- She was arrested in 1991 for robbing a video store in Las Vegas, but was placed on probation. The following year Dana was, again, arrested for forging a prescription for Valium.
- On May 21, a coroner's inquest ruled her death a suicide due to a large amount of drugs in her body and her history of past suicide attempts. She was 34 years old.
- Dana was offered the role of Regan MacNeil in THE EXORCIST (1973).
- Dana's biological mom was a teenager when she had her so she gave Dana up for adoption right after she was born.
- She said that she loved Canada.
- Was nominated Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress in a Comedy Series in 1984 for DIFFERENT STROKES and Best Young Actress in a Television Series in 1981 for the same movie.
- Her first major tv appearance was a part on a SIX-MILLION-DOLLAR MAN show which was the pilot episode for the tv series THE BIONIC WOMAN which starred Lindsay Wagner.
- Interests: ice skating, skiing, horseback riding, ballet dancing and sky diving
- Appeared in over 100 TV commercials starting age 7 including Kentucky Fried Chicken, Arco, Hallmark, and Dole. In one Dole commercial, she had to eat 82 bananas and got terribly sick.
- Was training in ice skating for the Olympics when she got the role of Kimberly on DIFF'RENT STROKES. She had to give up hope for the Olympics, but she still skated for fun.
- Hair color: blonde
- Eye color: blue-green
- Won the role of the daughter in the first Exorcist movie, but her mother wouldn't let her take it. She did have a small part in EXORCIST II: THE HERETIC.
- Got the role of Kimberly on DIFF'RENT STROKES after a producer spotted her on The Gong Show.
- Was reportedly paid as high as $22,000 per episode of DIFF'RENT STROKES.
- Broke her ankle skydiving during one of her landings for the 1980 Celebrity Daredevils special.
- Appeared on The Howard Stern show shortly before her suicide. Calls came in from Stern's fans to the show literally embarrassing Plato on the air. Stern also insulted her over the air.
- Was fired from DIFF'RENT STROKES after the show's 7th season (1984), its last on NBC--it moved to ABC for its 8th & final season.
- Her childhood dream was to be an Olympic figure skater.
- Had breast implants done in 1994 in hopes of landing better film roles.
- Won the part of Violet in the movie PRETTY BABY, but turned it down, so she wouldn't be typecast in this type of role. Brooke Shields ended up playing the part.
- Nominated Young Artist Award - Best Young Actress in a Comedy Series for DIFF'RENT STROKES (1978) in 1984
- Nominated Young Artist Award - Best Young Actress in a Television Special for A STEP IN TIME (1981) (TV) in 1982
- Nominated Young Artist Award - Best Young Actress in a Television Series for DIFF'RENT STROKES (1978) in 1981
- Won the role of the daughter in the first Exorcist movie, but her mother wouldn't let her take it.
- Won the part of Violet in the movie PRETTY BABY, but turned it down, so she wouldn't be typecast in this type of role. Brooke Shields ended up playing the part.
Quotes- On the Howard Stern Radio Show, May 7, 1999: "My life is so good now. I've never been happier."
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