| Willis Jackson | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | Movin In (Diff'rent Strokes Pilot) |
| Last appearance | The Short Story |
| Portrayed by | Todd Bridges |
| Information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | High School/College Student |
| Family | Lucy Mae Jackson (mother, 1938-1977) Henry Jackson (father, d. 1975) Arnold Jackson (younger brother) Kimberly Drummond (adopted sister) Phillip Drummond (adopted father) Sam McKinney (stepbrother) Maggie McKinney Drummond (stepmother) |
| Nationality | African American |
Willis Jackson is a fictional character on the popular late 1970s-early 1980s television series, Diff'rent Strokes, and he was portrayed by child actor Todd Bridges.
Willis James Jackson is the older brother of Arnold. He was born in Harlem on April 27, 1965. The boys' late mother was a housekeeper named Lucy, for a wealthy White man, named Phillip Drummond, and her deathbed wish was that he would take care of her two kids, and Philip Drummond officially adopted them in late 1979. Willis's catch phrase is "Say what?"
Willis was portrayed alternately as rebellious and responsible. In one episode, Willis joins a gang named "The Tarantulas". He buys a gang member's jacket, and tries to hide it from Kimberly and Mr. Drummond. When Arnold finds—and tries on—the jacket, Mr. Drummond thinks Arnold has joined "The Tarantulas". This forces Arnold to tell Mr. Drummond the truth, despite his fear that Willis will become furious at him. Arnold and Mr. Drummond find Willis in a holding cell at the police station, but when Willis tries to tell him what happened, Mr. Drummond becomes very angry at Willis. The police officer tells Mr. Drummond that Willis was not involved, and that Willis tried to tell the other gang members to stop spraying graffiti on a wall. Willis, nevertheless, does not escape punishment, and Mr. Drummond grounds him.
In another episode, Willis invited his old best friends from Harlem. After a little cheering up from his sister, Kimberly, Willis uses his new wealthy lifestyle to "charm" his friends. When a conflict erupts, they walk out on both Arnold and Willis. However, everyone makes peace later on.
Willis also had a girlfriend, named Charlene DuPrey, portrayed by Janet Jackson of both the television shows Good Times and Fame. Jackson only appeared from the show's third season (1980–81) until early 1984, during the show's sixth season.
Todd Bridges role as Willis Jackson started to fade, because of casting changes in the 1984-1985 season, when Danny Cooksey plays Sam McKinney, Arnold's new younger stepbrother. Bridges did not appear as much in the show's final season.
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