Scott Baio
Encyclopedia
Scott Vincent James Baio (icon; born September 22, 1960) is an American actor and television director, best known for his roles as Chachi Arcola on the sitcom Happy Days
and its spin-off
, Joanie Loves Chachi
, and as the title character on the sitcom Charles in Charge
.
. Baio is the youngest of three children, having a brother and sister who are twins and three years his senior. He graduated from North Hollywood High School
.
in the cult children’s gangster musical directed by Alan Parker
, which also co-starred Jodie Foster
. Baio and Foster later worked together again in the 1980 teen girl drama Foxes, helmed by Adrian Lyne
. When he was 16, Baio was then cast as The Fonz'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 TV movies Stoned
(1981) and All The Kids Do It (1985). He won two Young Artists 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 in a spin-off
of Happy Days entitled Joanie Loves Chachi
with Erin Moran
, which lasted 17 episodes. That same year, he appeared opposite another actor, Willie Aames
, in the film Zapped!
, and recorded an album for RCA
(he also recored a 2nd album The Boys Are Out Tonight the following year). During this same period, he also starred with Danny Aiello and undertook the lead role of Francis Geminiani in the special HBO cable TV 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 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. 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 1992 and 1995, he portrayed Dr. Jack Stewart in the medical mystery series Diagnosis: Murder
starring Dick Van Dyke
. Baio was a guest-star on many shows, including Full House
, Touched by an Angel
, Veronica's Closet
and The Nanny
. He was also in a number of TV series and commercials. He also starred in several films on TV and video releases such as Detonator, Bar-Hopping, Dumb Luck, Face Value and Danielle Steel's Mixed Blessings.
Baio's other movies include the independent films Very Mean Men, Face to Face and The Bread, My Sweet.
Very Mean Men (2000) was a comedy directed by Tony Vitale about a mob war between two families. Baio served as a co-producer with his older brother Steven on said film, and even played the crucial role of impetuous crime scion Paulie Minnetti who unwittingly instigates the crime feud. Variety praised his performance: "A career-reviving turn by Scott Baio."
Face to Face (2001; renamed Italian Ties) was a comic drama directed by Ellie Kanner about three young men (Scott Baio as Richie, Thomas Calabro as Philly and Carlo Imperato as Al) who kidnap their emotionally distant fathers for a weekend of genuine bonding. Baio co-wrote the screenplay with Jeffrey Gurian. The movie won the Audience Prize for Best Comedy at the Marco Island Film Festival, the Silver Screen Accolade in the Reno Film Festival and the 10 Degrees Hotter Best Feature Award during the Valley Film Festival.
The Bread, My Sweet (2001; retitled A Wedding For Bella) a romance film directed by Melissa Martin and produced by Adrienne Wehr. Baio portrayed Dominic Pyzola who is both a corporate raider in the daytime and a pastry chef at night. He earned three Best Lead Actor prizes in the Atlantic City Film Festival, the Kansas City Halfway To Hollywood Film Festival and the San Diego Film Festival. The movie itself collected top accolades from the Santa Monica, Stony Brook, Marco Island, Houston World fest and Iowa Hardacre Film Festivals.
Baio was also in the Emmy award winning comedy series Arrested Development as the madcap Bluth family's serious but overpaid lawyer, Bob Loblaw . He took over the role of the clan's legal counselor from former Happy Days co-star Henry Winkler
in four episodes: "Forget Me Now", "Notapusy", "Mr. F", and "Making a Stand". The Online Film and Television Association nominated him as Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series.
In August 2006, Baio was formally invited by the AIA Actors Studio to discuss his professional experiences in television and movies. He talked about his own acting career plus his recent forays into writing, directing and producing.
In 2007, Baio starred in the successful 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
reality show Confessions of a Teen Idol
, in which former teen idols attempt to resurrect their careers.
's Ted Casablanca
that they were expecting a baby girl in December. Initially pregnant with twins, Renee lost one of the babies at 11 weeks gestation.
