Drummond will be portrayed by John Lithgow.
His last television appearance was with Coleman on the series finale of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air as prospective buyers of the Banks’ mansion. Conrad Bain had been acting since the early 1950s when he landed his leading role in Diff’rent Strokes. Phillip is the aforementioned rich guy who opened his heart and his doors to Arnold and Willis. RELATED: Norman Lear on the Importance of Audience Laughter, and Finally Getting to Make Animation Here’s a look at the two shows' original casts, as well as who will be portraying them in this new special. Given the popularity of the theme songs for The Facts of Life and Diff’rent Strokes - originally performed by Gloria Loring and Alan Thicke, respectively - it will be exciting to see who pops up to sing the opening titles this time.
Tomei and Harrelson performed All in the Family, Jennifer Hudson performed The Jeffersons, and Patti LaBelle performed Good Times. The productions have also included musical guests to perform the famous theme songs. This will be the show's latest recreation of specific episodes of popular sitcoms from decades past, with previous specials tackling All in the Family, Good Times, and The Jeffersons, starring Marisa Tomei and Woody Harrelson as Edith and Archie Bunker, Wanda Sykes and Jaime Foxx as Louise and George Jefferson, and Viola Davis and Andre Braugher as Florida and James Evans.
Two of the biggest sitcoms of the 1970s and 1980s, Diff’rent Strokes and its spinoff The Facts of Life, will be brought back to television for one night only on the show Live in Front of a Studio Audience presented by Jimmy Kimmel and Norman Lear.