Kindergarten Cop actor Christian Cousins has died at 43 after suffering from liver disease, according to his family.

Cousins, who appeared opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1990 comedy, died on October 20. His half-brother, Jonas Roeser, announced the news two days later.

“Christian had been very sick with liver disease,” Roeser wrote. “It brings me comfort to believe he is now in heaven with his mother, free from the pain he was carrying. Rest easy, Christian.”

How Christian Cousins became a child actor

Christian and his twin brother, Joseph Cousins, shared the role of Dominic in Kindergarten Cop, directed by Ivan Reitman. Casting twins allowed the production to alternate between the two children while complying with child labor rules, one of the less glamorous practicalities behind making a major studio comedy.

Before the film, the brothers had already worked in television. They appeared on the CBS drama Knots Landing between 1987 and 1993, building a screen career while most children their age had rather fewer production schedules to manage.

During a 2020 virtual reunion organized by Yahoo, Christian recalled that the pair’s earlier work helped them secure the part. Schwarzenegger later joined the reunion as a surprise guest.

“They had seen some previous work we’d done, met with Ivan Reitman and Arnold right off the bat and got it,” Christian said.

He explained that the filmmakers continued holding extensive interviews with other children and repeatedly invited the twins back. According to Christian, the production was also watching how the young cast members interacted with one another before filming began.

His role in Kindergarten Cop

Released in 1990, Kindergarten Cop starred Schwarzenegger as John Kimble, a police detective who goes undercover as a kindergarten teacher while searching for the former wife of a criminal. Christian and Joseph alternated as Dominic, the child at the center of Kimble’s investigation.

The film became a box-office hit and remains one of Schwarzenegger’s best-known comedies. For the Cousins brothers, it was the most prominent credit in a childhood acting career that also included their long-running television work.

Roeser remembered Christian beyond those early screen appearances, describing him as “a character, full of passion and energy, with big stories and even bigger dreams.”

Christian Cousins was 43.