Erik Per Sullivan (born July 12, 1991) is an American former actor. He is best known for his role as Dewey on the Fox series ''

Malcolm in the Middle ''Malcolm in the Middle'' is an American television sitcom created by Linwood Boomer for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 9, 2000, and ended on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons consisting of 151 episodes. The ...

''.

Early life

Sullivan was born on July 12, 1991, in

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the list of United States cities by population, 113th most populous city in the United States. Named after Worcester ...

, the only child of his mother, Ann, born in Sweden and naturalized as an American citizen in 2007, and Fred Sullivan, of Irish descent, who owns a Mexican eatery called The Alamo. He speaks a little Swedish and his family visits Sweden almost every year. At a young age, he began studying piano and the saxophone. He has a first dan black belt in

Taekwondo Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...

. Sullivan studied at the Mount Saint Charles Academy, in

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

, and

Phillips Exeter Academy Phillips Exeter Academy (often called Exeter or PEA) is an Independent school, independent, co-educational, college-preparatory school in Exeter, New Hampshire. Established in 1781, it is America's sixth-oldest boarding school and educates an es ...

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

. Beginning in 2009, he attended the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Career

From January 9, 2000 to May 14, 2006, Sullivan played Malcolm's younger brother Dewey in the Fox sitcom ''

''. In 2005, along with ''Malcolm'' co-star Jane Kaczmarek, he wrote the afterword to the children's book ''

Together ''ToGetHer'' (, aka Superstar Express) is a 2009 Taiwanese drama starring Jiro Wang of Fahrenheit, Rainie Yang and George Hu. It was produced by Comic International Productions ( 可米國際影視事業股份有限公司) and directed by Linzi ...

'', which is about farming and was inspired by the

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

Heifer International Heifer International (also known as Heifer Project International) is a global nonprofit working to eradicate poverty and hunger through sustainable, values-based holistic community development. Heifer International distributes animals, along with ...

. Sullivan had a starring role in the 2004 movie '' Christmas with the Kranks'' and has played a variety of characters in film and on television, including the title role in the independent film ''Mo'' (2007), as well as voicing Sheldon the Seahorse in both the animated film ''

Finding Nemo ''Finding Nemo'' is a 2003 American animated comedy-drama adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The film was directed by Andrew Stanton, co-directed by Lee Unkrich, and produced by Graham Walters, from ...

'' and its video game tie-in. Sullivan's last acting credit was an appearance in the 2010 film '' Twelve'' when he was 18 years old. He has since kept a low profile, and has been absent from several ''Malcolm in the Middle'' cast reunions. Sullivan also will not return for the show's revival in 2025, with Caleb Ellsworth-Clark taking over the role of Dewey. According to Kaczmarek, Sullivan has more recently been studying

Victorian literature Victorian era, Victorian literature is English literature during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901). In the Victorian era, the novel became the leading literary genre in English. English writing from this era reflects the major transform ...

. In a 2025 interview, Bryan Cranston stated that Sullivan is currently pursuing a master's degree at Harvard University. Despite his lack of involvement, he has reportedly remained supportive of his former castmates and the show's legacy.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sullivan, Erik Per 1991 births Living people 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male child actors American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors American people of Irish descent American people of Swedish descent Male actors from Worcester, Massachusetts People from Milford, Massachusetts Phillips Exeter Academy alumni University of Southern California alumni Harvard University alumni Mount Saint Charles Academy alumni