Battling a long illness at age forty-three, former child actor Christian Cousins died following complications from a liver condition, the Daily Mail reported.
Cousins and his twin brother, Joseph, shared the child role of Dominic Palmieri in the 1990 feature film Kindergarten Cop alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger. The pair also shared the recurring television role of Bobby Ewing on the prime-time soap opera Knots Landing between 1987 and 1993.
Following his early career in television and film, Cousins largely remained out of the public spotlight.
Born in Orange County, California, in 1983, Cousins entered the entertainment industry alongside his twin brother during the late 1980s. Their shared portrayal of Bobby Ewing across six seasons of Knots Landing established their presence in network television before their transition to feature films.
In Ivan Reitman’s 1990 action-comedy Kindergarten Cop, the brothers rotated duties to play Dominic Palmieri, one of the young students in Schwarzenegger’s undercover classroom setting.
Following the conclusion of their early screen appearances, both brothers stepped away from professional acting and maintained private lives away from the Hollywood studio system.
Half-brother Jonas Rosers confirmed the death to the press, detailing the actor’s extended medical history. Rosers said that Cousins had fought a prolonged battle against liver disease.
“He was an energetic and passionate person with big dreams, and now he is finally free from his suffering,” Rosers told the Daily Mail, remembering his brother’s character and disposition throughout his life and illness.
