People named Gary Coleman

Without a doubt Gary Coleman was THE child TV star of the late 1970s and early 1980s. A refreshingly confident little tyke with sparkling dark, saucer-like eyes and an ingratiating, take-on-anyone burst of personality, the boy charmed the pants right off of TV viewers the minute he was glimpsed in national commercials. Amazed by how mature he came across, Gary was in truth older than he looked, which was brought upon by a congenital kidney condition. Sadly, the pint-sized phenomena outgrew his chubby-cheeked welcome and found the course of his grown-up Hollywood career brutally rough and patchy. The fragile condition of his health coupled with this lack of adult career acceptance, sparked an aggressively defensive behavior mechanism in his adult years and led to great personal unhappiness, chronic legal/financial hassles and early death. He was born Gary Wayne Coleman on February 8, 1968, to a homeless woman, and was adopted by a fork-lift operator and his nurse practitioner wife from a Chicago hospital when he was just a few days old. Raised in Zion, Illinois, it was discovered that little Gary had severe health issues before the age of 2. Born with one atrophied kidney and an endangering weak second one, he had two kidney transplants by the time he reached age 16 and the effects of his dialysis medication permanently stunted his growth (to 4'8"). A highly precocious comedy cut-up on-camera, Gary proved a natural in local Chicago commercials. As his commercials spread nationwide, audiences began wondering just who this diminutive dynamo was. Norman Lear's talent scout spotted him in a Chicago bank commercial (he was 9 at the time) and decided to reveal to the world who the little guy was. Brought in to brighten up such Lear sitcoms as "The Jeffersons" and "Good Times" (the latter as a friend of little Janet Jackson's character), NBC quickly recognized the boy's comedy prowess and handed the 10-year-old his own prime-time sitcom playground to mug in. While Arnold et Willy (1978)'s underlying approach was to preach racial and social tolerance (it revolved around two lower-class African-American brothers from Harlem who are taken in and adopted by a wealthy, debonair Park Avenue white man after their housekeeper mother dies), the show's powers-that-be smartly deduced that it was the wisecracking gifts of young Coleman, who played the youngest brother, Arnold Jackson, that gave the show its spark. Deemed "NBC's Littlest Big Man," Gary's sly, pouting-lipped delivery of, "What'chu talkin' about, Willis?" soon became a popular American catchphrase. Legendary comics such as Bob Hope and Lucille Ball absolutely gushed about the little boy's comedy genius and Gary soon became a hit on the talk show circuit, trading clever banter with the likes of Johnny Carson among others. The boy was also outfitted with a series of lightweight TV-movie showcases which included The Kid from Left Field (1979), Scout's Honor (1980), Un vrai petit ange (1982), The Kid with the 200 I.Q. (1983), The Fantastic World of D.C. Collins (1984) and Playing with Fire (1985). All of them wisely centered around Gary's adorable persona. Modest film comedies also came his way with On the Right Track (1981) and Jimmy the Kid (1982). Topping it all off, the Hanna-Barbera-produced series The Gary Coleman Show (1982) produced an animated version of the child star. Little Gary would make close to $18 million during his nearly decade-long TV reign. Like many others in his shoes, however, the aging Coleman felt trapped and pigeonholed by his stifling juvenile image and begged to get out from under it. The 18-year-old was truly thankful when the series ended in 1986. Coleman found, however, that a very fickle public was not as receptive to seeing him grow up. Like fellow TV star Emmanuel Lewis, Coleman began aging in appearance but remained trapped in the body of a young boy and the contrast proved too strange for audiences. As a result, Hollywood had little resources as to what to do with Gary Coleman the man. It wasn't long before Coleman was reduced to making weird guest appearances and small parts in even smaller films. This crash course in reality triggered an increasingly erratic and aggressive behavior in Gary Coleman as he became increasingly angry and bitter about his lack of work when he was so used to be on top of everything. The subsequent tragedies suffered by all three young stars from the "Diff'rent Strokes" show, in fact, was sold out as a jinx package known as the "Diff'rent Strokes curse". While distaff co-star Dana Plato fell heavily into drug addiction, petty crime and pornography before taking her own life in 1999, Todd Bridges, who played Coleman's older brother, battled major cocaine abuse and was later charged (but acquitted of) attempted murder in the late 1980s. In addition to his life-long health issues, Gary's adult problems came in the form of scattered financial and legal entanglements, as well as scrapes with the law. He was once arrested in 1999 for punching a persistent female autograph fan, in which he was fined and ordered to take anger-management classes. This became tabloid fodder for late night comics who joked that he must have landed "several good uppercuts." He also had many disorderly conduct and reckless driving charges brought up against him at various times. He would admit that the tally of his life problems led to more than a few feigned suicide attempts. In 1989, Coleman successfully sued his adopted parents and business manager after they allegedly pilfered his youthful fortune for their own self interest totaling $3.8 million in losses, and he won $1,280,000. Despite the large settlement, all of the money was soon spent on taxes, legal fees, as well as his increasingly high medical bills for his continuing dialysis treatments. As a result by 1999 (with no steady acting work) Coleman had to declare bankruptcy, finding work outside the Hollywood industry as a security guard. For self-preservation, he went the reality-show route and became the object of self-mocking cameos to help bring in some cash. As a gag, he ran for California's 2003 governorship during its recall election. In 2007, he married the much younger actress Shannon Price, whom he met on the set of the low budget film Church Ball (2006), but the quickly marriage dissolved quickly into domestic squabbles that put him in front of the court system yet again on domestic abuse charges. He later moved and settled in Utah. In early 2009, Coleman managed to star in his very last film, the crude independent comedy Midgets vs. Mascots (2009) filmed in Dallas, Texas before the end came. Following heart surgery complicated by pneumonia in the fall of 2009, he suffered a heart seizure in February 2010 while performing on a Hollywood set. The 42-year-old actor died of a brain hemorrhage on May 28, 2010, after suffering an epidural haematoma from a fall at home. A sad end to a very bright and talented, but very troubled and bitter, child star who, at his peak, brought such joy to TV audiences.

