Warning: This article talks about a possible suicide. Please read carefully and take care of yourself.
Dana Plato was born on November 7, 1964, in Maywood, California. She was an actress best known for playing Kimberly Drummond, a caring character, on the popular TV show Diff’rent Strokes, which ran from 1978 to 1986. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, she became a teen idol.
Aside from Diff’rent Strokes, Dana appeared in many other TV shows and movies. According to IMDb, some of her TV appearances included The Six Million Dollar Man (1975), Family (1976), What Really Happened to the Class of ’65? (1978), Hello, Larry (three episodes), The Facts of Life (1979), CHiPs (1979 and 1980), High School U.S.A. (1983), The Love Boat (1974), and Growing Pains (1985).
Dana Plato appeared in several movies, including Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), Return to Boggy Creek (1977), California Suite (1978), and Prime Suspect (1989), along with some smaller, less known films.
Sadly, Dana passed away on May 8, 1999, in Moore, Oklahoma, at just 34 years old. People wonder what led to such a heartbreaking and early end to her life.
How did Dana Plato die?
According to her IMDb bio and other sources, Dana Plato’s death at first seemed to be an accidental overdose of the painkiller “Loritab.” But 13 days later, on May 21, 1999, a coroner ruled her death a suicide because of the large amount of drugs in her system and her past attempts to take her own life. Some of her friends and people who knew her disagreed with this ruling.
On the day Dana Plato died, she had just done an interview with Howard Stern, hoping it would help restart her career. She and her fiancé, Robert Menchaca, who was also her manager, were on their way back to California in their motor home. They stopped at Menchaca’s parents’ house in Moore, Oklahoma, for a Mother’s Day weekend visit. Dana wasn’t feeling well, so she took some Lortab (a painkiller) and a muscle relaxer, then went to take a nap with her fiancé. When he woke up, he found her unresponsive next to him.
Dana Plato had been dealing with substance abuse for many years before her death. Her difficulties were often linked to the fact that she struggled to find more acting roles after Diff’rent Strokes ended.
We hope she has found peace now.
If you or someone you know is going through a tough time or is in crisis, help is available. You can call or text 988, or chat online at 988lifeline.org. For international crisis resources, check the link provided.
11 Actors Who Had a Chance to Portray a Legendary Character but Missed It
There are many ways to get a starring role. Some actors are selected during castings, while others are invited due to their popularity, which is what happened to Kate Winslet after Titanic. But not all auditions end successfully, or actors may not agree to offers made by film directors or producers. For example, Russell Crowe refused to star in Lord of the Rings because his intuition told him so.
At Bright Side, we imagined what our favorite characters would look like if other people portrayed them.
Daenerys Targaryen — Elizabeth Olsen
The actress, who has become famous for her role of the Scarlet Witch, failed auditions for the role of Mother of Dragons at the beginning of her career. Elizabeth Olsen later described what happened: “It was the most awkward audition I’d ever had. I was doing the Khaleesi speech when she comes out of the fire. It was awful. I didn’t get a callback.” As a result, Daenerys was played by Emilia Clarke.
Aragorn — Russell Crowe
Russell Crowe was asked once whether he regretted refusing to play Aragorn in the iconic trilogy, Lord of the Rings. The actor honestly replied that he had never thought about it and explained why he didn’t join the project. According to Crowe, Peter Jackson never really wanted to cast him for the role of Aragorn. Russell’s instinct told him that the director already had a suitable person in mind, so he politely declined the offer.
Ellie Sattler — Gwyneth Paltrow
In 1992, Gwyneth Paltrow wanted to get the role of Dr. Ellie Sattler. This part would’ve really helped the career of the aspiring actress because Jurassic Park had become a popular franchise. However, the future star failed, and the role went to Laura Dern.
James Bond — Henry Cavill
Now it’s hard to imagine anyone but the brilliant Daniel Craig playing this role, but Henry Cavill had a chance to become the new Agent 007. The actor was turned down because he was “a little chubby.” Cavill accepted the criticism with dignity and began to do more physical training, which helped him in his future career.
Jane Smith — Gwen Stefani
Popular singer Gwen Stefani is a truly versatile person. She almost landed the lead role in Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Stefani went to quite a few auditions, but eventually, she made a choice in favor of a musical career. And Jane Smith was played by the amazing Angelina Jolie.
Indiana Jones — Tom Selleck
The actor almost played the cheerful adventurer. Tom Selleck got the role of Indiana Jones, but by that time, he had already signed on for the Magnum, P.I. TV series, and the producers didn’t allow him to combine the 2 projects.
Prince Caspian — Nicholas Hoult
According to the actor, auditions for the role of Prince Caspian were the worst in his career. Nicholas Hoult was asked to speak with a Hispanic accent, like Puss in Boots from Shrek. Holt was embarrassed by this request because he wasn’t prepared for it. Eventually, the role went to British actor Ben Barnes, who was the perfect fit.
Viola De Lesseps — Kate Winslet
After the resounding success of Titanic, Kate Winslet received many offers from different film directors. She was invited to take part in Shakespeare in Love, but the actress refused because she wanted to work on more independent projects. Eventually, Gwyneth Paltrow landed the role. And she made the right choice, as she was awarded an Oscar for her performance.
Alex Munday — Angelina Jolie
We know from Angelina Jolie’s filmography that she loves to take part in action flicks. But still, there was a similar project the actress rejected. Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz did their best to convince Jolie to play their partner but to no avail.
Jolie felt she wasn’t right for this role and later explained her refusal: “I’m not at that point in my career, so audiences won’t have as much fun watching me run around in high heels chasing bad guys and flipping my hair.”
Patrick Bateman — Johnny Depp
Initially, American Psycho was supposed to be directed by Stuart Gordon. The director saw only Johnny Depp in the main role and persuaded him to take it. But the author of the novel abruptly changed his mind. He pulled Stuart Gordon’s rights to the book and called Johnny Depp a lightweight actor who was too old to play the part. Depp was 28 at the time.
Christian Grey — Charlie Hunnam
In 2013, all the newspapers announced the news of the year: Charlie Hunnam would star in the screen adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey. But a few months later, the actor changed his mind and refused the role. As it turned out, Hunnam had a nervous breakdown due to his busy work schedule.
The actor realized that he wouldn’t be able to do his job properly, but this decision was very difficult for him. Hunnam hasn’t seen any of the films in the trilogy because he called that situation “the worst professional experience” of his life.
Do you think the actors from our article would have been more convincing in these roles? Share your opinion in the comments below.
Preview photo credit Game of Trones / HBO, Jordan Strauss / Invision / AP / East News
Leave a Reply