Former child star Todd Bridges gets second shot

Diff'rent times

A grown-up Todd Bridges on the set of "The Young and the Restless"; Bridges (inset) during his "Diff'rent Strokes" years.

(PEOPLE) -- After leading a life that could have been spun from the pen of a daytime-TV scribe, somehow it makes sense that Todd Bridges, the former child star who charmed audiences on the sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes," won a role on the soap opera "The Young and the Restless."

Getting the recurring part of Juice (whom he describes as a "bad guy who's out for revenge") was a coup for the actor, who in recent years has fought to work in show business at all. "I didn't think they were even gonna see me," he says of the "Y&R" casting team. "I've been sober over 10 years, but you still buy into the lie that they're not gonna hire you."

Bridges's fears were earned, however. His post-"Strokes" years were full of run-ins with the law; the most devastating came in 1989, when he was accused of shooting an alleged drug dealer at a South Central L.A. crack den. He was eventually cleared of the charges, though he admitted to having a 14-gram-a-day cocaine habit, Entertainment Weekly reported in 2000.

MORE STORIES PEOPLE COVER STORY: Jennifer Aniston ponders babies, the big screen and a big house in Beverly Hills  More from PEOPLE.COM    RESOURCES PEOPLE.COM PROFILE: Get to know your favorite star    E-MAIL Want more from PEOPLE.COM? Sign up  for free e-mails

Bridges gave up drugs on February 24, 1993, after years of abuse (he started smoking pot as a 15-year-old star of "Diff'rent Strokes"). "I just decided that I could no longer live this way -- I didn't like the person I had become," he says.

The troubles for Bridges began at home. Though he enjoyed success early on -- he scored roles on series such as "Little House on the Prairie" after making his acting debut in a Jell-O commercial at age 6 -- his home life was not a mirror for the happy family Bridges experienced on "Strokes." At 12, he was sexually molested by a family friend, and he also withstood years of alcohol-fueled abuse from his father, James, who died in 1996. "He didn't know how to love," Bridges says.

Still, it helped that he was born into a theatrical family: Mom Betty is an actress and acting coach; his dad was an agent; and Bridges's siblings, Verda, now 40, and James junior, now 41, are also actors. And he had "Strokes," which ran from 1978-86 and was "one of the greatest experiences of all time," he says.

These days, Bridges is working to break the "spiritual curse" of abuse with his own son, Spencir, 4, with his actress wife, Dori, 27. And with his dark days behind him, the Venice Beach, California-based Bridges spends time lecturing youngsters about the dangers of drugs.

He also runs a production company, Little Bridge Productions, with his brother. Among his in-the-works projects is his autobiography, which he'd like to bring to the big screen. And he hopes that his stint on "Y&R" (he filmed eight episodes) is the beginning of a renaissance. "I know I'm a good actor," he says. "So hopefully I'll get the opportunity to prove it."