Once upon a time, Gary Coleman starred in the delightful sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes." He was cute. He was sassy. He said, "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout?" a lot.
Then something happened: Gary Coleman started to get older and a little less cute. (This would be a brief pitstop for Coleman on the path to flat-out wacky adult). "Strokes" needed to resuscitate the adorableness factor, so the producers brought in a ringer: A tyke named Danny Cooksey. He played the role of Sam, the son of divorcee Maggie (Dixie Carter) who became a half-brother to Coleman's Arnold and Todd Bridges's Willis when Maggie and Mr. Drummond got married. Cooksey was cute. He was sassy. He said, "Hey, Mr. D!" a lot.
All this ringing only vague bells? Watch this semi-fuzzy intro to the show from the Cooksey years and see if the magic comes flooding back.
So whatever happened to Danny Cooksey? Well, after "Diff'rent Strokes," he guest starred on some TV shows here and there, did voice work for a few animated shows and scored a part in 1991's "Terminator 2." Today, he is a member of the rock band Arbuckle, provides the voices for characters in recent video games like "Meet the Robinsons" and "Medal of Honor: Airborne," is married to a make-up artist named Amber and is the father of young daughter Zoe. This is what he looks like:
By all appearances, he's leading a more normal, stable life than Coleman. Yeah, that's what I'm talkin' 'bout.
Rich or Rehab appears every Tuesday morning on Strollerderby.
Photos: Sitcoms Online and retrojunk.com
