Conrad Bain dead at 89

[Will E Worm]

'Diff'rent Strokes' star Conrad Bain dead at 89

Conrad Bain, known best as TV dad Phillip Drummond on "Diff'rent Strokes," has died, family sources tell TMZ. He was 89 years old.

Bain passed away Monday night in Livermore, California; the cause of death has not yet been released. Bain's daughter Jennifer tells TMZ, "He was a lot like Mr. Drummond, but much more interesting in real life. He was an amazing father.”

Born in Alberta, Canada (yes, Mr. Drummond was Canadian), Bain served in the Canadian army during World War II and studied acting in New York City alongside Charles Durning and Don Rickles. He found success as a stage actor and played innkeeper Mr. Wells on the '60s vampire soap "Dark Shadows" before finding his niche in TV sitcoms.

Bain played Bea Arthur's sparring partner Dr. Arthur Harmon on "Maude" for six seasons, which led to his best-remembered role: kindly millionaire Phillip Drummond, who took two orphaned African-American boys from Harlem into his Park Avenue home on NBC's "Diff'rent Strokes." Debuting in 1978, "Strokes" ran for eight seasons and made a star out of precocious tyke Gary Coleman. But Bain was the moral center of the show, always there to help Arnold and Willis learn their lesson with some words of wisdom.

These days, "Strokes" may be best known for the tragic lives of its young co-stars. Bain's TV daughter Dana Plato (Kimberly) took her own life in 1999 after years of drug use, Coleman (Arnold) faced serious financial hardship before passing away in 2010, and Todd Bridges (Willis) battled drug addiction and legal troubles for years. Bain told interviewers he had trouble speaking about his TV kids' real-life issues because he cared about them so much. But Bridges has credited Bain with helping him straighten out his life
in the 1990s.

When "Strokes" ended in 1986, Bain returned to theater -- although he did reprise his role as Mr. Drummond in the series finale of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" in 1996. Since then, Bain has turned his energies toward screenwriting and enjoying his retirement. He is survived by three sons and one daughter.

Article

 

[Frank Fire]

'Diff'rent Strokes' Actor Conrad Bain Dies

Actor Conrad Bain, who played father Phillip Drummond on " Diff'rent Strokes," died Monday night in Livermore, Calif.
His daughter told The Associated Press that Bain died of natural causes. He was 89.
TMZ, which first reported his death, quoted Bain's daughter Jennifer saying, "He was an amazing person. He was a lot like Mr. Drummond, but much more interesting in real life. He was an amazing father."
Bain became a household name starring opposite Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges on the iconic 1980s series. Coleman and Bridges played two brothers from Harlem, who are taken in by Bain's character to live with him and his daughter, played by Dana Plato, on Manhattan's Park Avenue.
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After the series ended, the young child stars led troubled lives. Plato died in 1999 of a prescription drug overdose at age 34. Coleman died in 2010 at age 42 from a brain hemorrhage after years of financial and legal troubles. Bridges, 47, has turned his life around after struggling with drug addiction and facing criminal charges. Last year, he split from his wife of 14 years.
Growing Pains: The Tribulations of 1980s Child TV Stars
Bain, who hailed from Canada, played conservative neighbor Dr. Arthur Harmon on the feminist sitcom "Maude" before starring on "Diff'rent Strokes," which debuted in 1978. He also was a journeyman actor on stage, screen and television. After "Diff'rent Strokes" ended in 1986, he virtually retired from acting, reprising his role as Drummond in the 1996 series finale of the "Fresh Prince of Bel Air."
He is survived by three sons and one daughter and a twin brother, Bonar Bain, also an actor.


http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blog...-dies-89-182727442--abc-news-celebrities.html

 

[Will E Worm]

Re: 'Diff'rent Strokes' Actor Conrad Bain Dies

Already posted. Link

 

[zell]

RIP Mr. Drummond.

 

[fkknuckle]

I thought he died last year!

 

[lezinterracial]

If I were Willis I would have been banging Kimberly.

 

[feller469]

RIP Mr. Bain

 

[luis1972]

RIP Mr Bain

 

[LukeEl]

I blame the Gooch for this watch out Willis, maybe that red headed step child Sam can protect you!

 

[Smallville22]

RIP Mr. Conrad Bain