Columbo And Cujo Have The Same Origin Story

By Brian Myers
| Published 29 seconds ago

The families that make up both the big and small screen form a lengthy and fascinating list. Some, like the Carradines, Barrymores, and Hustons, have spanned generations. Others, notably the Arquettes and Baldwins, feature multiple siblings who have left their mark on television and film since the 1980s. The Jacoby/Jayne family is yet another group of brothers who, while lesser known, built screen careers that made all of them recognizable faces.

Three brothers—Bobby (Robert Jayne), Billy (William Jayne), and Scott Jacoby—built impressive résumés in the 1970s and ’80s, with notable horror and sci-fi credits. Though their careers began to wane in the 1990s, their contributions to those genres should not go unnoticed and deserve recognition as a family with solid acting chops.

From Broadway To The Silver Screen

The eldest Jacoby brother, Scott, was born in Skokie, Illinois, in 1956. In 1966, his family moved to Brooklyn, where he began his acting career. Starting on stage, he earned a Tony Award nomination for his role in the 1968 Broadway production of Golden Rainbow. His film career began a year later with the 1969 drama Children’s Games. As he entered his teens, television appearances followed, along with several feature film roles. His performance in the 1973 network movie That Certain Summer earned him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor.

Scott’s contributions to horror began in 1974 with the made-for-TV film Bad Ronald, where his unsettling performance stood out alongside veteran actors Dabney Coleman and Pippa Scott. He followed this with a memorable role opposite Jodie Foster in the 1976 film The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane.

His career continued through the late 1970s with supporting roles in film and television. In the 1980s, he appeared in several horror titles, including Return to Horror High and To Die For (and its sequel), helping to round out his later career before stepping away from acting in the early 1990s.

The Tremors Connection

The youngest brother, Bobby, began working in television movies in 1979 at just six years old. As the 1980s progressed, he became a familiar face on primetime TV, including a recurring role on Diff’rent Strokes as Arnold Drummond’s friend Ricky. He also appeared on the nighttime soap Knots Landing from 1980 to 1985. Throughout the decade, he earned more than half a dozen Young Artist Award nominations, winning twice in 1988 for roles in Perfect Strangers and the TV drama A Different Affair.

In 1989, Bobby transitioned into roles that appealed to sci-fi and horror fans, starring in the sword-and-sorcery film Wizards of the Lost Kingdom II. This role allowed him to work with B-movie legends Charles B. Griffith and Roger Corman, alongside genre favorites Sid Haig and John Carradine.

His most memorable role came in 1990, when he played Melvin Plug in the cult hit Tremors. He later reprised the role in Tremors III: Back to Perfection and in the Tremors television series. Bobby also appeared in Night of the Demons II (1994) and Beyond the Wall of Sleep (2006), before transitioning into work behind the camera as a producer and screenwriter.

Billy The Beastmaster

Middle sibling Billy is perhaps the most recognizable to fans of sci-fi and horror. After numerous minor television and film roles, he landed the part of young Dar in The Beastmaster (1982). That same year, he appeared in the horror film Superstition, featuring one of the film’s most gruesome death scenes.

Billy’s genre work continued with appearances in Cujo, Bloody Birthday, Nightmares, and an episode of Tales from the Darkside. His performances earned him five Young Artist Award nominations, with three wins for his work in Just One of the Guys, The Golden Girls, and 21 Jump Street. He remains active in the industry today, having directed multiple music videos for the band Buckcherry.

Sisters Just As Prolific As The Misters

The family’s screen presence extended beyond the three brothers. Their sister Susan appeared in 1970s television series such as Eight Is Enough, The Rockford Files, and Columbo, while also working behind the scenes as a production assistant on shows like Diff’rent Strokes and Good Times.

The youngest sibling, Laura, built an impressive résumé with more than 30 screen credits over a 12-year span beginning in 1979. She appeared in popular 1980s series, including T.J. Hooker, Night Court, and Punky Brewster, and won three Young Artist Awards for her work in Rad, Valerie, and The Night They Saved Christmas. Fittingly, her final acting credit came in Parker Lewis Can’t Lose, starring her brother Billy—bringing the family’s on-screen legacy full circle.