok paid tribute to Coleman on their 2003 album "oh ok LA" with the song "A.M. Suicide". The tune starts out as a lament of Coleman's then-career as a security guard, but peaks with the existential earworm "There's a little Gary Coleman inside us all!"
Filmography
With a career spanning over 30 years, Coleman appeared in over 60 works, of which consisted of feature films, television and video game appearances, and music videos. He also made appearances throughout various talk shows and reality shows.Awards and nominations
[Young Artist Award]s
The Young Artist Awards, initially called the Youth in Film Awards, was created by the Young Artist Association, made to honor young performers, generally those under 18. It was founded in 1979. Coleman received 5 nominations, of which he won 2.| Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
| 1980 | Best Young Actor in a Television Series | Diff'rent Strokes | ||
| 1980 | Outstanding Contribution to Youth Through Entertainment | Himself | ||
| 1981 | Best Young Comedian – Motion Picture or Television | Diff'rent Strokes | ||
| 1982 | Best Young Actor in a Comedy Series | Diff'rent Strokes | ||
| 1983 | Best Young Actor in a Comedy Series | Diff'rent Strokes |
[People's Choice Awards]
The People's Choice Awards is an awards ceremony held in honor of people in entertainment, and was founded in 1975. Coleman was nominated and won for four consecutive years.| Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
| 1980 | Favorite Young TV Performer | Himself | ||
| 1981 | Favorite Young TV Performer | Himself | ||
| 1982 | Favorite Young TV Performer | Himself | ||
| 1983 | Favorite Young TV Performer | Himself |
[TV Land Award]s
The TV Land Awards is an awards ceremony that usually honors works that are now off-air or no longer in production, and was founded in 2003. Coleman was a part of two nominations given to the ensemble.| Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
| 2003 | Quintessential Non-Traditional Family | Diff'rent Strokes | ||
| 2004 | Quintessential Non-Traditional Family | Diff'rent Strokes |
[Golden Raspberry Awards]
The Golden Raspberry Awards is a parody awards ceremony held to honor under-achievements in film. Coleman was nominated for two awards, of which he won none.| Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
| 1981 | Worst Actor | On The Right Track | ||
| 1981 | Worst New Actor | On The Right Track |