You had to feel bad for Gary Coleman when he was reduced to shilling for CashCall.com in 2007. The companies that hired the former child star toward the end of his life didn’t have much respect for him, and Coleman, after years of financial struggle and brushes with the law, couldn’t afford much for himself. Still, it was advertising that gave Coleman his early break, with his Chicagoland spots for Harris Bank first introducing viewers to the lovable kid who would become Arnold Jackson on Diff’rent Strokes. That character made him famous, and his “What’choo talkin’ ’bout, Willis?” catchphrase was the “Where’s the beef?” of ’80s sitcoms. But he never found financial stability, and was forced to return to advertising on a level that was beneath him (yes, even at 4-foot-8). The CashCall ads proved Coleman could laugh at himself, but it was pained laughter. That pain has now been eased. Gary Coleman died today at age 42.
—Posted by Tim Nudd