Scott Vincent Baio (; born September 22, 1960) is an American actor. He is known for playing
Chachi Arcola on the
sitcom
A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
''
Happy Days
''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marsha ...
'' (1977–1984) and its spin-off ''
Joanie Loves Chachi'' (1982–1983), the title character on the sitcom ''
Charles in Charge'' (1984–1990), Dr. Jack Stewart in the medical-mystery-drama series ''
Diagnosis: Murder'' (1993–1995), and the title role of the musical film ''
Bugsy Malone'' (1976), his onscreen debut. Baio has guest-starred on various television programs, appeared in several independent films, and starred on the
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...
sitcom ''
See Dad Run'' (2012–2014).
Early life
Baio was born in the
Bay Ridge neighborhood of the
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
...
of New York City in 1960, the son of Italian immigrants Rose, a homemaker, and Mario Baio, who worked as his manager. He and his siblings were raised in
Bensonhurst. He went to
Xaverian High School.
Career
In 1976, Baio played the title character ''
Bugsy Malone'' in the children's gangster musical directed by
Alan Parker
Sir Alan William Parker (14 February 1944 – 31 July 2020) was an English film director, screenwriter and producer. His early career, beginning in his late teens, was spent as a copywriter and director of television advertisements. After abo ...
, which also co-starred
Jodie Foster
Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster (born November 19, 1962) is an American actress and filmmaker. Foster started her career as a child actor before establishing herself as leading actress in film. She has received List of awards and nominations re ...
. Baio and Foster later worked together again in the teen girl drama ''
Foxes
Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush").
Twelve species ...
'' (1980), helmed by
Adrian Lyne
Adrian Lyne (born 4 March 1941) is an English film director. Lyne is known for sexually charged narratives that explore conflicting passions, the power of seduction, moral ambiguity, betrayal, and the indelibility of infidelity.
In the mid 197 ...
.
When he was 16, Baio was cast as
The Fonz's cousin
Chachi Arcola on ''
Happy Days
''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marsha ...
''. During his time on ''Happy Days'', Baio earned two
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NA ...
nominations, for his lead performances in the television movies ''
Stoned'' (1981) and ''All the Kids Do It'' (1985). He won two
Young Artist Award
The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...
s during the Third Annual Youth in Film Awards (1980–1982) 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'' and ''
Senior Trip''.
From March 1982 to May 1983, Baio starred with his ''Happy Days'' co-star
Erin Moran
Erin Marie Moran-Fleischmann (October 18, 1960 – April 22, 2017) was an American actress, best known for playing Joanie Cunningham on the television sitcom ''Happy Days'' and its spin-off ''Joanie Loves Chachi''.
Early life
Erin Marie ...
in the show's
spin-off, ''
Joanie Loves Chachi''. The show was canceled after 17 episodes and Baio (and Moran) returned to ''Happy Days''. During this period, Baio, who played an aspiring singer on ''Joanie Loves Chachi'', was signed to a record contract with
RCA Victor
RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...
, who used his TV role to push his music career. He released two albums and three singles, and his self-titled album peaked at number 181 on the
''Billboard'' 200, but his recording career never took off.
In 1982, he appeared in the film ''
Zapped!'' and starred as Francis Geminiani in the special HBO presentation of ''Gemini'', an adaptation of the Broadway comedy-drama ''
Happy Birthday, Gemini''. From 1979 to 1984, Baio made seven appearances on ''
Battle of the Network Stars''; six as a competitor for the ABC team (once as team captain) and one as co-host. 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
''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English Children's literature, children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics university don, don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a ...
'', 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 appeared in various television programs, including the short-lived ''Look Who's Talking'' small screen spin-off ''
Baby Talk
Baby talk is a type of speech associated with an older person speaking to a child or infant. It is also called caretaker speech, infant-directed speech (IDS), child-directed speech (CDS), child-directed language (CDL), caregiver register, parente ...
''. In 1991, he appeared in the
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
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 medical mystery series ''
Diagnosis: Murder''. Baio was a guest-star on a variety of series, including ''
Full House
''Full House'' is an American television sitcom created by Jeff Franklin for American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The show is about the recently widowed father Danny Tanner who enlists his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis and childhood best friend ...
