Malcolm’s Dewey

Background:

Swedish-American actor Erik Per Sullivan made his first on-screen appearance at age 5 as an extra in Michael Bay's blockbuster Armageddon (1998). The next year, the young performer got his breakthrough as the critically sick orphan Fuzzy who lives under the protection of Michael Caine's Dr. Larch, in the Oscar-winning film adaptation of John Irving's The Cider House Rules (1999). His breakout performance turned him a TV star when he won the regular lead role of Dewey (2000-Present), the odd little brother to the title character (played by Frankie Muniz), on Fox's family sitcom “Malcolm in the Middle.”

During his “Malcolm in the Middle” years, Sullivan continued his movie works. He played significant roles in Wendigo (2001), Joe Dirt (2001), Unfaithful (2002), Finding Nemo (2003; voiced Sheldon the seahorse) and Christmas with the Kranks (2004).


Swedish American

Childhood and Family:

The only child of Fred and Ann Sullivan, Erik Per Sullivan was born on July 12, 1991 in Worcester, Massachusetts. He currently resides in Milford, Massachusetts, where his family runs a Mexican restaurant called "The Alamo."

Erik, whose mother is from Sweden, speaks fluent Swedish and English. He currently learns Japanese. He plays piano and alto saxophone. He also studies tae kwon do, in which he has earned a first-degree black belt. His other hobbies include racing his Razor scooter, mastering yo-yo tricks, fishing, skiing, boogy boarding, building obstacle courses, traveling and playing paintball. He attends Mount Saint Charles Academy in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, where he is currently a sophomore.


Screen Son

Career:

Proving his acting talent at age 5 in pre-school theatricals, Erik Per Sullivan was taken by his father to an open casting call for Michael Bay's box office hit Armageddon (1998), and got an extra role. The next year, the young performer achieved his breakthrough as an actor as the critically sick orphan Fuzzy who lives under the protection of Michael Caine's Dr. Larch, in Lasse Hallström's Oscar-winning film adaptation of John Irving's The Cider House Rules (1999; also starring Tobey Maguire and Charlize Theron).

His standout performance in The Cider House Rules (1999) turned him into a TV star on “Malcolm in the Middle.” He stayed on the acclaimed Fox sitcom from 2000 up to now (2006), playing Dewey, the strange younger brother to the title character (played by Frankie Muniz). His performance later received awards at the Young Artist and YoungStar Awards.

During his “Malcolm in the Middle” stint, Erik also had a guest role as the son of psychiatrist Dr. Robert Banger (played by Ted Levine), the forensics specialist in a custody battle, in the pilot episode of ABC medical drama "Wonderland" in 2000. He also continued to work in movies, being cast as the title character’s youthful incarnation in David Spade’s white-trash opus about a young man who searched for his parents after they deliberately abandoned him on a road trip to the grand canyon, Joe Dirt (2001), and playing the eight-year-old son of a beleaguered couple who invokes the ferocious spirit of a Native American myth manifested in his imagination in cult horror filmmaker Larry Fessenden's indie creature feature Wendingo (2002; screened at Sundance Film Festival).

After portraying Richard Gere and Diane Lane's 8-year-old son in Adrian Lyne's sexy adultery thriller Unfaithful (2002), Erik lent his voice to Sheldon the seahorse in the hit animated movie Finding Nemo (2003), and its video game version. He then was cast as Spike Frohmeyer in the holiday comedy Christmas with the Kranks (2004), alongside Tim Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis and Dan Aykroyd.

While celebrating his 13th birthday, Erik filmed Ben Van Hook's dramatic short film, Once Not Far from Home (2006), starring as the curious little boy. More recently, he provided his voice for Luc Besson's animated movie Arthur et les Minimoys (2006), starring Freddie Highmore.

Awards:

- Young Artist: Best Ensemble in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama), "Malcolm in the Middle," 2003
- YoungStar: Best Young Ensemble Cast - Television, "Malcolm in the Middle," 2000