娱乐英语新闻:Conrad Bain of "Different Strokes" dies at 89

BEIJING, Jan. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- Actor Conrad Bain, best known for his role in the TV sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes", died at the age of 89, his daughter said on Wednesday.

His daughter, Jennifer Bain, said to PEOPLE that her father died on Monday of natural causes in his hometown of Livermore, California.

Jennifer said, "He'd been unconscious for a couple of days, but he was comfortable and it was very peaceful." It was three weeks away from his 90th birthday.

Bain played as a kindly white New Yorker who adopts two African-American brothers in the comedy "Diff'rent Strokes", which was a hit and stayed on the air from 1978 to 1986 on NBC.

Bain's character as Philip Drummond in "Diff'rent Strokes" promises his dying housekeeper that he would raise her two sons as race and class relations are the centerpiece of the drama.

"My father really was a lot like his character in 'Diff'rent Strokes'," said Jennifer. "He had that warmth and stability. He also was a very intellectual person."

Born in Alberta, Canada, in 1923, Bain served in the Canadian Army during World War II and got his U.S. citizenship in 1946. He later studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York and became an actor on Broadway and television, according to Reuters.

He often portrayed professional characters such as the likes of lawyers, executives, politicians and doctors.