“Uncovering the Dark Connection: Did Howard Stern’s Influence Lead to Dana Plato’s Tragic Fate?”
By the decade’s end, Plato was getting desperate financially and struggling to find work. Like a lot of former child stars, she became anxious to shake off her sweet and innocent image, which prompted her to undergo breast augmentation surgery and take racier acting roles. She also decided to pose for Playboy magazine.
1992 saw Plato make perhaps her most memorable appearance outside of Diff’rent Strokes, when she starred in video game Night Trap. This was a landmark moment, as no established actor had ever appeared in a video game before. However, Plato’s role was overshadowed by controversy over Night Trap’s horror elements, which helped lead to the introduction of age ratings on video games.
Alas, Plato’s personal life continued to grab more headlines than her acting career. After divorcing Lanny Lambert in 1990, she lost custody of their son, Tyler. She was arrested in 1991 after holding up a video store with a pellet gun and stealing $164 from the register, after which she was sentenced to five years on probation.
Plato was subsequently arrested again in 1992, for forging a prescription for diazepam. Plato told the press at the time, “If I hadn’t gotten caught, it could have been the worst thing that happened to me because I could have died of a drug overdose.”
Plato’s fortunes did not improve as the 90s continued. In 1996 she was married a second time, to actor and producer and Scott Atkins, but they split a mere month later. Most of her final acting roles were in softcore erotica, and towards the end of her life she was spotted working for a dry cleaner in Las Vegas.
