From 1978 to 1986, audiences tuned into Diff'rent Strokes, one of the all-time greatest sitcoms, to see what Gary Coleman's Arnold Jackson and his blended family were up to next (and to hear his classic TV catchphrase, "Whatcha talkin' bout, Willis?" Another great reason to watch the comedy was to see what celebrities might be stopping by that week. The following are some of our favorite high-profile guest appearances on Diff'rent Strokes.
Nancy Reagan (Herself)
Diff'rent Strokes had the honor of having a sitting United States First Lady on the show in its fifth season. Nancy Reagan appeared as herself, coming to Arnold's school and speaking to his classmates about issues facing the country before showing up at Phillip Drummond's (Conrad Bain) penthouse for a personal visit.
David Hasselhoff (Himself)
While he was starring on Knight Rider, David Hasselhoff appeared in a two-part episode of Diff'rent Strokes in which Phillip takes the family to Hollywood, where Arnold and his friend Dudley (Shavar Ross) meet the actor. Also appearing in the episode is Hasselhoff's non-human co-star from the classic '80s sci-fi TV show, KITT, who is portrayed as an actual, sentient, AI-equipped car, despite being voiced by Jim Ward and not William Daniels.
Ed "Too Tall" Jones (Himself)
In 1981, Ed Jones (nicknamed "Too Tall" for his 6'9" stature) was playing for the Dallas Cowboys as a defensive end. That same year, he appeared on a Season 3 episode of Diff'rent Strokes in which he visited the Drummond residence, which prompted Arnold to demonstrate his skills as a magician.
Milton Berle (Rabbi Morris)
In the Season 6 episode, "The Bar Mitzvah Boy," Arnold sees the plentiful display of gifts his Jewish friend receives for his Bar Mitzvah, which inspires him to consider joining the faith himself. That is how he crosses paths with Rabbi Morris, who is played by comedy legend Milton Berle, who was best known then for appearing in many hilarious celebrity roasts and delivering some of the best ribbing humor around.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Mr. Wilkes)
Many of basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's most notable TV appearances saw him portray himself but he changed things up when he guest-starred on Diff'rent Strokes. The actor (also known for starring in one of the best spoof movies, 1980's Airplane!) was in two episodes as Mr. Wilkes, a teacher whom Arnold and his classmates always fail to outsmart.
Muhammad Ali (Himself)
In the Season 2 episode, "Arnold's Hero," Arnold gets to meet his most beloved idol, Muhammad Ali, appearing as himself, by a troubling means. He enlists Willis (Todd Bridges) and Kimberly (Dana Plato) to coerce the boxing legend to visit the penthouse by convincing him that their little brother is at death's door.
Lance Parrish (Himself)
In Season 7's "Baseball Blues," Phillip takes over for Sam (Danny Cooksey, who was a major casting shake-up for the show) little league coach after he quits but the team soon begins to suffer from his methods. Luckily, he is able to receive some help from a sponsor for one of his favorite charities, then Detroit Tigers catcher Lance Parrish.
John Astin (C.W.)
Best known as the first actor to play Gomez in the 1964 sitcom adaptation of Charles Addams' iconic comic strip, The Addams Family, John Astin also had a memorable guest appearance on Diff'rent Strokes. The actor, appropriately, appeared in a "creepy and kooky" episode called "A Haunting We Will Go," in which Arnold and Sam suspect that a nearby house is inhabited by spirits and decided to look into the matter themselves.
Clarence Clemons (Mr. Kingsley)
In the Season 8 episode, "So You Want to Be a Rock Star?," Arnold consults his saxophone instructor, Mr Kingsley, for help when he discovers that his skills with the sax could be a lot better. Who better to play the role than one of the most iconic saxophonists in music history, the late Clarence "Big Man" Clemons, who was essentially Bruce Springsteen's right-hand man in E Street Band?
