Celebrity Movie Blog

Who is Dana Plato?

Dana Michelle Plato was born on the 7th of November 1964, in Maywood, California, US. She became famous playing the role of Kimberly Drummond in the U.S. television sitcom Diffrent Strokes. She grew up in California and attended Sutter Jr. High School in Canoga Park, California. At very early age, Dana began doing television commercials, reportedly appearing in over 100 spots for companies as diverse as Kentucky Fried Chicken, Dole, and Atlantic Richfield. She claimed that she was offered two highly stunning movie roles: the part of possessed child Regan MacNeil in The Exorcist and the starring role in Louis Malles’ Pretty Baby. Kay Plato, it was said, vetoed both jobs, fearing her daughter would be typecast. Her other credits include California Suite Exorcist II: The Heretic and Return to Boggy Creek, which brought her to the list of the famous celebrities. Plato claimed to have made up to US$100,000 an episode of Different Strocks during her peak. Some sources suggest, however, that US$22,000 might be a more representative figure. Plato began having drug and alcohol problems early at 14 years old. She once overdosed on Valium. She also, by her own admission, drank and used recreational drugs during her years on Diffrent Strokes. She had longstanding personal problems and committed suicide on 8th May, 1999, at the age of thirty five.