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Dana Michelle Plato ( November 7 , 1964 – May 8 , 1999 ) was an American Actress who became famous playing the role of Kimberly Drummond in the U.S. television Sitcom '' Diff'rent Strokes ''. Plato's career slumped after the show, with appearances in low-budget films, including some soft-core Pornography . She had repeated Drug and Alcohol problems, leading eventually to her death by Suicide in 1999 . CHILDHOOD Plato was born in Maywood, California and was adopted by Dean and Florine "Kay" Plato. She grew up in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles . CAREER IN TELEVISION AND FILM At the age of 7, she began doing television commercials. In 1973 , she was offered the part of possessed child Regan MacNeil in '' The Exorcist '', a role eventually filled and made {Link without Title} famous by Linda Blair . Her mother vetoed that job, deeming the demonic Horror Film an unsuitable work environment, but gave the green light to the more wholesome ''Diff'rent Strokes.'' as Kimberly Drummond on the Sitcom '' Diff'rent Strokes ''.]] ''Diff'rent Strokes'' Starting at the age of 14 in 1978 , Plato played Kimberly Drummond, the older sister to two adopted black children, on ''Diff'rent Strokes''. In 1984 , at the age of 20, she was dismissed from ''Diff'rent Strokes'' when she became pregnant. Producers felt it would not have suited her character, though Plato returned to the show for several cameo appearances after her pregnancy. Career after ''Diff'rent Strokes'' Plato had a difficult time finding work after ''Diff'rent Strokes.'' She had small guest roles on other television series and a starring role in the pioneering and controversial live action Video Game '' Night Trap '' in 1992 . Plato appeared partially ), a softcore movie unrelated to her TV series. She was also the feature of a '' Playboy '' pictorial in 1989 . Plato also starred in both softcore and hardcore movies, playing bisexual characters who participated in various sexual acts with men, women, and heterosexual couples. TROUBLED PERSONAL LIFE Plato's one-year marriage to Lanny Lambert produced a son, Tyler Lambert (born 1985 ). She began having alcohol and drug problems. In 1991 , she was arrested for robbing a video store in Las Vegas with a pellet gun, but was placed on Probation . The following year Plato was arrested again, this time for forging a prescription for Valium . Singer Wayne Newton posted her bail, counseling her to use her talent and beauty to turn her life around. Plato's mother Kay died in 1988. In the early 1990s, she met her biological mother, Linda Strain. Suicide In 1999 she and Robert Menchaca , her fiancĂ©, were returning to California following Plato's appearance on the Howard Stern show, hoping to revive her stagnant career. They stopped at Menchaca's mother's home in Moore, Oklahoma for a Mother's Day visit. She died there of an overdose from Vanadom and Vicodin . Her death at age 34 was subsequently ruled a Suicide . EXTERNAL LINKS
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