Peacock Debuts Trailer for New Gary Coleman Documentary
A new documentary called Gary will explore the fascinating life and mysterious death of the beloved child actor Gary Coleman.
Through interviews with fellow actor Todd Bridges, former managers, his estranged parents and Coleman’s ex-wife, the film will detail his rise to fame as the young star of Diff’rent Strokes as well as the dark sides of his personal life when he was off camera. Viewers will get insight into Coleman’s lifelong illness and depression, his financial troubles, tumultuous marriage and his heartbreaking demise at the age of 42.
Peacock/Raw TV Ltd
Born in Zion, Illinois, Coleman grew up with his adoptive parents and a kidney disease; due to the medications used to treat it, his growth was limited to 4’8″. After acting in a pilot for a revival of The Little Rascals, he caught the attention of a producer who decided to cast him as Arnold Jackson in the sitcom Diff’rent Strokes (1978–1986). The show launched him into major stardom, and made “What’choo talkin’ ’bout, Willis?” a household catchphrase in the 1980s; but that’s also where his problems began.
Courtesy of Everett
Coleman was the highest-paid child actor on television throughout the 1970s and 1980s, but he struggled financially later in life; in 1989, he sued his parents and business adviser over misappropriation of his assets, only to declare bankruptcy a decade later. He also dealt with many health issues. Coleman was hospitalized several times from seizures, and had heart surgery in 2009. He died on May 28, 2010, when he was 42, after falling down the stairs at his home in Santaquin and suffering an epidural hematoma.
The documentary will premiere on Peacock on Aug. 29.
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