Conrad Bain Was Concerned about the Health & Well-Being of 'Diff'rent Strokes' Co-Star Gary Coleman

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[Note: Unless otherwise indicated, all commentary and quotes in this article are from an interview conducted by the author with those mentioned.]

The Big Picture

Diff'rent Strokes actor Conrad Bain, who died in 2013 at 89, got his start on the New York stage and in small TV roles on daytime soaps like Dark Shadows. Bain's big break arrived when he starred as Dr. Arthur Harmon, TV husband to Rue McClanahan's Vivian Harmon, on Maude (CBS, 1972-1979), starring Bea Arthur.

Bain later starred in his own TV sitcom, Diff'rent Strokes (NBC/ABC, 1978-1986), in which he played the White, widowed and wealthy Phillip Drummond.

The Diff'rent Premise

On Diff'rent Strokes, Phillip Drummond has one biological daughterm named Kimberly, played by Dana Plato. He decides expand his family by adopting two young African-American siblings, Arnold and Willis Jackson, played by Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges (respectively).

Both Plato and Coleman have since passed away, ultimately falling prey in one way or another the price and pressures of former child stardom.

Diff'rent Strokes also starred Charlotte Rae as Mrs. Edna Garrett, who would be spun-off into her own sitcom, The Facts of Life (ABC, 1979-1988).

Bain's Compassion for Coleman

On screen, the fabricated Phillip Drummond was the biological father of Kimberly, and the adopted father of Arnold and Willis.

Off-screen, Conrad Bain was a father-figure to Dana Plato, Todd Bridges and Gary Coleman. Bain was particularly protective of Coleman.

Coleman's Challenges

Born in Zion, Illinois, Gary Coleman was raised by adopted parents, and suffered a kidney disease. Due to the corticosteroids and other medications he utilzied to treat the disorder, Coleman's physical growth was limited to 4 feet, 8 inches.

However, there was nothing restrictive about Coleman's talent and charisma, which was the main reason Diff'rent Strokes became a hit.

Into that mix, unfortunately, was the high-cost of stardom at a young age. All of those challenged elements combined, prompted Bain's concern. "I am very worried about Gary," he said in 1984. "He's going through so much, physically, and he's been thrust into the limelight at such a young age."

In the End

In the end, Conrad Bain's cause for conern for his TV children was sadly justified, with specific regard to both Gary Coleman and Dana Plato. Todd Bridges certainly has had his share of life challenges, but fortunately, he has survived the pitfalls of being a former child star.

Such was not the case with Coleman and Plato. The latter fell into drug addiction and died of an overdose in 1999. The former is the subject of a new documentary, in which suggests he died suspiciously and that his life was a "cautionary tale."