Their daughter, Bailey DeLuca Baio, was born in November 2007, 5 weeks premature. The family has started the Bailey Baio Angel Foundation to provide financial support to other families who are dealing with metabolic disorders.
Scott Baio is cousin to actor Jimmy Baio
and to Vampire Weekend
's bassist Chris Baio
.
's televised state funeral. The New York Daily News published Michelle Caruso's article "A Goodbye As The Sun Sets In The West" (June 12, 2004) which mentioned Scott who had been seated near former U.K. Prime Minister Baroness Margaret Thatcher
: "Scott Baio who played Chachi on the hit sitcom Happy Days said: 'President Reagan made me feel proud to be an American. Today, I feel sadness.'"
In April 2010, Baio was involved in a controversy surrounding his Twitter
postings. His posting, “Taxes are DONE...That should feed, house & provide medical for a few lazy non working people at my expense. Have a great Monday!" was picked up by the blog Jezebel, and the heated web-based discussion between Baio, his wife, the Jezebel.com
authors, Jezebel readers and Baio fans was covered by major news organizations.
On July 1, 2010 he hosted The Dennis Miller Show and gave his views on current events, such as the BP oil spill
. Baio is a registered Republican
.
In May 2011, Baio was honored as a featured guest speaker during the Hollywood Congress Of Republicans monthly meetup, saying, "I was never afraid to speak my mind. But I do remember times on a set where I'd hear my 'Liberal' friends talking and I didn't speak out. I stepped back and did not comment because there is a stigma (within the industry) that if you talk (as a conservative and/or Republican), you don't work."
Happy Days
Happy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
and its spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
, Joanie Loves Chachi
Joanie Loves Chachi
Joanie Loves Chachi is an American television spin-off of the popular American sitcom Happy Days that was originally broadcast on ABC from March 23, 1982 to September 13, 1983...
, and as the title character on the sitcom Charles in Charge
Charles in Charge
Charles in Charge is an American sitcom series which starred Scott Baio as Charles, a 19-year-old student at the fictional Copeland College in New Jersey, who worked as a live-in babysitter in exchange for room and board...
.
Early life
Baio was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Rose and Mario Baio, who were immigrants from ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Baio is the youngest of three children, having a brother and sister who are twins and three years his senior. He graduated from North Hollywood High School
North Hollywood High School
North Hollywood High School, originally called Lankershim High School when it opened in 1927, is a secondary school in North Hollywood in Los Angeles, California. The school mascot is the husky, and the school colors are blue, white and grey....
.
Career
In 1976, Baio played the title character Bugsy MaloneBugsy Malone
Bugsy Malone is a 1976 musical film, very loosely based on events in New York City in the Prohibition era, specifically the exploits of gangsters like Al Capone and Bugs Moran, as dramatized in cinema...
in the cult children’s gangster musical directed by Alan Parker
Alan Parker
Sir Alan William Parker, CBE is an English film director, producer, writer and actor. He has been active in both the British cinema and American cinema and was a founding member of the Directors Guild of Great Britain.-Life and career:...
, which also co-starred Jodie Foster
Jodie Foster
Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster is an American actress, film director, producer as well as a former child actress....
. Baio and Foster later worked together again in the 1980 teen girl drama Foxes, helmed by Adrian Lyne
Adrian Lyne
Adrian Lyne is an English filmmaker and producer. He is best known for directing films that focus on sexually charged characters and often uses natural light, a fog machine and other effects to create eroticized atmospheres...
. When he was 16, Baio was then cast as The Fonz's cousin, Chachi Arcola, on Happy Days
Happy Days
Happy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
. During his time on Happy Days, Baio earned two Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
nominations for his lead performances in the TV movies Stoned
Stoned (TV special)
"Stoned" is a 1980 made-for-TV movie featured in the Peabody Award-winning ABC Afterschool Special series. The film, starring Scott Baio, is built around peer pressure and its resultant drug abuse. It was featured as the fourth episode in the program's ninth season.-Plot:Jack Melon is a gangling...