'', ''
Touched by an Angel
''Touched by an Angel'' is an American drama television series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994, and ran for 211 episodes over nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and executive produced by Ma ...
'', ''
Veronica's Closet'' and ''
The Nanny
''The Nanny'' is an American sitcom that originally aired on CBS from November 3, 1993, to June 23, 1999, starring Fran Drescher as Fran Fine, a Jewish wikt:fashionista, fashionista from Flushing, Queens, who becomes the nanny of three children ...
''. He also starred in several films on television and video releases such as ''Detonator'', ''Bar-Hopping'', ''Dumb Luck'', ''Face Value'' and ''
Mixed Blessings''.
Baio was in the independent films ''
Very Mean Men'' (2000), ''Face to Face'' (2001), and ''
The Bread, My Sweet'' (2001). In 2004, Baio starred in ''
Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2'' with
Bob Clark
Benjamin Robert Clark (August 5, 1939 – April 4, 2007) was an American film director and screenwriter. In the 1970s and 1980s, he was responsible for some of the most successful films in Canadian film industry, Canadian film history such ...
. The film was widely panned by critics and nominated for four
Razzie Awards. Baio played himself in the 2005
Wes Craven
Wesley Earl Craven (August 2, 1939 – August 30, 2015) was an American film director, screenwriter and producer. Amongst his Wes Craven filmography, prolific filmography, Craven worked primarily in the Horror film, horror genre, particularly sla ...
film ''
Cursed''. In 2005, Baio appeared in four episodes of ''
Arrested Development
''Arrested Development'' is an American satire, satirical television sitcom created by Mitchell Hurwitz. It follows the Bluths, a formerly wealthy, dysfunctional family and is presented in a Serial (radio and television), serialized format, inco ...
'' as the Bluth family's new lawyer, Bob Loblaw - the Bluth family's previous lawyer, Barry Zuckerkorn, having been played by his former ''Happy Days'' co-star
Henry Winkler
Henry Franklin Winkler (born October 30, 1945) is an American actor, producer, director, and author. Widely known as Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli on the sitcom ''Happy Days'' (1974–1984), Winkler has distinguished himself as a character acto ...
; the
Online Film and Television Association nominated him as Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for the role. In 2007, Baio starred in the VH1 celebrity reality series ''
Scott Baio Is 45...and Single'' and its successor the following year, ''
Scott Baio Is 46...and Pregnant''. Baio was also the co-host of the
VH1
VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...
reality show ''
Confessions of a Teen Idol'', in which former teen idols attempt to resurrect their careers.
Baio starred in and produced the
Nick at Nite
Nick at Nite (stylized as nick@nite since 2009) is an American nighttime programming block on Nickelodeon. List of programs broadcast by Nick at Nite, The block's programming broadcasts from prime time to Late-night television, late night, with ...
situation comedy ''
See Dad Run'', which ran from 2012 to 2015. Baio guest starred in a 2014 episode of ''
Sam & Cat'' as a police officer who arrests the title characters.
Personal life
In 2001, Baio got engaged to his girlfriend Jeanette Jonsson.
In 2007, shortly before the birth of their daughter, Baio married Renée Sloan, whom he met in the 1990s at the
Playboy Mansion
The Playboy Mansion, also known as the Playboy Mansion West, is the former home of ''Playboy'' magazine founder Hugh Hefner, who lived there from 1971 until his death in 2017. Barbi Benton convinced Hefner to buy the home located in Holmby H ...
. Renée was carrying twins, but lost one of the babies in the 11th week of her pregnancy. Their daughter, Bailey, was born in 2007, five weeks premature. After Bailey tested positive for a rare
metabolic disorder
A metabolic disorder is a disorder that negatively alters the body's processing and distribution of macronutrients, such as proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Metabolic disorders can happen when abnormal chemical reactions in the body alter the ...
,
the family started the Bailey Baio Angel Foundation to provide financial support to other families who are dealing with metabolic disorders. Renée Baio was diagnosed with a
meningioma
Meningioma, also known as meningeal tumor, is typically a slow-growing tumor that forms from the meninges, the membranous layers surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms depend on the location and occur as a result of the tumor pressing ...
brain tumor in June 2015, with a second tumor discovered later. In 2017 she was also diagnosed with
cerebral microvascular disease. Baio is also the stepfather to Renée's daughter Kalyn, born in 1989.
