The boy who played Dominic in “Kindergarten Cop” was really two boys — identical twins who split the part between them — and one of them has died.

Christian Cousins, the former child actor who appeared opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1990 comedy and played young Bobby Gibson Ewing on CBS’ “Knots Landing,” died Oct. 20, 2026. He was 43. His half-brother, Jonas Roeser, announced the death in an Instagram tribute on Oct. 22. News of it spread widely beginning Nov. 13.

Roeser posted a carousel of photographs of his brother and wrote that the credits audiences remembered were only a small piece of the man he knew. “He was a character, full of passion and energy, with big stories and even bigger dreams,” Roeser wrote.

Christian had been very ill with liver disease, Roeser said. He wrote that he finds comfort in believing his brother is in heaven with his mother and no longer in pain, and he closed the tribute by telling Christian he hoped his soul had found peace.

Roeser and the twins are brothers through their biological father. He grew up in Washington while Christian and Joseph “Joey” Cousins grew up in California, and he did not get to know them until he was in college. Before that, he wrote, he watched them on television.

Why the Role Needed Twins

“Kindergarten Cop,” directed by Ivan Reitman, cast the brothers jointly as Dominic, the kindergartner identified in the film as Dominic Palmieri. The arrangement was not a gimmick. Christian explained in 2020 that productions hired twins so filming could move forward while staying inside child labor rules — two boys, one part, double the hours on set.

That explanation came during a virtual “Kindergarten Cop” reunion, where Schwarzenegger made a surprise appearance on the Zoom call. Christian said he and Joey met Reitman and Schwarzenegger right away and landed the job, then were invited back to the larger auditions anyway so the filmmakers could watch how the children played off one another. He also said he had no sense at the time of how significant the role was.

Where Leonardo DiCaprio Got His Start

The twins also turned up in “Critters 3,” the science-fiction horror comedy remembered now for something else entirely: it was Leonardo DiCaprio’s film debut. Their other credits included “Twin Sitters” and “Intruders.”

Television came first, and it lasted longer. Christian and Joseph shared the role of young Bobby Gibson Ewing on “Knots Landing,” appearing in 57 episodes between 1987 and 1992. The twins also appeared in an episode of “Highway to Heaven.”

Christian Michail Cousins and his twin were born March 17, 1983, in Orange County, Calif. Their final acting role came in 1995, and the brothers retired from the business that year, at age 12.

By the time of the 2020 reunion, Christian had moved on entirely. He told the cast he had become an executive in the furniture industry and co-owned a CBD business.

The Brother Left Behind

Christian went on to appear on shows including “Empty Nest” and “Wings” before leaving acting. He is survived by his twin, Joseph, and his half-brother, Roeser; complete survivor information was not immediately available.