Gary Lynn Coleman of Pampa, Gray County, Texas was born on October 5, 1948, and died at age 62 years old on January 5, 2011.

Gary Dewayne Coleman of Rowlett, Dallas County, Texas was born on October 27, 1961, and died at age 44 years old on October 25, 2006.

Gary Michael Coleman of Texarkana, Bowie County, Texas was born on April 16, 1951, and died at age 56 years old on January 12, 2008.

Gary D Coleman of Brazoria, Brazoria County, TX was born on January 16, 1946, and died at age 56 years old on September 9, 2002.

Gary Coleman of Saluda, Saluda County, SC was born on April 10, 1922, and died at age 76 years old on March 21, 1999.

Gary Lee Coleman was born on March 7, 1934, and died at age 78 years old on April 20, 2012. Gary Coleman was buried at Sacramento Valley National Cemetery Section 4 Site 1254 5810 Midway Road, in Dixon, Ca. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Gary Lee Coleman.

Gary L Coleman of Hattiesburg, Forrest County, MS was born on May 22, 1953, and died at age 56 years old on April 10, 2010.

Gary Coleman of Pleasant Hill, Contra Costa County, CA was born on January 30, 1947, and died at age 58 years old on June 24, 2005.

Gary Walter Coleman of Bakersfield, Kern County, California was born on January 22, 1940, and died at age 67 years old on June 18, 2007.

Gary L Coleman was born on June 1, 1944, and died at age 62 years old on October 26, 2006. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Gary L Coleman.

Gary L Coleman was born on March 10, 1947, and died at age 59 years old on July 6, 2006. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Gary L Coleman.

Gary L Coleman of Conchas Dam, San Miguel County, NM was born on January 1, 1956, and died at age 41 years old on December 15, 1997.

Gary L Coleman of Waco, McLennan County, TX was born on March 16, 1941, and died at age 53 years old on July 5, 1994.

Gary K Coleman of Morton, Lewis County, WA was born on December 15, 1933, and died at age 72 years old on April 20, 2006.

Gary A Coleman of Hurricane, Washington County, UT was born on December 26, 1942, and died at age 61 years old on November 16, 2004.

Gary E Coleman of Clay Center, Clay County, Kansas was born on February 5, 1942, and died at age 68 years old on September 8, 2010.

Gary Lewis Coleman of Nebraska was born on August 23, 1946, and died at age 63 years old on May 12, 2010.

Gary D Coleman of Newburg, Phelps County, MO was born on January 4, 1951, and died at age 54 years old on March 11, 2005.

Gary Coleman of Saint Louis, Saint Louis City County, Missouri was born on December 4, 1906, and died at age 78 years old in August 1985.

Gary L Coleman was born on August 28, 1946, and died at age 48 years old on July 14, 1995. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Gary L Coleman.

Gary H Coleman of Fairfield, Jefferson County, IA was born on December 5, 1936, and died at age 71 years old on August 8, 2008.

Gary I Coleman of Marshalltown, Marshall County, IA was born on November 4, 1962, and died at age 47 years old on June 4, 2010.

Gary A Coleman of Abilene, Taylor County, TX was born on November 30, 1914, and died at age 86 years old on January 18, 2001.

Gary Coleman was born on November 11, 1953, and died at age 43 years old on November 4, 1997. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Gary Coleman.

Gary F Coleman of Phoenix, Maricopa County, AZ was born on March 31, 1940, and died at age 49 years old on October 15, 1989. Gary Coleman was buried at National Memorial Cemetery Of Arizona Section 35 Site 162 23029 North Cave Creek Road, in Phoenix.

Gary G Coleman of Clinton, Custer County, OK was born on July 18, 1949, and died at age 52 years old on October 31, 2001.

Gary L Coleman of Wister, Le Flore County, OK was born on June 4, 1940, and died at age 67 years old on April 9, 2008.

Gary B Coleman of Kaplan, Vermilion County, LA was born on February 19, 1955, and died at age 56 years old on May 20, 2011.