Gary Coleman Bio, Net Worth, Wife, Kids, Cause of Death, Disease, Height, Parents

Gary Wayne Coleman was an American actor, comedian, and writer. He was famous for his role as Arnold Jackson in Diff'rent Strokes. 

Caption: Gary Coleman 

Gary Coleman Net Worth

Gary Coleman had an estimated net worth of $75 thousand at the time of his death. He had accumulated a quite amount of money throughout his career. 

Caption: Gary Coleman standing side of his car

He was well known for his appearance on television sitcom like "Diff'rent Strokes", which he appeared in when he was a child actor. Further, his nomination includes the TV Land Most Heart-Warming Pet-Human Relationship Award, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series, People's Choice Award for Favorite Young Motion Picture Performer, TV Land Quintessential Non-Traditional Family Award.

Gary Coleman Wife

Gary Coleman was married to his wife Shannon Price. In the year 2005, he moved from Los Angeles to Santaquin, a small town about 50 miles (80 km) south of Salt Lake City, Utah, where he lived for the remainder of his life. After that, he met Shannon Price on the set of the film Church Ball, where she was working as an extra in early 2007.

Caption: Gary Coleman with his wife in their wedding dress

Unfortunately, they made a well-publicized appearance on the show Divorce Court to air their differences in an attempt to save their marriage on May 1 and 2, 2008. 

Nevertheless, their divorce was finalized in August 2008, and Gary was granted an ex-parte restraining order against Price to prevent her from living in his home when he was hospitalized after their divorce.

Caption: Gary Coleman with his wife

According to a court petition later filed by Shannon. Gary and Shannon continued to live together in a common-law marriage until his death. However, the judge ultimately ruled against Price after hearing evidence that she carried on affairs with other men during the time. 

But she claimed to be with Coleman, and "physically abused Coleman in public, led him around by the hand like a child, and displayed no physical affection toward him in front of anyone."

Gary Coleman Adopted Parents

Gary Coleman was born on February 8, 1968, as Gary Wayne Coleman in Zion, Illinois. He was adopted by his parents W.G. Coleman and Edmonia Sue, who worked as forklift operators and nurse practitioners respectively.

Caption: Gary Coleman's childhood picture

Gary Coleman Cause of Death

At the age of 42 years, Gary Coleman died on May 28, 2010. Since childhood, he suffered from a serious case of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis which is caused by a nephrotic syndrome in children and generally led to kidney failure as an adult.

This problematic case of an autoimmune kidney disease greatly affected Coleman and he had to show a tremendous level of courage in order to face it. As a consequence of his suffering from a serious illness and the regular intake of strong medications (like corticosteroids).

Why was Gary Coleman So Short? His Height

His growth was stunted and his height was limited to 4 feet and 8 inches as an adult. Also, his physical issues manifested in a permanently immature, child-like face that made him feel awkward with his appearance on growing up. But the fact that he had a very difficult early life is also evident from the two unsuccessful kidney transplants that he had in the years 1973 and 1984.

Caption: Gary Coleman attending an award show

Following the consecutive failures, Gary had no other option but to opt for daily dialysis in order to survive. Regarding his education, he attended Crossroads School, and further there is no more information.

Career of Gary Coleman

Gary Coleman began his career in modeling as a young boy of five and appeared in commercials for McDonald's as well as Hallmark. Later he was featured in a TV commercial for Harris Bank in the year 1974. 

Also, he appeared in an episode of the TV show ‘Medical Center’, in the same year. With a stroke of good luck, he was spotted by a team of talented scouts under the wing of Norman Lear.

Caption: Gary Coleman

Then he featured as a comic actor in some of Lear’s popular sitcoms such as ‘The Jeffersons’ and ‘Good Times’. NBC was quick to take notice of Coleman’s special skills as a comedian. 

Also, they offered him his own sitcom at the unbelievably young age of ten! The legendary TV show, ‘Diff’rent Strokes’ needs no introduction and blessed him with an incredible fan base! The underlying motive of the show was to preach on the taboo issue of racial tolerance in the nation.

Gary's role as Arnold Jackson in ‘Diff’rent Strokes’ was highly appreciated and earned the young star many fans throughout America. The successful show begins from 1978 to 1986. However, his career dwindled in the late 1980s and was plagued by many troublesome issues in his personal and professional life.

Struggle & Success of Gary Coleman

Also, he struggled financially and could not transition into a successful actor as an adult. As a child actor, Gary was involved with many light-hearted TV-film projects such as ‘The Kid From Left Field’ (1979), ‘Scout’s Honor (1980), ‘The Kid With The Broken Halo’ (1982), ‘The Kid With The 200 I.Q.’ (1983), ‘The Fantastic World of D.C. Collins (1984), and ‘Playing With Fire’ (1985).

Caption: Gary Coleman with her co-star

Further, he also appeared in films like ‘On the Right Track’ (1981) and ‘Jimmy The Kid’ (1982). The young actor shot to further stardom with the special animated series called ‘The Gary Coleman Show’ (1982) produced under the world-famous banner of Hanna-Barbera.