Dana Plato was born in Maywood, California, on November 7, 1964. She was raised in the San Fernando Valley after being adopted by Dean and Kay Plato.
Dana, who was born to an unmarried mother, was raised in the San Fernando Valley after being adopted as a baby by Dean and Kay Plato.
Dana’s adoptive mother, who started taking her to cast calls when she was a toddler, took care of her mostly after her biological parents divorced when she was 3 years old.
At the age of 7, Dana was already acting in movies and television advertisements and taking figure skating lessons.
Before her acting career, Dana Plato was a skilled figure skater who had competed in the Olympics. Her acting career started with multiple commercial appearances, and at the age of 10, she made her television debut with a brief cameo on the show The Six Million Dollar Man (1975).
Dana Plato Career
When Dana Plato was a young child, she started attending auditions with her mother. She eventually ended up in over 100 television commercials for brands like Dole, Atlantic Richfield, and Kentucky Fried Chicken.
The Academy Award-winning feature film California Suite (1978), in which Plato starred as Jenny Warren, was her first major motion picture. She became well-known for portraying the lead character of Kimberly Drummond on the NBC/ABC sitcom Diff’rent Strokes.
Plato received praise for the part and was nominated for two TV Land Awards for Best Quintessential Non-Traditional Family and the Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance.
She intermittently worked in B movies and small films after Diff’rent Strokes, but her performance as Kelli Medd in the 1992 horror game Night Trap caught her attention.
She had an appearance in an episode of the TV show “The Six Million Dollar Man” in 1975. She then appeared in the films “Return to Boggy Creek,” “Exorcist II: The Heretic,” and “California Suite.” Later, in 1978, the actress received a role in NBC’s “Diff’rent Strokes.
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” The sitcom chronicled the adoption of two black boys by a wealthy white widower called Phillip Drummond and his daughter. Kimberly, Drummond’s daughter, was played by Plato in this series.
Plato struggled to build a career that was distinct from her Diff’rent Strokes persona after the birth of her son Tyler. She had appearances in B-movies and video games before deciding to accept a quick-money role in adult movies.
When her mother passed away in 1988, the same week that she and her husband divorced, things started to go south.
When she found out she was pregnant, the NBC series Diff’rent Strokes, in which she portrayed Kimberly Drummond, fired her.
Another major setback was when Lambert was granted legal custody of their kid due to Plato’s drug and alcohol abuse.
Her career suffered, and following a string of tragic events in her personal life, she developed a heroin addiction. At age 34, she overdosed and passed away on May 8, 1999.
Dana Plato’s Net worth
Dana Plato was estimated to be worth over $1,000 at the time of her death in 1999
Dana Plato Biography Summary
Place of birth: Dana Michelle Strain
Date of birth: November 7, 1964
Died: May 8, 1999 (at the age of 34)
Cause of death: Suicide by multiple drugs
Occupation: Actress
Conclusion
Indeed Dana Plato was a great and promising actor, with acting experience since childhood. Dana Plato must have been a figure to watch. You can read more about Dana Plato here