Dana Plato

Dana Michelle Plato (; November 7, 1964 – May 8, 1999) was an American actress. She rose to fame for playing Kimberly Drummond on the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes (1978–1986), which established her as a teen idol of the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Plato was born to a teen mother and was adopted as an infant. She was raised in the San Fernando Valley and trained in figure skating before turning to 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). She then appeared in the horror film 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 and 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, initially considered accidental, was ruled a suicide.

Early life Plato was born Dana Michelle Strain on November 7, 1964, at Mission Hospital in Huntington Park, California. Her birth mother was Linda Strain, a teenager who was already caring for an 18-month-old child. She was of German and Irish descent. In June 1965, at seven months old, she was adopted by Dean Plato, a Dutch-born émigré who owned a trucking company, and his wife Florine "Kay" Plato . She was raised in the San Fernando Valley. When she was three, her adoptive parents divorced and she lived with her mother.

In 1995, during an appearance on the psychology-focused Marilyn Kagan Show alongside co-star Todd Bridges, she spoke of her childhood with her mother, stating: "My mother made sure that I was normal. The only thing that she did, the mistake she made, was that she kept me in a plastic bubble. So, I didn't learn about reality and life skills." Kagan suggested that Plato may have been used for a free meal ticket, which Plato denied, explaining that her mother's ways were so that she would not become a prima donna.

Career At a young age, Plato began attending auditions with her mother, and by the age of seven had appeared in over 100 television commercials.

Plato made her acting debut at the age of 10, making a brief appearance on the ABC television show The Six Million Dollar Man. She then starred in the 1975 made-for-television film Beyond the Bermuda Triangle. Plato made her film debut at the age of 13 in the uncredited role of Sandra Phalor in the horror film Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977). She starred as Evie Joe in the horror film Return to Boggy Creek in the same year. Both films were received negatively by critics. Better received was the family-comedy film California Suite (1978), in which Plato played Jenny Warren; the film was also a commercial success, and earned accolades at the Academy Awards and the Golden Globe Awards.

The cast of Diff'rent Strokes with guest star Nancy Reagan on set in 1983When Plato made a brief appearance on The Gong Show, she was spotted by a producer who helped cast her as Kimberly Drummond, the older sister of adopted brothers Arnold and Willis Jackson, on the NBC/ABC sitcom Diff'rent Strokes. The series debuted in 1978 and became an immediate hit. Plato appeared regularly on the show throughout its run, notably top-billed for four years. She was nominated for a Young Artist Award for her work on the program, and also was part of two TV Land Award nominations given to its cast. She made a one-episode appearance on season 8 episode 12 of "The Love Boat". Thereafter, Plato appeared recurringly on Diff'rent Strokes from 1985 to 1986 when the show ended; in season 8, the episode that aired on January 17, 1986, was Plato's final appearance on the show, which showed her character suffering from bulimia. CBC News described her performance in the episode as a "series highpoint".

In 1981, Plato appeared in the television special A Step in Time, which earned her a second Young Artist Award nomination. In 1983, she starred in the television film High School U.S.A. as Cara Ames, alongside Diff'rent Strokes co-star Todd Bridges, who played Otto Lipton. In spite of the film receiving mixed reviews from critics and viewers alike, it gained popularity at the time of its premiere, particularly for its cast. Plato attempted to establish herself as a serious actress, but found it difficult to achieve success.

She had breast implants and modeled for a June 1989 Playboy pictorial. She also started taking roles in such B movies as Bikini Beach Race (1992) and Lethal Cowboy (1995). In 1990 she made a brief attempt at a musical career, sponsored by producer Howie Rice. She recorded six tracks with songwriter/producer Daniel Liston Keller at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, California, but the recordings were shelved and not released.

Plato starred in the video game Night Trap (1992), becoming one of the first celebrities to appear in a video game. Night Trap received mixed to negative reviews upon release, and in retrospect has continued to polarize critics and audiences. It is best remembered for the controversy it created over the violence and sexuality that, along with Mortal Kombat, eventually led to the creation of the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB).

Toward the end of her career, Plato chose roles that were erotic; she appeared nude in Prime Suspect (1989) and Compelling Evidence (1995), and in the softcore erotic drama Different Strokes: The Story of Jack and Jill...and Jill (1998), the title of which was changed after filming had been completed in order to tie it to Plato's past. That same year, following her appearance in the film, Plato appeared in a cover story of the lesbian lifestyle-magazine Girlfriends.

Plato's last works include Desperation Boulevard (1998), in which she appears as herself and which appears to be based on her life; Silent Scream (1999), in which she appears as Emma Jones; and Pacino Is Missing (2002), which was released after her death, in which she appears as an attorney.

Personal life and legal troubles During her years on Diff'rent Strokes, Plato struggled with drug and alcohol problems; she admitted to drinking alcohol, using cannabis and cocaine, and suffered an overdose of diazepam when she was aged 14. Her co-star Conrad Bain revealed that she was happy about her baby, In her March 1990 divorce, Plato lost custody of her son to Lambert and was given visitation rights.

