The Baio Has Two Faces:

From a current television hunk (Robbie Amell) to one from several decades ago....

Don't judge me, but one of the boxes under my Christmas tree was the complete series of The Facts Of Life. I remember it vaguely on Saturday nights when I was a kid, but remember distinctly watching the repeats that used to run at 4:30pm after I got home from school. My younger brother also remembered this, so although a little embarrassed while opening it, I was not unhappy to take my box home with when I headed back home.

Making my through some of the show's early episodes I came upon two episodes featuring the adorable Jimmy Baio as Buzz. Child star Baio was 20 at the time of his two appearances on Facts and a little research uncovered these two episodes were actually the pilot for a spin-off The Academy that NBC eventually decided not to pick up.

Jimmy's cousin Scott seemed to have gotten the lions share of attention from the teen set, maybe partly because Jimmy usually kept his shirt on when Tiger Beat came a'calling. Jimmy was equally adorable though and he was very affective as the Academy's resident player, charming almost everyone he came across. Baio might be known to most for his role on Soap in the early 80's but after the show's cancellation, Baio most did the guest rounds on shows from Matt Houston, Matlock and Too Close For Comfort.

Fantasy Island 1979

I have no idea what Baio is up to today, but his smooth line delivery and New York accent would have fit in well on The Soprano's. Although he basically stopped acting in the 80's, it is interesting to see he appeared briefly as a waiter in the 1996 Barbra Streisand film, The Mirror Has Two Faces. I will have to look closely for him the next time the movie has a television airing.

Soap 1977-1981