Christian Cousins, the former child actor who shared the screen with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1990 comedy Kindergarten Cop, has died at 43 after battling liver disease. The actor, who also appeared in the long-running television drama Knots Landing, died on October 20. His family announced his death two days later, bringing sad news to fans who remembered him from his childhood television and movie roles.
His half-brother, Jonas Roeser, shared the news on October 22. He revealed that Christian had been seriously ill with liver disease before his death. Roeser also paid tribute to his late brother, remembering him as someone who had plenty of passion, energy and big dreams.
Christian was best known for his work alongside his identical twin brother, Joseph Cousins. The two boys shared several acting roles while growing up, taking advantage of an arrangement that allowed them to alternate playing the same character during filming.
One of their best-known appearances came in Kindergarten Cop, the 1990 comedy starring Schwarzenegger as a police detective who goes undercover as a kindergarten teacher. The twins played Dominic, one of the young students in the movie. Their performances helped make them familiar faces to audiences who watched the film.
The brothers also appeared together on the CBS drama Knots Landing, where they portrayed Bobby Gibson Ewing. Christian was associated with the show from 1987 through 1993, giving him another major television credit during his childhood acting career.
During a 2020 reunion organized by Yahoo for Kindergarten Cop, Christian spoke about how he and Joseph landed their roles. He explained that they had already gained some acting experience before meeting director Ivan Reitman and Schwarzenegger early in the audition process.
Christian recalled that producers continued bringing the brothers back even while considering other young actors. Their identical appearance was useful for filming, but the casting team also wanted to see how they worked together. The arrangement helped the production meet the rules governing how long child actors could work.
Away from the screen, Christian remained a brother and family member whose life meant much more than the roles he played as a child. Roeser’s tribute offered a glimpse of the person he remembered, describing him as full of life, with plenty of stories to tell and dreams he was passionate about.
Roeser also shared the personal comfort he found in believing Christian was now in heaven with their mother. He said he hoped his brother was finally free from the pain he had endured while battling his illness.
Although the family announced the death in October, news of Christian’s passing did not receive widespread entertainment-media attention until November 13. His death at 43 has brought renewed attention to the former child actor whose performances alongside his twin brother remain part of the history of Kindergarten Cop and Knots Landing.
Christian’s time in Hollywood may have begun when he was young, but the memories of those performances have remained with viewers for decades. His death marks the loss of an actor whose early career gave him a place in two familiar American productions.