(1981) and All The Kids Do It (1985). He won two Young Artists 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
The Boy Who Drank Too Much
The Boy Who Drank Too Much is a 1980 American television film based on a novel by Shep Greene. The film was initially distributed by CBS, starring Scott Baio as a high school hockey player struggling with alcoholism. While its approach is that of a typical after school special, it was in fact a...
with Lance Kerwin
Lance Kerwin
Lance Kerwin is an American actor, perhaps best remembered for his starring role in the TV series James at 15. Since the mid-1990s, however, Kerwin has not acted, instead focusing on his Christian religious beliefs, having become a pastor...
and Senior Trip with Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney is an American film actor and entertainer whose film, television, and stage appearances span nearly his entire lifetime. He has won multiple awards, including an Honorary Academy Award, a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award...
.
In 1982, Baio was in a spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
of Happy Days entitled Joanie Loves Chachi
Joanie Loves Chachi
Joanie Loves Chachi is an American television spin-off of the popular American sitcom Happy Days that was originally broadcast on ABC from March 23, 1982 to September 13, 1983...
with Erin Moran
Erin Moran
Erin Marie Moran is an American actress, best known for the role of Joanie Cunningham on Happy Days and its spinoff Joanie Loves Chachi.-Early life:...
, which lasted 17 episodes. That same year, he appeared opposite another actor, Willie Aames
Willie Aames
Willie Aames is an American actor, film and television director, television producer, and screenwriter. He played Tommy Bradford on the 1970s’ Eight Is Enough and Buddy Lembeck on the 1980s’ Charles in Charge.-Early life:...
, in the film Zapped!
Zapped!
Zapped! is a 1982 teen sex comedy starring Scott Baio as a teen who acquires telekinetic powers. The film is regarded as a parody of Carrie but also includes spoofs of The Exorcist, Taxi Driver, Star Trek and the 1969 Kurt Russell film The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes.-Cast:Baio stars as Barney...
, and recorded an album for RCA
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
(he also recored a 2nd album The Boys Are Out Tonight the following year). During this same period, he also starred with Danny Aiello and undertook the lead role of Francis Geminiani in the special HBO cable TV 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
Charles in Charge
Charles in Charge is an American sitcom series which starred Scott Baio as Charles, a 19-year-old student at the fictional Copeland College in New Jersey, who worked as a live-in babysitter in exchange for room and board...
. 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 Out of This World
Out of This World (TV series)
Out Of This World is an American fantasy sitcom about a teenage girl who is half alien, which gives her unique supernatural powers. It first aired in U.S. syndication on September 17, 1987 and ended on May 25, 1991. It was first broadcast in the UK on the ITV network on April 9, 1990, usually at...
.
During the 1990s, Baio appeared in various television programs, including the short-lived Look Who's Talking small screen spin-off Baby Talk. In 1991, he joined Diana Muldaur
Diana Muldaur
Diana Muldaur is an Emmy-nominated American film and television actress.-Career:Born in New York City, but raised on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, Muldaur started acting in high school and continued on through college, graduating from Sweet Briar College in Virginia in 1960. She studied acting...
and Ally Walker
Ally Walker
Allene Damian "Ally" Walker is an American actress, producer, director and screenwriter.She is best known for her roles as Doctor Samantha Waters on the NBC crime drama series Profiler , as Agent June Stahl on the FX drama series Sons of Anarchy and as Gloria Shepherd in the Lifetime drama...
in the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
Monday Night Movie Perry Mason and the Case of the Fatal Fashion, as a young prosecutor. Between 1992 and 1995, he portrayed Dr. Jack Stewart in the medical mystery series Diagnosis: Murder
Diagnosis: Murder
Diagnosis: Murder is a mystery/medical/crime drama television series starring Dick Van Dyke as Dr. Mark Sloan, a medical doctor who solves crimes with the help of his son, a homicide detective played by his real-life son Barry Van Dyke. The series began as a spin-off of Jake and the Fatman...
starring Dick Van Dyke
Dick Van Dyke
Richard Wayne "Dick" Van Dyke is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer with a career spanning six decades. He is the older brother of Jerry Van Dyke, and father of Barry Van Dyke...
