Dana Plato

Acting

Dana Plato

Born 1964-11-07 · Maywood, California, USA

Dana Michelle Plato (November 7, 1964 — May 8, 1999) was born in Maywood, California. Dana made an impact on the TV screen when she landed the role of Kimberly Drummond in the TV hit sitcom Diff'rent Strokes (1978) from 1978-1986. After the series ended, Dana had difficulty finding more acting work. Sometimes she would act in a made-for-TV movie or a low- budget silver-screen film. She was married for Lanny Lambert for seven years and they had a son. Plato was arrested in 1991 for robbing a Las Vegas video store and placed on probation; the next year she was arrested again, this time for forging a Valium prescription. She had just finished an interview with Howard Stern in the spring of 1999 when she and her fiancé, Robert Menchaca, were headed back to California. She hoped the interview would revive her stalled career. They stopped at his parents' house in Moore, Oklahoma for a Mother's-Day-weekend visit; on Saturday, May 8, 1999, Dana died of what appeared to be an accidental overdose of the painkiller "Loritab". On May 21, a coroner's inquest ruled her death a suicide because of the large amount of drugs in her body and her history of past suicide attempts. She was 34 years old.

Acting credits

Exorcist II: The Heretic poster
4.5

Bizarre nightmares plague Regan MacNeil four years after her possession and exorcism. Has the demon returned? And if so, can the combined faith and knowledge of a Vatican investigator and a research specialist free her from its grasp?

Exorcist II: The Heretic

1977

California Suite poster
5.9

The misadventures of four groups of guests at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

California Suite

1978

Night Trap poster
6.0

For the first time ever, the cult classic game Night Trap is available as a 48-minute motion picture on videocassette. Experience the terror like never before. You better be good, you better beware...

Night Trap

1992

Desperation Boulevard poster
4.7

An ex-child star (Judy Tenuta) tries to reclaim her former fame.

Desperation Boulevard

1998

High School U.S.A. poster
5.5

Set in a senior high school class, J.J. pursues the girlfriend of a rival from a higher clique which culminates in a race at the end of the movie between the two rivals in this light comedy.

High School U.S.A.

1983

Compelling Evidence poster
4.5

Rick Stone is the world's biggest action star but unfortunately, he is also the prime suspect in his wife's death. He must enlist the help of a conniving tabloid reporter named Dana Fields and the trust of his mistress Stephanie to try and clear his name.

Compelling Evidence

1995

Insatiable Coeds poster
2.0

Insatiable Coeds is a compilation video. You get some very nice moments from Landon Hall, Brandy Davis, Gabriella Hall and the very striking Tammy Parks. Scenes of each of these wonderful softcore starlets are broken up by a handful of other excellent players like Ashley Rhey, Kristen Knittle, Petra Sexton, Mellara Gold, Michelle Trongone and Dana Plato.

Insatiable Coeds

2000

Distortions poster
5.7

A man with paranormal abilities discovers that one of his colleagues is cheating the firm they work for. When he threatens to expose the colleague, things become dangerous...

Distortions

1992

Millenium Day poster
7.0

A movie about aliens trying to fight each other; one side wanting to destroy the earth and the other wanting to save it. A lot of stock footage of tanks and cars exploding along with the United States and Red China fighting each other.

Millenium Day

1995

Gary poster
6.2

Follow the extraordinary story of Gary Coleman's rise to international fame as the child star of Diff'rent Strokes; his struggles with fame; and the controversy surrounding his tragic death at the age of 42. For the first time, viewers will get insight into Coleman's private world through exclusive interviews with his fellow actors, industry insiders and his estranged ex-wife and parents.

Gary

2024

Silent Fury poster
7.5

After his friend is caught and killed by some drug dealers, a former commander of special forces search revenge.

Silent Fury

1994

Kraft Salutes Walt Disney World's 10th Anniversary poster
8.0

The Lane family from Evansville Indiana is about to embark on its annual vacation, let's join them. In this 1982 television special we celebrate Walt Disney World’s Tencennial anniversary. Originally aired on January 21st, 1982 we follow the family on a musical journey that includes: the Gatlin Brothers and John Schneider and multiple appearances by Michael Keaton.

Kraft Salutes Walt Disney World's 10th Anniversary

1982

Prime Suspect poster
4.1

The only witness to a young woman's murder has a nervous breakdown, is institutionalized, and escapes, tracking down the murderer.

Prime Suspect

1989

Pacino is Missing poster
5.0

Mob tale of a mafia boss whose moll has hooked up with a young hood now in charge of a movie studio.

Pacino is Missing

2002

Schoolboy Father poster
4.3

High school senior discovers his summer girlfriend has given birth to his child, and decides to fight for custody.

Schoolboy Father

1980

Beyond the Bermuda Triangle poster
5.0

A retired businessman notices that there has been a rash of ships and planes disappearing off the Florida coast, and he starts to investigate.

Beyond the Bermuda Triangle

1975

Lethal Cowboy poster
5.7

Cody is shot by Malone because Cody had a debt with him. Malone and his henchman buried him in the desert. What they do not know, however, is that they have just buried Cody on a sacred Indian cemetery.

Lethal Cowboy

1995

Tiger poster
7.0

When the neighborhood bullies kidnap Tiger, a dog who can telepathically talk to his owner Josh, everything changes. What happens next will delight the whole family. What started out as a boy's dream of having his own pet, becomes the adventure of a lifetime.

Tiger

1998

Bikini Beach Race poster
2.7

Rev up your engines as the most gorgeous and charming Bed Race Team of all, The Sex Puppets, heat up the raceway. Clad in bikinis and sexy lingerie, they'll bump and grind their way to victory aboard comical "Bedmobiles". J.D. is a hydroplane speedboat pilot cajoled by four college oddballs into joining their Bed Race Team. But watch out - there's dangerous curves ahead as the local Mafia pits the odds 100 to 1 against our zany team. The gears shift as Milo perfects a fantastic invention that'll blast this year's event into Gran Prix history.

Bikini Beach Race

1992

Different Strokes poster
4.2

A Los Angeles fashion model falls in love with a female art director during a photo shoot which puts their newfound romance at odds with the model's photographer boyfriend.

Different Strokes

1998

The Hostage poster
5.5

The Hostage is about a gang of high-end thieves who plan to break into a really rich businessman's house, hack into his computer, and download all his money. Ted Prior plays a down-on-his-luck former special forces soldier who signs on with this crew so he can make some quick cash for him and his daughter. Things go wrong, though, and the guys are holed up in the mansion, holding the businessman hostage, while the feds have them under siege outside, led by agent Cynthia Rothrock. Will the thieves get away with the cash?

The Hostage

1998

Return to Boggy Creek poster
4.5

Three children and two adults become trapped in the woods during a hurricane and it is up to a Bigfoot-like creature called 'Big Bay-Ty' to come to their rescue.

Return to Boggy Creek

1977

No artwork available
8.0

Bloodsport clone finds roughneck cop, Detective Rick Morgan going undercover to get a blood-thirsty fight promoter named Jonathan Carter. Morgan finds himself getting caught up in the violent "fight-to-the-death" world of human cock-fighting and liking it. He is joined by a young officer in training named Rita.

Blade Boxer

1997