** J_fl ? a a 1 *? 3 Ll
By BETTY DEBNAM
naii-pnii, nan auuii
Gary Is Big in Laugh Stuff
"I just might be in this laugh
stuff for years," Gary Coleman
told The Mini Page.
An 11 -year-old who acts and
talks much older and looks
much younger than he is, Gary
is a smash hit as Arnold
Jackson on NBC's TV show
"Diff rent Strokes."
"They didn't plan for me to
steal the show," says Gary.
But steal it he does.
"Gary is one of the hottest
little properties in TV," an
expert told us.
"I got my start when I was 5,
modeling clothes at a local
department store. The manager
discovered me. He helped us
sign with an agent," he says.
Modeling led to TV
commercials and later the
show.
We got his autograph for you!
r
Gary Coleman stars as 8-year-old Arnold Jackson. In the show, he and his brother
are adopted by a wealthy widower. Although Gary is 11, he is the size of a 5-year
old. He had a kidney transplant when he was younger.
Family
Gary is an only child. The
family lives in Zion, Illinois,
near Chicago.
His father works in a
medical lab as an inspector.
"My mother was a nurse,
but she had to drop it for a
while since I needed a
guardian," says Gary.
He and his mom live in an
apartment in Hollywood
when they are filming.
"It's hard to treat him like a
child," says his mom.
Schooling
Gary has three hours of
school a day. He is taught by
a tutor. Sometimes he is able
to "bank" hours or be with
the tutor longer so he doesn't
have school every day.
Gary is a good reader. He
has always read above the
reading level for his age.
His mother does not help
him with his lines.
"He has a system of his
own. I don't know how he
does it," she added.
Hobbies
"The money doesn't matter,"
says Gary.
But it has helped him pay
for one hobby: collecting
model electric trains.
He is also interested in
space, aircraft and reading.
He likes to write and
illustrate his stories.
His best friend is a 112
pound German shepherd
named Champion.
He is also very close to the
other stars of the show,
Conrad Bain and Todd
Bridgers.