Mr. T (Himself)
Following his success as Clubber Lang in the third Rocky movie and months after The A-Team premiered, Mr. T's larger-than-life presence complemented Gary Coleman's smaller stature quite well in his Diff'rent Strokes guest appearance. After Arnold meets the actor and wrestler, he adopts his distinct style hoping to win the affection of his crush, prompting the real T to, instead of pitying the fool, giving him a much-needed heart-to-heart.
Gordon Jump (Mr. Horton)
One of the most memorable dramatic moments from a classic sitcom occurs in a "very special episode" of Diff'rent Strokes called "The Bicycle Man," in which bike shop owner Mr. Horton becomes uncomfortably close to Arnold and Dudley. The predatory role was portrayed by Gordon Jump, who was previously best known as Arthur Carlson on WKRP In Cincinnati and later played the Maytag Repairman.
Janet Jackson (Charlene)
Beyond being a member of the famous Jackson family and before her own singing career began to heat up, Janet Jackson made a name for himself with sitcom acting, such as joining Good Times as Penny. Her second major acting gig was a guest spot on Diff'rent Strokes as Willis' girlfriend, Charlene, which became a 10-episode recurring stint.
Dorothy Hamill (Herself)
A Season 5 episode called "Family on Ice" follows Kimberly's training to achieve her dream of being a professional figure skater. Along the way, she receives help from a professional; figure skater: Dorothy Hamill, who won an Olympic Gold medal in 1976.
Reggie Jackson (Larry)
In Season 2's "Father and Son Day," Willis fears that Phillip may not be able to compete in father-son athletic competition with him and decides to find someone else to pose as his dad. He enlists the help of a gym member named Larry, played by New York Yankees right fielder Reggie Jackson in an acting gig that predates his hilarious cameo in a great parody movie you may have heard of.
Kim Fields (Tootie)
Diff'rent Strokes spawned a great spin-off TV show called The Facts of Life, in which Charlotte Rae's Edna Garrett (the Drummonds' original housekeeper) served as a housemother and dietitian at the Eastland School. One of the students under her care was Tootie, whom Kim Fields would appear as in a few episodes of Diff'rent Strokes.
Molly Ringwald (Molly Parker)
Before Molly Ringwald took Hollywood by storm, starring in some of the best movies of the 1980s (such as Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club), she made her acting debut on Diff'rent Strokes. She appeared in two episodes, fitting in the role of a girl named Molly, who was friends with Kimberly.
Dabney Coleman (Fred Tanner)
Emmy winner Dabney Coleman (no relation to Gary) appeared on the two-part Season 2 premiere of Diff'rent Strokes as Fred Tanner, whose daughter, Alice (Rachel Jacobs), shares a hospital room with Arnold when he needs an appendectomy. When Tanner requests to put Alice in a separate room because of Arnold's race, the kids decide to flee the hospital on their own.
Soleil Moon Frye (Terry Harris)
Soon after playing the title role of Punky Brewster made her one of the top child stars of her time, Soleil Moon Frye earned a guest spot on Diff'rent Strokes in the sitcom's seventh season. She plays Terry, whom Sam befriends and invites her over for a sleepover.
Shari Belafonte-Harper (Monique)
One of the earliest acting roles of Shari Belafonte-Harper, daughter of Harry Belafonte, was a guest spot on Diff'rent Strokes as Monique, a cocktail server who agrees to go out with Willis, with help from a fake ID, phony mustache, and the alias Ronaldo. However, it all blows up in the teenager's face when his girlfriend, Charlene, catches him trying to keep the older woman a secret.
Hoyt Axton (Wes McKinney)
Some might recognize country music star Hoyt Axton's best as Randall Peltzer in the classic holiday horror movie Gremlins but he also had a memorable appearance on Diff'rent Strokes. He appears as Sam's biological father, Wes, who shows up at Phillip's penthouse announcing that he wants to take the little boy home with him.
