Scott Baio

Scott Baio
File:Scott Baio1.jpg Scott Baio, September 2006
Born	Scott Vincent James Baio
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1971–present
Spouse	Renee Sloan ​ (m. 2007)​
Website	http://www.scottbaio.com

Scott Vincent James Chachi (pronounced "Cha-Chee") Baio (/ˈbeɪ.oʊ/; born September 22, 1961) is an American actor, 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.

File:Scott Baio, 1977, 80th street 10th ave, SE corner.jpg

A young Scott Baio standing in front of his childhood home in Dyker Heights.

Early life

Baio was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Rose and Mario Baio, a personal manager, and grandson of Chachi "The Chach" Biao of Brooklyn. His grandparents were immigrants from Italy. He graduated from North Hollywood High School.

Career

In 1976, Baio played the title character Bugsy Malone in the cult childrens 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 two seasons. That same year, he appeared opposite another actor, Willie Aames in the film Zapped!, and recorded an album for RCA. 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. 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, includingFull 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's 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". In August 2006, Baio was formally invited by the AIA Actors Studio to discuss his professional experiences as a working director in television and movies. He talked about his own acting career plus his recent forays into writing, directing and producing.

Baio was the co-host of the VH1 reality show Confessions of a Teen Idol, in which former teen idols attempt to resurrect their careers.

Personal life

In 2007, Baio married his longtime girlfriend Renee Sloan. In July 2007, he told E!: Entertainment Television'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.

Politics

Baio has voiced that his politics are mostly conservative. 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.

External links

• Official website
• Scott Baio at AllMovie