Gary Coleman's Mug Shot Represents a New Low for One Time Child Star

Gary Coleman's mugshot was released today after his arrest on Sunday following a domestic disturbance involving his wife in Utah. Coleman is currently being held by Utah authorities as there was another outstanding warrant for his arrest after he allegedly tried to run over a man in a parking lot with his car. Coleman's mug shot show a man with a dramatically different look than he had while playing the cherubic Arnold on the hit 1980's sitcom Diff'rent Strokes. The mugshot has a somewhat creepy looking Coleman with his head bowed and eyes up looking vacantly into the camera.

Coleman, 41 years old, is the latest of the three child actors from the show have had serious problems in their lives after the show ended its run in 1985. Todd Bridges, who played the role of Willis Jackson, Arnold's older brother, battled drug addiction for years and was tried for attempted murder. Dana Plato, who played Kimberly Drummond, Arnold's older adopted sister, battled drug and alcohol problems for years. She died in 1999 at the age of 35 in what police ruled a suicide.

For his part, Gary Coleman seemed to stay out of trouble for years and of the three seemed to be the most well adjusted to life after child stardom. But beginning in the late 1990s, a number of warning signs began to appear. Coleman was once for punching a woman who requested his autograph, sued his parents for mismanaging his money and served as a spokesperson for what appeared to be a predatory lending firm.

While Coleman has been able to avoid the deeply serious problems that his co-stars have encountered, his road post Diff'rent Strokes has not been a smooth one in the least. Coleman suffers from a medical condition that requires daily dialysis and has stunted his growth from an early age. Ironically, it was his diminutive stature that allowed him to play roles younger than he really was and this helped his cult like stats during Diff'rent Strokes heyday.

But arguably nobody in modern show business has been typecast to the degree Coleman has. He has never really gotten significant roles after the sitcom. As with most child stars, Coleman was not hired really for his acting ability. He was hired because he 'looked the part' and had a stage presence. Neither of these factors have helped him throughout his adult life and as his earnings from Diff'rent Strokes dried up, there seem to have been few options for him.

While it is impossible to say whether his mug shot represents rock bottom for Coleman, millions of his fans who remember him playing one of the most popular characters on 1980's television certainly hope so.

Source: Edecio Martinez, "Gary Coleman Mugshot: 'Diff'rent Strokes' Star Arrested for Domestic Dispute, Says Paper", cbsnews.com