How Did Christian Cousins Die? Twin Brother Joey Pays Tribute As ‘Kindergarten Cop’ Star Dies at 43

Christian Cousins, the former child actor best known for playing Dominic alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1990 comedy Kindergarten Cop, died on Oct. 20 at 43 after being seriously ill with liver disease. His family disclosed his illness in a social media tribute, although no confirmed medical cause of death or further clinical details have been made public.

His half-brother, Jonas Roeser, announced his death in an Instagram post, sharing details about the family and remembering Christian’s personality and ambitions. “It’s hard to share that my brother, Christian Cousins, has passed away,” Roeser wrote. “Christian and his twin brother, Joseph ‘Joey’ Cousins, are my brothers through my biological father.”

Born on March 17, 1983, in Orange County, California, Christian and Joey were identical twins who shared the role of Dominic in Kindergarten Cop. The production cast both brothers to comply with child labor regulations governing the amount of time children could work on set. Directed by Ivan Reitman and distributed by Universal Pictures, the comedy earned approximately $202 million worldwide, making it one of the highest-grossing films of 1990.

Christian Cousins’ Acting Career With Twin Brother Joey

Christian and Joey began their acting careers in 1987, playing Bobby Ewing on CBS’ prime-time soap opera Knots Landing, a spinoff of Dallas. The brothers appeared in multiple episodes of the series and reprised their roles in the 1994 miniseries Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac.

They also appeared together in the 1994 comedy Twin Sitters. Christian’s other screen credits included the 1992 television film Intruders and the horror sequel Critters 3. Both brothers stepped away from Hollywood in 1995, ending their acting careers after several years in television and film.

In 2020, Christian participated in a Yahoo reunion marking the 30th anniversary of Kindergarten Cop. During the virtual event, he discussed the decision to cast twins in the film to meet child labor regulations. Arnold Schwarzenegger also joined the reunion.

Half-Brother Remembers Christian Cousins as ‘Full of Passion and Energy’

In his tribute, Roeser shared details about his relationship with Christian and Joey, explaining that they grew up separately. While Roeser was raised in Washington, the twins grew up in California. He said he initially knew his brothers through their television work before meeting them personally as adults.

“He was a character, full of passion and energy, with big stories and even bigger dreams,” Roeser wrote. “Christian had been very sick with liver disease. It brings me comfort to believe he is now in heaven with his mother, free from the pain he was carrying,” Roeser said.

He concluded the tribute with a personal message to his late brother: “You are my brother, and you will be missed.” The post also drew responses from people who remembered Christian and Joey from their earlier years. One commenter wrote, “We had no idea. Someone literally just told us. We’re so sorry. We have such fond memories with Chris and Joe.” Further details about Christian’s funeral arrangements and survivors haven’t been made public.