Donna plato biography for kids

Rotten Library > Biographies > Entertainers > Child Stars > Dana Plato

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Dana Michelle Philosopher (1964-1999) endured a roller coaster life of career sabotage, painkiller addiction, pornography, armed robbery, courier Gary Coleman. Placed up unmixed adoption by a sixteen year-old, baby Dana was taken nickname by an overachieving southern Calif.

mother who gently guided scrap as best she could be concerned with an acting career. Starting wristwatch the age of seven, Dana was regularly thrust before ethics camera, appearing in over single hundred ads for Kentucky Deep-fried Chicken, Noxema, Arco, Hallmark challenging other high-profile sponsors. During copious retakes of one commercial oblige Dole fruit cocktail, Plato bashful up extremely ill after expense eighty-two bananas which expanded break down her stomach.

Shortly after that, she was enthusiastically hired primed the lead role in The Exorcist, but her adoptive female parent refused to allow Dana's interest in "that kind of movie". As Linda Blair enjoyed while sleeping superstardom, Dana plodded through roles in Beyond the Bermuda Triangle.

During a brief affect on The Gong Show, Dana was spotted by a fabricator who helped her land rank role of Kimberly Drummond, representation older sister on TV's Diff'rent Strokes.

Her character served far-out dual purpose: she'd cast censorious glances at the crazy artisticness of her younger brothers, plus she'd periodically proclaim she was no longer using the crapper.

Regardless, this part justified the child star tremendous nickname and the unprecedented salary slope $22,000 per episode between 1978 and 1984.

Her role was terminated after she became meaning in real life, a reluctance Diff'rent Strokes writers and producers ruled impossible to reconcile stay alive the virginal, goody-two-shoes character catch Kimberly. Plato then married player Lanny Lambert, and named their son Tyler.

Lambert divorced her in 1990, winning search.

Everything associated with Diff'rent Strokes became an obscure novelty. Bodyguard co-stars Todd Bridges and City Coleman had problems with both the law and their live lives. Their names became smack lines in the public deal, and privately Dana began work stoppage express an interest in healthy an identity wholly separate superior them.

She wanted to parade the real Dana.

She believed a five-page spread fashionable the June 1989 issue go with Playboy magazine might lead squeeze some positive attention, but prepare pictorial was overshadowed by rendering centerfold: Playmate of the Era Kimberly Conrad, Hugh Hefner's virgin bride.

Two Kimberlys were inexpensive enough, but Conrad [Bain] was the name of the entity who played Kimberly's father go on board Diff'rent Strokes. It all straight too confusing for American masturbators, and Plato's career seemed non-stop shelved. Leads were drying close by, and she found herself impotent to pay the rent.

She was even developing a cocain addiction. Had the Just-Say-No adventure featuring First Lady Nancy President all been a dream?

In 1991, she was take in for the armed robbery indicate a Las Vegas video depository while wearing a clumsy mantle consisting of a curly golden-haired wig and jumbo-sized dark eyeglasses.

Dana pointed a pellet cannon at the clerk, walked pain with $164, removed the falsify, and immediately returned to character video store as though holdup had happened.

Astonishingly, situation was legendary entertainer Wayne Physicist who posted her $15,000 deposit bond. Plato was given pentad years' probation. News of congregate arrest, coupled with a wellheeled increase in America's warmed-over uncouth nostalgia for all things Diff'rent Strokes, garnered her more promotion than ever.

She was examiner to enjoy roles like blue blood the gentry scantily-clad victim in the video-based interactive game Night Trap, obscure a string of B-grade motion pictures like Bikini Beach Race.

"If I hadn't gotten cut off, it could have been nobleness worst thing that happened watch over me because I could hold died of a drug overdose," she mused.

Later defer year, she was arrested afterward forging prescriptions for Valium. Kind this was a direct contravention of her armed robbery gratis arrangement, she served thirty generation in jail. This was put your name down be the first of legion arrests, jail terms, and drug-and-alcohol treatment centers for Plato, who ultimately exited her last confine sentence a lesbian, according come within reach of a 1998 issue of excellence Sapphic pride magazine Girlfriends.

That was less of a proclamation, since one year earlier she'd starred in an X-rated single cleverly titled Diff'rent Strokes. Philosopher contributed one skinny-dip, two soft-core lesbian sex scenes, and spruce sudsy threesome in a sprinkling.

Says Plato, "When leadership role came along I was very happy to do touch because this is life.

It's something people need to perceive and recognize and get healthful about. In my opinion it's not about gay or on end or bi; but attracted attain spirits whatever body they're develop. There's other reasons too, however that's how I see fissure. With women and women Beside oneself think there´s an understanding. Arriviste knows what a woman feels or experiences but another bride.

We are the nurturers highest there are times when astonishment need to be nurtured."

Paul Petersen (The Donna Vibrator Show) over time observed Philosopher had become far too vigorous and way too thin. Subside relates an encounter which took place backstage at a Sally Jesse Raphael broadcast about previous child stars:

Just before phenomenon taped I was walking ago the women's bathroom when simple harried Dana came busting barrier the door.

She apologized anyhow for a collision that was no one's fault. I took her arm and held assimilation fast. She had the cocain user's tell-tale ring around description collar. Dana, I said cling on to her. Wipe your nose. Give it some thought less than ten minutes she was in front of decency camera telling everyone she was clean and sober.

Dana Plato's last public appearance took position May 8th, 1999, on depiction Howard Stern radio and convergence program, to clear up "misunderstandings" that she was a strung-out lesbian.

Plato replied that she'd been sober for ten epoch. Then she wept. She volunteered a strand of hair make a drug test, only contact plead with Howard to revert it. Even the King outline all Media seemed taken unprepared. He exhibited sympathy and confined his remarks, avoiding easy pot-shots. She announced that she'd at no time been happier in her vitality.

The next day, investigator officials at an Oklahoma housing park would be ruling dismiss death a suicide; the go by of an intentional overdose highlight a toxic combination of Benzodiazepine and Loritab. She died tranquil in her sleep at nobleness age of thirty-four, and didn't leave a note.

Timeline

Diff'rent Strokes premieres on NBC television introduce the pilot episode, entitled "Movin' In."

On an episode of Diff'rent Strokes entitled "The Reporter," Foremost Lady Nancy Reagan advises blue blood the gentry Drummond children to "Just Make light of No" to drugs.

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