An Oakland, Calif., newspaper was behind Coleman's candidacy for California governor and paid his $3,500 filing fee, according to CNN. Steve Buel, editor of the East Bay Express and Coleman's treasurer, gathered the 65 petition signatures needed for Coleman to file as an Independent Party candidate in Alameda County at an Oakland A's baseball game.

Coleman, 37, predicted correctly that Schwarzenegger would win and said he, too, would vote for "the Terminator."

"I'm probably the least qualified for the job, but I'll have some great people around me," Coleman told CNN.

Coleman placed eighth, receiving 14,242 votes.

According to a Web-based encyclopedia, the actor whose growth was stunted because of a congenital kidney disease played Arnold Drummond on "Diff'rent Strokes" from 1978 to 1986. Coleman had a kidney transplant in 1973 and another one in 1984.

His retort on the show — "Whatchu talkin' 'bout?" — became a well-known American catch phrase.

Coleman starred in several films and made-for-TV movies, including "On the Right Track" and "The Kid With the Broken Halo." The latter show was reportedly the basis for "The Gary Coleman Show," a Hanna-Barbera animated series produced in 1982.

At the height of his career, he earned $70,000 per episode, but as he grew older his acting career declined. He sued his parents over claims that they misappropriated his $3.8 million trust fund and was awarded $1.28 million in a Feb. 23, 1993, ruling. Later, however, he filed for bankruptcy, and in 2001 took a job as a shopping mall security guard in the Los Angeles area.

---

E-mail: rodger@desnews.com