Dana Plato | |
|---|---|
 Plato on the set of Diff'rent Strokes in 1983 | |
| Born | Dana Michelle Strain November 7, 1964 Maywood, California, U.S. |
| Died | May 8, 1999 (aged 34)[1] Moore, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1975–1999 |
| Spouses | Lanny Lambert
(m. 1984; div. 1990)Scott Atkins
(m. 1996; ann. 1996) |
| Children | 1 |
| Signature | |
 | |
Dana Michelle Plato (née Strain; November 7, 1964 – May 8, 1999)[2][3] was an American actress. An influential teen idol of the late 1970s and early 1980s,[4] she played Kimberly Drummond on the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes (1978–1986). Her personal struggles with substance abuse were well documented by the media and led to her premature death at the age of 34. Her life has retrospectively been called a "tragedy".[5][6][7]
Plato was born to a teen mother and was adopted as an infant. She was raised in the San Fernando Valley and was an accomplished figure skater before acting. Her acting career began with numerous commercial appearances, and her television debut came at the age of ten with a brief appearance on the television series The Six Million Dollar Man (1975). Plato subsequently appeared in the horror films Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) and Return to Boggy Creek (1977), and the Oscar–winning film California Suite (1978). In recognition for her tenure on Diff'rent Strokes, she received nominations for a Young Artist Award and two TV Land Awards. Following the show, she worked sporadically in independent films and B movies, and appeared in the video game Night Trap (1992).
Plato was married twice; she had a child in 1984 during her marriage to guitarist Lanny Lambert. She struggled with substance abuse for most of her life. She was arrested in 1991 for robbing a video store, and again the following year for forging a drug prescription. On May 8, 1999, at age 34, Plato was found dead in her motor home from an overdose of prescription drugs. Her death, while initially considered accidental, was ruled a suicide.
- ^ "Dana Plato, 34, Star of 'Diff'rent Strokes'". The New York Times. Associated Press. May 10, 1999. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Finn, Natalie (April 13, 2020). "The Most Heartbreaking Teen Star Tragedies". E! News. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
- ^ "'Diff'rent Strokes' star Todd Bridges says being a TV teen idol didn't protect him from 'extreme racism' growing up". www.yahoo.com. April 21, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- ^ Speckhals, Linda. "Dana Plato: A Career Cut Short". Groovy History. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- ^ "Inside the Most Heartbreaking Teen Star Tragedies". E! Online. April 13, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- ^ Odendaal, Odette (June 6, 2019). "Tragic Story behind 'Diff'rent Strokes' Star Dana Plato's Death That Greatly Affected Her Son". news.amomama.com. Retrieved February 9, 2022.