Plato then became engaged to Fred Potts, a filmmaker, but the romance was short-lived. She was later married to actor and producer Scott Atkins (Scotty Gelt) in Vancouver for one month, but the marriage was annulled. Plato got engaged to her manager Robert Menchaca, six years her junior, with whom she lived in a Winnebago motor home in Navarre, Florida. Approximately fifteen minutes after the robbery, Plato returned to the scene after dropping a pair of sunglasses and was immediately arrested. She had stolen $164, (about $397 to $400 in 2026 adjusted for inflation). Entertainer Wayne Newton posted her $13,000 bail and instead of prison time Plato was given five years' probation. In January 1992, Plato was arrested for forging a prescription for diazepam. Many callers to the show insulted Plato and questioned her sobriety, which elicited angry responses from her, and she defiantly offered to take a drug test on the air. Some callers, as well as host Howard Stern, came to Plato's defense, though Stern also referred to himself as "an enabler" and sarcastically offered Plato drugs. Although she allowed a hair to be cut for the test, Stern later claimed she asked for it back after the interview.

Death On May 8, 1999, Plato and Menchaca were returning to California and stopped at Menchaca's mother's home in Moore, Oklahoma, for a Mother's Day visit. and went to lie down with Menchaca, inside her Winnebago recreational vehicle, which was parked outside the house.

Upon awakening, Menchaca and the family discovered that Plato had died in her sleep at the age of 34. It was initially believed to be an accidental overdose, but was later ruled a suicide based on Plato's long history of substance abuse and past suicidal behavior. Some of Plato's friends and associates, including her former Diff'rent Strokes co-star Todd Bridges, have publicly disagreed with the medical examiner's ruling, with Bridges stating that Plato had consumed the fatal cocktail of drugs in an ambiguous amount in order to fall asleep. Plato's body was cremated. Her ashes were scattered over the Pacific Ocean.

Legacy Plato became a subject of the national debate surrounding troubled child stars, particularly given the difficulties of her Diff'rent Strokes co-stars Todd Bridges and Gary Coleman.

In 2000, Fox broadcast a television movie based on Plato, titled After Diff'rent Strokes: When the Laughter Stopped. The film was focused on her life and work after the show, including her death. It featured actors who at the time were unknown, as well as Bridges, who made a cameo appearance. In 2006, NBC aired the television film Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Diff'rent Strokes, which was based on the lives of the child stars who had worked on the show. Bridges and Coleman appear at the end of the film standing near Plato's grave.

On May 6, 2010, two days before the eleventh anniversary of Plato's death, her son Tyler died by suicide. He was 25 years old. According to those close to Lambert, he struggled to come to terms with Plato's death. Mother's Day was always difficult for him. On November 7, 2019, on what would have been Plato's 55th birthday, Bridges commented on Twitter about their friendship, leaving a tribute to Plato: "You were the one person I could always talk to. You were one of my best friends. I will never forget you and love you forever. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Dana Plato R.I.P you are free my friend."

Filmography Film + Year Title Role Notes 1977 Exorcist II: The Heretic Sandra Phalor Uncredited Return to Boggy Creek Evie Joe 1978 California Suite Jenny Warren 1989 Prime Suspect Diana Masters 1992 Bikini Beach Race J.D. The Sounds of Silence Deborah Nichols 1995 Compelling Evidence Dana Fields Lethal Cowboy Elizabeth Millennium Day 1997 Tiger Andrea Baker Blade Boxer Rita Direct-to-video film 1998 Different Strokes: The Story of Jack and Jill...and Jill Jill Martin Desperation Boulevard Herself 1999 Silent Scream Emma Jones 2002 Pacino Is Missing Prosecuting Attorney Posthumous release

Television + Year Title Role Notes 1975 The Six Million Dollar Man Girl Episode: "The Bionic Woman" Beyond the Bermuda Triangle Wendy Television film 1976 Family Mary Beth Sanders Episode: "Home Movie" 1978 What Really Happened to the Class of '65? Herself Episode: "The Most Likely to Succeed"The Gong ShowHerselfGame show 1978–86 Diff'rent StrokesKimberly Drummond Main role (season 1–6); recurring role (season 7–8) 1979 Hello, LarryKimberly Drummond 3 episodes The Facts of LifeKimberly Drummond Episode: "Rough Housing" 1979–80 CHiPs Herself 2 episodes 1980 Family Debbie Episode: "Letting Go" ABC Afterschool Specials Daisy Dallenger Episode: "Schoolboy Father" 1981 A Step in Time Herself Television film 1982 The Family Life Naomi Episode "The Kids are Moving In" Walt Disney World's 10th Anniversary Daughter Television special 1983 High School U.S.A. Cara Ames Television film 1984 The Love Boat Patty Springer Episode: "Paying the Piper/Baby Sister/Help Wanted" 1985 Growing Pains Lisa Episode: "Mike's Madonna Story"

Video games

Night Trap (1992) as Kelli Medd

Accolades + Association Year Category Work Result Young Artist Awards 1981 Best Young Actress in a Television Special A Step in Time 1983 Best Young Actress in a Comedy SeriesDiff'rent Strokes TV Land Awards 2003 Quintessential Non-Traditional Family (shared with cast)Diff'rent Strokes 2004 Quintessential Non-Traditional FamilyDiff'rent Strokes