“It takes different strokes to move the world, yes it does.  It takes different strokes to move the world.”

That line sound familiar? That’s because it’s from the timeless television show, “Diff’rent Strokes,” which debuted on this day in 1978 and starred Gary Coleman, who was born in Zion, Illinois.

Coleman was born on February 8, 1968 and was adopted soon after birth. He was born with a congenital kidney disease which stunted his growth. Coleman would never grow to be taller than 4 feet 8 inches because of his birth defect.

When Coleman was 9 years old, he was discovered by a talent agent and started doing small roles that put his image out there to other producers.  In 1978, he made his big breakthrough on the show “Diff’rent Strokes,” where he played an African-American orphan who was taken in by a wealthy white father and his daughter. People all over the world know his famous phrase, “What’choo talkin’ bout, Willis?”

When the show ended, Coleman appeared in the films “On the Right Track” and “The Kid with the Broken Halo,” which later turned into the cartoon series “The Gary Coleman Show.”  When Coleman was 10 years old he decided to form his own company, Gary Coleman Productions.

Coleman also appeared on “Fresh Prince of Bel Air,” “Married with Children” and “The Keenen Ivory Wayans Show.”

Learn more:
Read more about the life of Gary Coleman on IMDb