Who Is Still Alive From ‘Diff’rent Strokes’?
Diff’rent Strokes is nearing its 50th anniversary: The NBC-turned-ABC sitcom debuted 47 years ago, on November 3, 1978.
The core of the story was the interplay between wealthy white New York City widower Phillip Drummond (Conrad Bain) and his adoptive sons, Arnold (Gary Coleman) and Willis Jackson (Todd Bridges), and biological daughter, Kimberly (Dana Plato).
Other cast members included Charlotte Rae and Mary Jo Catlett as housekeepers for the Drummond family; Dixie Carter and Mary Ann Mobley, who split the role of Philip’s love interest Maggie; and Danny Cooksey as Maggie’s son, Sam.
Nearly a half century later, only a few Diff’rent Strokes stars are still alive, but they’ve all shared fond memories of their time on the sitcom. Here’s an update on the cast.
Todd Bridges (60)
Willis Jackson
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Aside from Diff’rent Strokes, Bridges is also known for recurring as Monk on Everybody Hates Chris and serving as a commentator for World’s Dumbest…
Bridges revisited the old Diff’rent Strokes soundstage for 2024’s Gary, a documentary about Coleman. “It was wonderful to walk back over there,” he told TV Insider at the time. “I even walked by my old dressing room. That was a lot of fun. I enjoyed it. It was quite fun to bring back those old memories. It’s unfortunate I had to do it all by myself.”
He also revealed to TV Insider that a reboot of Diff’rent Strokes might be in the offing. “That’s something we’re pushing for now, actually,” he added. “We’re trying to get it done. I think there is a good possibility to get it made. I think it will be different but good. I think right now with the climate of this country, this is definitely needed.”
Mary Jo Catlett (87)
Pearl Gallagher
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Catlett has been acting on stage and screen for more than 60 years, having gotten her break in 1964 when she originated the role of Ernestina in Hello, Dolly! on Broadway opposite Carol Channing. Since then, she has guest-starred in episodes of The Bob Newhart Show, The Waltons, and M*A*S*H, and she earned a 1990 Daytime Emmy Nomination for her role as Mary Finnegan on General Hospital.
These days, Catlett is best known for voicing the teaching pufferfish Mrs. Puff in SpongeBob SquarePants, having lent her voice to dozens of productions in the franchise.
And in a 2019 interview with Studio Q, Catlett named the two highlights of her career so far: “One is Diff’rent Strokes. I had such a good time. ‘Dinner’s ready, Mr. Drummond!’ And the other is to be Mrs. Puff in SpongeBob. ‘I’m Mrs. Puff!’”
Danny Cooksey (50)
Sam McKinney
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Cooksey has turned his child stardom into an acting career in his adult years. After Diff’rent Strokes, he starred as Kevin Cavanaugh in the 1980s CBS sitcom The Cavanaughs, played John Connor’s friend Tim in the 1991 blockbuster film Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and starred as the bully Bobby Budnick in the 1991 Nickelodeon sitcom Salute Your Shorts. He also sang in the 1990s hard rock band Bad4Good, whose first and final album, Refugee, was released by Interscope Records in 1992.
These days, Cooksey mostly sticks to voice acting roles: His voice credits include roles in the video games Quake 4, Xiaolin Showdown, and Medal of Honor: Airborne, and the TV shows Phineas and Ferb, Regular Show, and Long Gone Gulch. He also played another bully in the animated Disney XD TV show Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil, voicing the character of Brad Buttowski.
In a 2019 Rewind It Magazine interview, Cooksey recalled the “out-of-body” experience of rewatching himself on Diff’rent Strokes after his daughter found an old VHS tape of the show. “I don’t really sit around watching myself often or anything, but every once in awhile something will come on that I’ll catch, and I just kind of have to pinch myself and say, ‘Wow, how did I ever even end up in that situation?!’” he said.
In Memoriam
Conrad Bain (Philip Drummond) died of natural causes on January 14, 2013, at age 89.
Gary Coleman (Arnold Jackson) died of a brain hemorrhage on May 28, 2010, at age 42.
Dana Plato (Kimberly Drummond) died by suicide on May 8, 1999, at age 34.
Charlotte Rae (Edna Garrett) on August 5, 2018, at age 92, after disclosing her bone and pancreatic cancer diagnoses the previous year.
Dixie Carter (Maggie McKinney) died of cancer complications on April 10, 2010, at age 70.
Mary Ann Mobley (Maggie McKinney) died of cancer complications on December 9, 2014, at age 77.