Gary Coleman

Gary Coleman's story stays with me as both a triumph and a warning. A kid from Zion, Illinois, battling a kidney disease that stopped his growth at 4'8", became the most bankable child star of his era through sheer comic timing and charm — that is genuine, unteachable talent. What moves me is how hard the machine was on him afterward: the typecasting, the finances, the public's refusal to let him grow up. Yet he kept trying, even stepping behind the camera as a director and writer. I choose to remember the brilliance first, the boy who could land a punchline better than most adults ever will.

Gary Wayne Coleman (February 8, 1968 – May 28, 2010) was an American actor, known as a high-profile child star of the late 1970s and 1980s. Born in Zion, Illinois, Coleman grew up with his adoptive parents. Due to the corticosteroids and other medications used to treat a kidney disease, his growth was limited to 4 ft 8 in (142 cm).

Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Name (English)

Gary Coleman

Name (Japanese)

ゲーリー・コールマン

Reading

げーりー・こーるまん

Born

February 8, 1968 – May 28, 2010

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Aquarius / Monkey

Origin

Zion, Illinois, United States

Blood type

Private

Height

Private

Agency

Private

Occupation

actor / film director / television director / film producer / screenwriter

Elementary school

Private

Junior high

Private

High school

Private

University

Private

Spouse

Private

Children

Private

Parents

Private

Siblings

Private

Motto

Private

• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%B2%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%83%BB%E3%82%B3%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AB%E3%83%9E%E3%83%B3

Tags

• Illinois
• actor
• film director
• television director

Last updated

2026-06-11

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.