Scott Baio

Early life

Baio was born in the Bensonhurst neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough of New York City, the son of Rose, a homemaker, and Mario Baio, who worked as his manager. He is of Italian descent.

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. When he was 16, Baio was 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 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 in a spin-off of Happy Days entitled Joanie Loves Chachi with Erin Moran, which lasted only seventeen episodes. That same year, he appeared opposite another popular teen actor, Willie Aames from the ABC 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 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 1993 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 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. He also starred in several films on television 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 (2000), Face to Face (2001) and The Bread, My Sweet (2001). Very Mean Men 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.

Face to Face (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 L. 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 (retitled A Wedding for Bella) was a romance film directed by Melissa Martin and produced by Adrienne Wehr. Baio portrayed Dominic Pyzola, a corporate raider during the day, 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 Festival, and Iowa Hardacre Film Festival.

2004 saw Baio participate in the making of Bob Clark's final feature film, Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2 (2004). Though the film was universally panned by critics and nominated for four Razzie Awards, Baio had a highly positive experience making the film. In the documentary Clarkworld (2009), he described how he realized during production that Clark was the director/co-writer/co-producer of A Christmas Story (1983). Upon learning this, he immediately approached Clark and silently hugged him, much to Clark's astonishment.

In 2005, Baio played himself in the Wes Craven film Cursed. Baio was also in the Emmy Award-winning comedy series Arrested Development as the madcap Bluth family's serious but overpaid lawyer, Bob Loblaw (pronounced similar to "Ba-bla-bla", a running joke). 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.

Baio was the star and producer of the Nick at Nite situation comedy See Dad Run, a show about a former actor's life as a stay-at-home-dad. The show debuted on October 6, 2012. Happy Days creator/producer Garry Marshall was a guest star in a November 2013 episode. That same month, Baio appeared as a guest star in the television program Sam & Cat (broadcast on Nickelodeon, the sister channel of Nick at Nite) as the police officer that arrested the girls.

Personal life

In 2001, Baio and then-girlfriend, Jeanette Jonsson, got engaged and were still discussing marriage in 2005.

In 2007, shortly after the birth of their daughter, Baio married then-34-year-old Renée Sloan, whom he had met in the 1990s at the Playboy Mansion. 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. Their daughter, Bailey, was born in 2007, five weeks premature. After testing false positive for a rare metabolic disorder, 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 brain tumor in June 2015.

He is a cousin of former actor Jimmy Baio, and first cousin once-removed of Vampire Weekend band member Chris Baio.

Political views

Baio is a registered Republican and has described his politics as conservative. He campaigned for Ronald Reagan in his youth and attended Reagan's state funeral, when he was seated near former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher. 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."

More recently, Baio endorsed Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney in 2012 and Donald Trump in 2016. Also in 2016, he spoke at the opening night of the Republican National Convention.

In an interview with Ashley Webster, Baio described President Barack Obama as being "either dumb, a Muslim, or a Muslim sympathizer, and I don't think he's dumb".

On December 15, 2016, Baio accused Nancy Mack, wife of Chad Smith, drummer for Red Hot Chili Peppers, 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 said she was merely trying to show Baio how Trump hugs women and denies any intentional physical aggression.

On August 26, 2017, Baio re-tweeted a Sandy Hook "truther" meme, insinuating that the recent death of Heather Heyer was a hoax.