My Take
Dana Plato is one of those figures from 1980s TV who sticks with you long after the show ends, and not just because of the heartbreak her story became. She was genuinely charming as Kimberly Drummond on Diff'rent Strokes — the older sister who actually felt like a real teenager, not a cardboard prop — and at her peak she was a legitimate teen idol with real warmth on screen. What happened after the show wrapped is a cautionary tale about how Hollywood chews up young talent and spits them out with nothing to fall back on, and it makes me sad rather than judgmental. She was navigating addiction, financial collapse, and the cruelty of a public that preferred to mock rather than help, all before she turned 35. She died in 1999 at just 34. I think about the career she could have rebuilt given half a chance, and I hope she knew there were people rooting for her.
Overview
Dana Michelle Plato (née Strain; November 7, 1964 – May 8, 1999) was an American actress. She rose to fame for playing Kimberly Drummond on the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes (1978–1986), which established her as a teen idol of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Plato was born to a teen mother and was adopted as an infant. She was raised in the San Fernando Valley and trained in figure skating before acting.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Dana Plato
- Name (Japanese)
- ダナ・プラトー
- Reading
- だな・ぷらとー
- Born
- November 7, 1964 – May 8, 1999
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Scorpio / Dragon
- Origin
- Maywood, California, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- television actor / film actor / erotic photography model
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- William Howard Taft Charter High School
- University
- Private
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.