. Baio was a guest-star on many shows, including Full House
Full House
Full House is an American sitcom television series. Set in San Francisco, the show chronicles widowed father Danny Tanner, who, after the death of his wife, enlists his best friend Joey Gladstone and his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis to help raise his three daughters, D.J., Stephanie, and...
, Touched by an Angel
Touched by an Angel
Touched by an Angel is an American drama series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994 and ran for 211 episodes and nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and produced by Martha Williamson, the series stars Roma Downey, as an angel named Monica, and Della...
, Veronica's Closet
Veronica's Closet
Veronica's Closet is a sitcom which aired on NBC from September 25, 1997, to June 27, 2000.The show starred Kirstie Alley as Veronica “Ronnie” Chase, the head of her own lingerie company.- Season one :...
and The Nanny
The Nanny (TV series)
The Nanny is an American television sitcom co-produced by Sternin & Fraser Ink, Inc., and Fran Drescher in association with TriStar Television for the CBS network...
. He was also in a number of TV series and commercials. He also starred in several films on TV and video releases such as Detonator, Bar-Hopping, Dumb Luck, Face Value and Danielle Steel's Mixed Blessings.
Baio's other movies include the independent films Very Mean Men, Face to Face and The Bread, My Sweet.
Very Mean Men (2000) was a comedy directed by Tony Vitale about a mob war between two families. Baio served as a co-producer with his older brother Steven on said film, and even played the crucial role of impetuous crime scion Paulie Minnetti who unwittingly instigates the crime feud. Variety praised his performance: "A career-reviving turn by Scott Baio."
Face to Face (2001; renamed Italian Ties) was a comic drama directed by Ellie Kanner about three young men (Scott Baio as Richie, Thomas Calabro as Philly and Carlo Imperato as Al) who kidnap their emotionally distant fathers for a weekend of genuine bonding. Baio co-wrote the screenplay with Jeffrey Gurian. The movie won the Audience Prize for Best Comedy at the Marco Island Film Festival, the Silver Screen Accolade in the Reno Film Festival and the 10 Degrees Hotter Best Feature Award during the Valley Film Festival.
The Bread, My Sweet (2001; retitled A Wedding For Bella) a romance film directed by Melissa Martin and produced by Adrienne Wehr. Baio portrayed Dominic Pyzola who is both a corporate raider in the daytime and a pastry chef at night. He earned three Best Lead Actor prizes in the Atlantic City Film Festival, the Kansas City Halfway To Hollywood Film Festival and the San Diego Film Festival. The movie itself collected top accolades from the Santa Monica, Stony Brook, Marco Island, Houston World fest and Iowa Hardacre Film Festivals.
Baio was also in the Emmy award winning comedy series Arrested Development as the madcap Bluth family's serious but overpaid lawyer, Bob Loblaw . He took over the role of the clan's legal counselor from former Happy Days co-star Henry Winkler
Henry Winkler
Henry Franklin Winkler, OBE is an American actor, director, producer, and author.Winkler is best known for his role as Fonzie on the 1970s American sitcom Happy Days...
in four episodes: "Forget Me Now", "Notapusy", "Mr. F", and "Making a Stand". The Online Film and Television Association nominated him as Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series.
In August 2006, Baio was formally invited by the AIA Actors Studio to discuss his professional experiences in television and movies. He talked about his own acting career plus his recent forays into writing, directing and producing.
In 2007, Baio starred in the successful VH1 celebrity reality series Scott Baio Is 45...and Single
Scott Baio Is 45...and Single
Scott Baio Is 45...and Single is an American reality television show that aired on VH1 starring Scott Baio. The second season, entitled Scott Baio Is 46...and Pregnant, began on January 13, 2008.-Synopsis:...
and its successor the following year, Scott Baio Is 46...and Pregnant
Scott Baio Is 46...and Pregnant
Scott Baio Is 46...and Pregnant is an American reality series that aired on VH1 from January to March 2008. The series stars Scott Baio.-Synopsis:...
