“Uncovering the Dark Connection: Did Howard Stern’s Influence Lead to Dana Plato’s Tragic Fate?”
Born Dana Michelle Strain on November 7, 1964, in Maywood, California, Dana Plato was the second child of the teenage Linda Strain. Put up for adoption, at seven months Dana became the legal child of Dean and Florine Plato, whose surname she subsequently took. Plato’s adoptive parents divorced when she was three, after which she was raised alone by her adoptive mother, who started putting her child forward for modelling and acting work.
Whilst still a pre-teen, Plato appeared in over a hundred TV commercials. She made her official acting debut in a 1975 episode of The Six Million Dollar Man and went on to small roles in a number of films including Exorcist II: The Heretic. Plato also showed great promise as a figure skater, and was at one point a contender for the US Olympic team, but she abandoned the sport when Diff’rent Strokes came along in 1978.
Primarily a vehicle for Conrad Bain (an established sitcom star thanks to Maude) and promising child actor Gary Coleman, Diff’rent Strokes centred on orphaned African-American brothers Arnold and Willis, played by Coleman and Todd Bridges, who are adopted by white millionaire Phillip Hammond. The producers spotted Dana Plato playing a cheerleader in an episode of The Gong Show, on the strength of which she was cast as Hammond’s over-privileged biological daughter Kimberly.
Plato turned 14 almost as soon as Diff’rent Strokes hit the airwaves in November 1978, and along with her co-stars she was thrust into the limelight. Soon considered a teen idol, Plato made a slew of appearances on other hit shows, reprising the role of Kimberly in The Facts of Life and Hello, Larry, as well as playing herself in CHiPs. Plato also earned two Young Artist Award nominations, for her performances in both Diff’rent Strokes and 1981 TV movie A Step in Time. At the height of the show’s success, Plato says she was earning $100,000 per episode.
