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Actors

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Gary Coleman

Gary Coleman (1968-2010), child star of Diff’rent Strokes (1978-1985), was adopted as a baby.

Gary Wayne Coleman was born in Zion, Illinois and adopted as a baby by Edmonia Coleman, a nurse, and W.G. Coleman, a salesman for a pharmaceutical company.

Coleman was diagnosed at birth with several conditions including nephritis, a kidney disorder. His adult height was impacted by the treatment for nephritis – he was only 1.4 metres (4’ 8”) tall.

Coleman 1st appeared in a tv commercial for a Chicago bank. As a result of that commercial, he was cast in the sitcom Diff’rent Strokes as 1 of 2 African American brothers adopted by a rich white man after their mother dies.

After Diff’rent Strokes was cancelled, Coleman appeared occasionally in television series or in movies, often as a minor character, sometimes as himself.

Gary Coleman died from a head injury in 2010 at the age of 42.

Children and young people in social care, and those who have left, are often subject to stigmatisation and discrimination. Being stigmatised and discriminated against can impact negatively on mental health and wellbeing not only during the care experience but often for many years after too. The project aims to contribute towards changing community attitudes towards care experienced people as a group. See glossary HERE


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