Geri Jewell of 'The Facts of Life' comes out as lesbian
Geri Jewell, who's best known for playing Geri Tyler in the 1980's sitcom, "The Facts of Life" came out as a lesbian in her autobiography, "I'm Walking as Straight as I Can."
Her book also discusses her struggle with cerebral palsy, her money problems, marriage problems and drug addiction. Jewell also wrote in depth about struggling with her sexuality growing up.
The 54-year-old actress made television history as the first person with a disability to appear in a recurring role on primetime TV. Jewell started her career doing stand up comedy at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles.
"The Facts of Life" ran from 1979-1988 and was a spin-off of the sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes." The show followed Edna Garrett (Charlotte Rae) as she became a housemother at an all-female boarding school in Peekskill, New York.
Jewell most recently starred in 23 episodes of the HBO series "Deadwood" as a character named Jewel.
"I'm Walking as Straight as I Can" will be released on April 1, 2011 by ECW Press.
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