Just ask former child star Gary Coleman. The diminutive Diff’rent Strokes actor became a TV superstar in the 1980s. With a cheeky grin and often under-estimated comic timing, he introduced the immortal catchphrase “whatchu talkin’ bout, Willis” to the world.

But since Diff’rent Strokes’ demise in 1986, Coleman has not only struggled for work after finding himself typecast but also found himself mired in legal and financial wrangles. Now 39, his fortunes have now taken another turn for the worse after he was charged with disorderly conduct following a heated argument with a female companion in the US town of Provo, Utah. The misdemeanour carries a fine and a maximum of 3 months in jail.

The curse of Diff’rent Strokes

The incident is the latest chapter in a catalogue of misfortune for Coleman. In 1989, he sued his own parents for misappropriating his $8.3 million dollar trust fund. Although he eventually won the case in 1993, he declared himself bankrupt six years later. In 1998, he punched female fan Tracey Fields after she asked for his autograph and was ordered to pay her medical bills by a judge. In 2003, he launched an bid to become Governor of California and finished a creditable 8th behind Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Coleman’s onscreen appearances have been sporadic and often require him to reprise his Diff’rent Strokes persona. Most famously, he appeared in a 1999 episode of The Simpsons as a security guard, a job he also had in real life as he struggled to find TV work. His fate was further immortalised in the hit musical Avenue Q where the character Gary Coleman works as the superintendent of an apartment block and reflects on his childhood fame.

Despite his struggles, Coleman was named No 1 on a VH-1 chart of the Top 100 child stars and remains one of 1980s television’s best-remembered cult figures. Sadly, the same can’t be said of his former Diff’rent Strokes co-stars Dana Plato and Todd Bridges. Plato, who played Kimberley Drummond, died of a drugs overdose in 1999 while Bridges’ (Willis Arnold) biggest claim to fame came in 2002 when he beat Vanilla Ice in a televised celebrity boxing event.