Scott Vincent James Baio (born September 22, 1960) is an American actor and television director. He portrayed as Chachi Arcola in Happy Days and its spin-off Joanie Loves Chachi, and as the title character on the CBS-TV sitcom series Charles in Charge. Prior to being cast as Chachi on Happy Days, Scott also appeared as teenaged Anthony DeLuca, cousin of Joey DeLuca, on another Garry Marshall/Thomas Miller/Edward K. Milkis produced ABC-TV sitcom and Happy Days spinoff series, Blansky's Beauties.
Scott is also well known for appearing in the first couple of seasons of the CBS-TV murder/medical mystery series Diagnosis: Murder as main cast member Jack Stewart.
Baio has further appeared in various television programs as a guest star, several independent films, and starred on the Nickelodeon sitcom See Dad Run (2012–2015).
Biography[]
Early life[]
Baio was born in Brooklyn, New Yinork, the son of Rose, a homemaker, and Mario Baio, who worked as his manager.[1] He is of Italian descent.[2] He attended Xaverian High School in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.
Career[]
In 1976, Baio played the title character Bugsy Malone in the children's gangster musical directed by Alan Parker, which also co-starred Jodie Foster. Baio and Foster later worked together again in the teen girl drama Foxes (1980), helmed by Adrian Lyne. Scott was noticed by Garry Marshall and cast as teenaged Anthony DeLuca, cousin of Joey DeLuca (played by future Laverne & Shirley co-star Eddie Mekka) on another Garry Marshall/Thomas Miller/Edward K. Milkis produced ABC-TV sitcom and Happy Days spinoff series, Blansky's Beauties, which starred Nancy Walker, who played the role of Howard Cunningham's cousin Nancy Blansky, who ran a boarding house which housed Las Vegas showgirls (which included future HD co-star Lynda Goodfriend), whom she managed as well, only lasted thirteen episodes before its cancellation.
Baio, at about the same time, was cast as Fonzie's cousin Chachi Arcola on Happy Days. During his time on Happy Days, Baio earned two Emmy Award nominations, for his lead performances in the television movies Stoned (1981) and All the Kids Do It (1985). He won two Young Artist Awards during the Third Annual Youth in Film Awards (1980–1981) as Best Young Actor in a Television Special for Stoned and Best Young Comedian in Television or Motion Pictures for Happy Days. He also starred in the made-for-television youth drama specials The Boy Who Drank Too Much with Lance Kerwin and Senior Trip with Mickey Rooney.
In 1982, Baio was cast, along with Erin Moran, who played the part of Joanie Cunningham, in a new ABC-TV spin-off of Happy Days, Joanie Loves Chachi wwhich lasted only 18 episodes, as both actors and their characters returned to their parent series after JLC's cancellation in 1983, as both Joanie and Chachi, who had been appearing sporadically on HD in certain episodes intermittently while being the central characters in their own series simultaneously, where written back into the Happy Days storyline as main characters, eventually marrying by series end in 1984.
That same year, 1983, he appeared opposite another popular teen actor, Willie Aames from the ABC-TV series Eight Is Enough, in the 1982 film Zapped!, along with Heather Thomas and Felice Schachter, and recorded an album for RCA (he also recorded a second album The Boys Are Out Tonight the following year). One of the singles he released was titled "How Do You Talk To Girls."
During this same period, he also starred with Danny Aiello and undertook the lead role of Francis Geminiani in the special HBO cable television presentation of Gemini, an adaptation of the Broadway comedy-drama Happy Birthday, Gemini by the award-winning playwright Alberto Innauranto. From 1984 until 1990, Baio starred in the syndicated comedy series Charles in Charge. In 1985, he was part of an ensemble cast for Alice in Wonderland, where he portrayed Pat the Pig. From 1987 through 1991, he was a director of the children's comedy series Out of This World.
During the 1990s, Baio also made numerous appearances in various television programs, including the short-lived Look Who's Talking small screen spin-off Baby Talk. In 1991, he joined Diana Muldaur and Ally Walker in the NBC Monday Night Movie Perry Mason and the Case of the Fatal Fashion, as a young prosecutor. Between 1993 and 1995, he portrayed Dr. Jack Stewart in the CBS-TV medical/mystery series Diagnosis: Murder starring Dick Van Dyke. Baio was a guest star on many series, including Full House, Touched by an Angel, Veronica's Closet and The Nanny. He was also in a number of television series and commercials.
In the 1980s, Baio delved into some deeper and more dramatic television roles, typically playing troubled teens. He was cast as a shy teen who became involved with marijuana in the award-winning "Stoned," an "ABC Afterschool Special." Baio also starred as an alcoholic teenager in the CBS film "The Boy Who Drank Too Much" and played a hemophiliac in NBC's "Senior Trip!"
In 2005, TV Guide named Baio one of the greatest teen idols of all time. He was even inducted into "The Man Show Hall of Fame" due to his impressive dating history of leading Hollywood ladies.
Personal life[]
In 2007, Baio married Renee Sloan. whom he had met in the 1990s at the Playboy Mansion.[3] Baio is stepfather to Renée's daughter, Kalyn, born in 1989. In July 2007, he told E!: Entertainment Television's Ted Casablanca that they were expecting a baby girl in December. Initially pregnant with twins, Renée lost one of the babies at 11 weeks gestation.[4]Their daughter, Bailey, was born in 2007, five weeks premature.
References[]
- ↑ Jones, Oliver. "Scott Baio the Man Who Can't Commit", People.com, July 23, 2007. Retrieved on September 8, 2017.
- ↑ Baio: Square, and proud of it
- ↑ Jones, Oliver (December 8, 2007). Scott Baio Marries Longtime Girlfriend – Weddings, Scott Baio. People.com. Retrieved on June 1, 2012.
- ↑ Introducing Bailey DeLuca Baio – Showbiz News & Celebrity Gossip. Showbiznews.info. Retrieved on June 1, 2012.
External links[]
- Scott Baio article at Wikipedia
