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•■■'■■■;■, Mf* ' v 'JtarOjp^M';:^:.: Courtesy of Lwnsgaie films Tom Arnold starred with Maggie Gyllenhaal in the movie Happy Endings ... and earned praise playing a swim-team coach in Pride, which was based on a true story. Ahvavs Ihe rlitvs down Easier indeed, because show ing people the outrageous side has always worked. Arnold figured out during his school years in Ottumwa that playing the class clown brought instant attention. "I wasn't the best athlete. I was definitely not the most popular or best-looking,” he says. “But you're always looking for something to get the other kids to like you.” He always was quick-witted, and that became his way of getting attention. After graduating from Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, he cut his teeth as a stand-up comic in lowa City, then moved to Minneapolis, where his in-your-face routines caught the attention of Roseanne Barr when she appeared there. She brought Arnold to Los Angeles as a writer, and their now infamous relationship emerged. They married in 1990, divorcing four years later. When he first hit L.A. in 1988, he sharpened the hard edge on his personality even more. Working with Barr brought money, success and fame—and drew him dangerously close to the flame of self-destruction. “I always said if I had enough money to buy all the drugs and all the booze I wanted, I’d never want anymore,” he recalls. “Well, that’s maybe a lie. I had access to things—bad things. I wigged out fast.” “He hit the ground running out there on the drugs and alcohol,” says Mike Sporer, whose backyard adjoined the backyard of Arnold's two-story childhood home in Ottumwa. “In fact, I came out to visit him one time, probably six or eight months before he got sober, and I remember coming back home and telling our friends, 'Hey, listen, Amies gonna be dead shortly. You beccer go visit.' He was out of control.” Outninninpdobidi l It’s possible he was trying to outrun the memories of his adolescence. Arnold was reared in a rough and unstable (Continued on page 10) www.americanprofi le.com ■ Jgal *' 4 Couitesy of Tom Arnold Arnold used humor to fit in to his lowa high school. Page 9 W’i'wrlJft. «oa»m*M!aw* Wrangler A NEW GENERATION OF WRANGLER t .’ j£"’. jHF sHhßbc nnPi,H He, "m Vs Wty HHpUi 1 wm^ml 'U ' •• ".’•n'liTi-t’r i <v. W vr, dt'Af r,- *- a-! pm r*2t’V2t.it Q't&tri efc 1 *>■■■-■■*". V V-J^lv . Acß&ii Ovtfvni# C6T‘ V • NEW FITS NEW STYLES GREAT COMFORT RELAXED BOOT FIT RELAXED STRAIGHT LEG LOOSE FIT cju i fop i sttw km nv ea visit www wiunu i a r,n» V |IH M* ' ‘ jji 1 I •" ■ Bp* Wrangfer if