Ray Bolger (Clarence Markwell)
Ray Bolger, who is best known for starring in the beloved kid's movie, The Wizard of Oz, as the Scarecrow, gave his final performance on Diff'rent Strokes in the episode, "A Haunting We Will Go" He plays Clarence Markwell, whom Arnold and Sam initially suspect is a ghost who haunts the house from across the street.
Mindy Cohn (Natalie Green)
Some episodes of Diff'rent Strokes served as crossover episodes with its spin-off, The Facts of Life, such as the episodes when Mindy Cohn appeared as Natalie Green. She first showed up in Season 2 (alongside Kim Fields as Tootie) in "The Slumber Party" and the following year (alongside Lisa Whelchel as Blair) in "The Older Man."
Jayne Kennedy (Mrs. Jenkins)
Jayne Kennedy made history as the first Black woman to be crowned Miss Ohio in 1970, which paved the way for a successful acting career that included guest spots on the likes of Wonder Woman, the TV series adaptation of Shaft, and Diff'rent Strokes. She plays a teacher named Mrs. Jenkins, whom Arnold discovers has a second job at a sleazy nightclub where she moonlights as a server.
Joey Lawrence (Joey)
Years before starring in Blossom made him a household name, one of Joey Lawrence's earliest acting roles was on a Season 5 episode of Diff'rent Strokes as a lonely boy also named Joey. Arnold asks Willis to serve as a "big brother" to the kid but he ends up spending so much time with him, that it makes Arnold envious.
Andrew Dice Clay (Crazy Larry)
One of Comedian Andrew Dice Clay's earliest acting roles was Larry on Diff'rent Strokes. He appeared in two episodes of the sitcom's fifth season as Willis' friend, the first one in which Willis tries to smooth things over between Larry and a rival high school gang and another when he tries to enlist Kimberly to help Larry capture the heart of a crush.
Hervé Villechaize (Himself)
In Season 7's "Arnold the Entrepreneur," Arnold decides to start a business going door-to-door selling bug spray with Sam as his assistant (and mascot) and one of their customers happens to be Hervé Villechaize. The French actor was best known at the time as James Bond villain Nick Nack and as Tattoo on Fantasy Island.
Spice Williams-Crosby (Ellen)
Wrestler, body-builder, stunt performer, and actor Spice Williams-Crosby was one of the most underrated public figures of her time. Her guest spot on Diff'rent Strokes may be largely forgotten (she was credited as Marcelyn Ann Williams then) but fans of the Star Trek movies might recognize her as Vixis in 1989's Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.
Jami Gertz (Lindsey)
Early on in her career, Jami Gertz actually played two different roles in the Diff'rent Strokes/The Facts of Life Universe. In her Diff'rent Strokes episode, she played a character named Lindsey, who was the object of affection for a friend of Willis' named Larry, played by fellow guest star Andrew Dice Clay. Unfortunately, in trying to help Larry spruce up his personality for Lindsey, Kimberly accidentally attracts his attention instead.
Krista Errickson (Diane Alder)
In addition to The Facts of Life, Diff'rent Strokes also existed in the same universe as a short-lived NBC sitcom called Hello, Larry. The connection between the two series would later be explained in a couple of crossover episodes, in which Krista Errickson appeared as Diane Alder alongside her other co-stars.
Robin Givens (Ann)
The eighth and final season of Diff'rent Strokes featured a guest appearance by Robin Givens (right around the time she was cast on Head of the Class as Darlene Merriman) as Ann. Willis attempts to set up Arnold on a date with Ann's younger sister, Phyllis (Tyren Perry), whom he ends up having to bribe with concert tickets.
Forest Whitaker (Herman)
Future Academy Award winner and Black Panther star Forest Whitaker was in his early 20s when he appeared on Diff'rent Strokes in the guest role of Herman. While known as the school bully, he actually comes to Arnold with a favor to look after his girlfriend while he takes time away from school only to discover that the lady has developed a thing for Arnold.
Abb Dickson (Postman)
Abb Dickson was one of the most famous magicians of his time. For his guest appearance on Diff'rent Strokes, he played a postal worker.