.
Baio was also the co-host of the VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
reality show Confessions of a Teen Idol
Confessions of a Teen Idol
Confessions of a Teen Idol is an American reality series that began airing on VH1 on January 4, 2009 and concluded on February 22, 2009. It ran for eight episodes. The series was hosted and produced by former teen idols Scott Baio and Jason Hervey...
, in which former teen idols attempt to resurrect their careers.
Personal life
In 2007, Baio married his longtime girlfriend Renee Sloan, and accepted Kaelyn Sloan-Robinson as his step-daughter. In July 2007, he told E!: Entertainment TelevisionE!
E! Entertainment Television is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by NBCUniversal. It features entertainment-related programming, reality television, feature films and occasionally series and specials unrelated to the entertainment industry.E! has an audience reach of...
's Ted Casablanca
Ted Casablanca
Ted Casablanca is an American entertainment journalist for E! Online and has a column called The Awful Truth.-Career:...
that they were expecting a baby girl in December. Initially pregnant with twins, Renee lost one of the babies at 11 weeks gestation.
Their daughter, Bailey DeLuca Baio, was born in November 2007, 5 weeks premature. The family has started the Bailey Baio Angel Foundation to provide financial support to other families who are dealing with metabolic disorders.
Scott Baio is cousin to actor Jimmy Baio
Jimmy Baio
James Joseph "Jimmy" Baio is an American actor. He was born in Brooklyn, New York. He is the cousin of actor Scott Baio.Baio first appeared onscreen in 1975 at age 13...
and to Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend is an American indie rock band from New York City that formed in 2006 and signed to XL Recordings. The Band has four members: Ezra Koenig, Rostam Batmanglij, Chris Tomson, and Chris Baio. The band released its first album Vampire Weekend in 2008, which produced the singles "Mansard...
's bassist Chris Baio
Chris Baio
Christopher Baio is an American musician, best known for being the bassist for the New York City-based indie rock band Vampire Weekend.-Early life:...
.
Politics
Baio has voiced that his politics are mostly conservative. He was one of the famous guests in attendance during the historical ceremonies of the late U.S. President Ronald ReaganRonald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
's televised state funeral. The New York Daily News published Michelle Caruso's article "A Goodbye As The Sun Sets In The West" (June 12, 2004) which mentioned Scott who had been seated near former U.K. Prime Minister Baroness Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
: "Scott Baio who played Chachi on the hit sitcom Happy Days said: 'President Reagan made me feel proud to be an American. Today, I feel sadness.'"
In April 2010, Baio was involved in a controversy surrounding his Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
postings. His posting, “Taxes are DONE...That should feed, house & provide medical for a few lazy non working people at my expense. Have a great Monday!" was picked up by the blog Jezebel, and the heated web-based discussion between Baio, his wife, the Jezebel.com
Jezebel (website)
Jezebel is a blog aimed at women's interests, under the tagline "Celebrity, Sex, Fashion. Without Airbrushing". It is one of several blogs owned by Gawker Media.Jezebel was launched on May 21, 2007, as the 14th Gawker blog...
authors, Jezebel readers and Baio fans was covered by major news organizations.
On July 1, 2010 he hosted The Dennis Miller Show and gave his views on current events, such as the BP oil spill
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which flowed unabated for three months in 2010, and continues to leak fresh oil. It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry...
. Baio is a registered Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
.
In May 2011, Baio was honored as a featured guest speaker during the Hollywood Congress Of Republicans monthly meetup, saying, "I was never afraid to speak my mind. But I do remember times on a set where I'd hear my 'Liberal' friends talking and I didn't speak out. I stepped back and did not comment because there is a stigma (within the industry) that if you talk (as a conservative and/or Republican), you don't work."