He is a cousin of former actor
Jimmy Baio,
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...
outfielder
Harrison Bader, and
Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend are an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 2006 and currently signed to Columbia Records. The band was formed by lead vocalist and guitarist Ezra Koenig, multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij, drummer Chr ...
bassist
Chris Baio.
Political views
Baio is a registered
Republican and has described his politics as
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
. He campaigned for
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
in his youth and attended
Reagan's state funeral. Upon Reagan's death in 2004, he was quoted by the
New York ''Daily News'' as saying, "President Reagan made me feel proud to be an American. Today, I feel sadness."
Baio endorsed Republican presidential candidates
Mitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...
in
2012
2012 was designated as:
*International Year of Cooperatives
*International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Events January
*January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins.
* January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
and
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
in
2016
2016 was designated as:
* International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly.
* International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
, and he spoke at the opening night of the
2016 Republican National Convention
The 2016 Republican National Convention, in which delegates of the United States Republican Party (United States), Republican Party chose the party's nominees for President of the United States, president and Vice President of the United Sta ...
. He also supported Donald Trump in the
2020 presidential election.
On December 15, 2016, Baio accused Nancy Mack, wife of
Chad Smith, drummer for
Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1982, consisting of Anthony Kiedis (vocals), Flea (musician), Flea (bass), John Frusciante (guitar), and Chad Smith (drums). Their music incorporates elements of a ...
, of physically assaulting him at their children's elementary school function. Baio claims Mack began berating and cursing him over his support of Trump and at one point attacked him, grabbing him under his arms and then shaking and pushing him. Mack claimed she was trying to show Baio how Trump hugs women and denied any intentional physical aggression.
On August 26, 2017, Baio re-
tweeted a
Sandy Hook conspiracy theory meme, insinuating that the
2017 killing of Heather Heyer in Charlottesville and the
Sandy Hook shooting of 2012 were linked hoaxes.
Allegations of abuse
On January 29, 2018, sexual misconduct allegations made by
Nicole Eggert
Nicole Elizabeth Eggert (born January 13, 1972) is an American actress. Her notable roles include Jamie Powell on the situation comedy ''Charles in Charge'' and Summer Quinn on the television series ''Baywatch''. She guest-starred in ''The Super ...
against Baio surfaced. In 2013, Eggert stated on the
Nik Richie
Nik Lamas-Richie (born Hooman Abedi Karamian; February 12, 1979) is an American Internet celebrity, Internet personality most prominent in the late 2000s and 2010s. Richie is best known as the founder of controversial gossip website TheDirty.com. ...
Radio show that she and Baio had a one-time encounter "years" after ''Charles in Charge'' ended, which would have been after 1990. In the more elaborated account, discussed on ''
The Dr. Oz Show'' and ''
Megyn Kelly Today
''Megyn Kelly Today'' is an American daytime talk show that was broadcast by NBC. Premiering on September 25, 2017, it replaced ''Today's Take'' as the third hour of NBC's national morning show '' Today''. The program was hosted by Megyn Kelly ...
'', Eggert claimed that Baio
molested her beginning in 1986 when she was 14, and that when she was 17, she had intercourse with him. Baio contends that he had sexual relations with Eggert only once, and that the encounter occurred after she had turned 18. Baio explained that Eggert's own words to Richie proved he did not have intercourse with Eggert while she was a minor, since the final episode of ''Charles in Charge'' aired in November 1990, ten months after Eggert turned 18.
Several months later,
Alexander Polinsky, another co-star in ''Charles in Charge'', accused Baio of verbally abusing and physically assaulting him while on set.
Filmography
Film
Television
Director
Notes
Awards and nominations
References
Further reading
* Dye, David. ''Child and Youth Actors: Filmography of Their Entire Careers, 1914–1985''. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 1988, p. 10.
* Holmstrom, John. ''The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995''. Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, p. 336.
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baio, Scott
1960 births
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
American male child actors
American male film actors
American male television actors
American people of Italian descent
American television directors
Florida independents
Living people
Male actors from Brooklyn
Participants in American reality television series
People from Bensonhurst, Brooklyn
RCA Records artists
Xaverian High School alumni
People of Sicilian descent