Gary Coleman, seen in 2008, suffered a seizure earlier this year. He also has congenital kidney disease.Gary Coleman, seen in 2008, suffered a seizure earlier this year. He also has congenital kidney disease. (Richard Drew/Associated Press)

Former child star Gary Coleman, who starred in the 1980s hit series Diff'rent Strokes, is in critical condition at a Utah hospital.

A Utah Valley Regional Medical Center spokeswoman confirmed Thursday afternoon that Coleman was admitted to the Provo facility on Wednesday but she couldn't divulge any other details.

Coleman lives in Santaquin, just south of Salt Lake City.

Los Angeles TV station KTLA is reporting that the 42-year-old performer had emergency surgery Wednesday at a hospital in Utah.

The station reported that family members said Coleman suffered head injuries during a fall.

The actor has had previous health problems. He suffered a seizure earlier this year in Los Angeles. He has congenital kidney disease and has undergone two kidney transplants and requires dialysis.

Coleman has had a hard time since the 1980s, appearing sporadically in minor roles in TV shows and movies and struggling with depression.

After turning 18 in 1986, the year his hit series was cancelled, he launched a lawsuit against his parents and his business manager over misappropriation of his trust fund.

The suit was eventually settled with Coleman reportedly receiving less than $4 million US of the reported $18 million he earned as a child actor.