For most of the cast, Malcolm in the Middle was the springboard to a lucrative career. The best and brightest, Bryan Cranston, went on to star in Breaking Bad and become a household name. In comparison, Erik Per Sullivan has gone off the radar. He played Dewey in the hit series, which ran from 2000-2006.
What is he Doing Now?
He was out of acting by 2010, although there were rumors in 2009 that he was in a relationship with actress Daveigh Chase. Sullivan has kept a low profile and has avoided several Malcolm in the Middle cast reunions. He’s now 32 and still single, but his diverse background provides many possible options when it comes to keeping busy.
Frankie Muniz revealed that he contacted Erik’s parents to find out how he was doing. Sadly, Muniz said in an interview from 2022 that he has only talked to him a few times since the show ended. According to the Daily Mail, the show may get rebooted but it appears unlikely Sullivan will return.
Sullivan does maintain an Instagram account, but it’s currently set to private. And while he could certainly live well on the wealth he’s accumulated, fans would love to see him resurface in some kind of entertaining adult role. Sadly, Erik wants to avoid the spotlight and just live a private life. Erik Per Sullivan is worth an estimated $3 million and has enough money to live an easy life.
Career After The Show
He continued to land small childhood roles after Malcolm in the Middle ran its course, most notably in “Joe Dirt,” which starred David Spade, and “Unfaithful”. He also had a role in “Christmas with the Kranks” with Tim Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis and Dan Ackroyd, another lucrative source of residuals.
From there he scored a voice role in the Pixar film, “Little Nemo,” playing Sheldon, a small seahorse. That in turn led to the same role in the “Finding Nemo” video game. While these roles might not sound lucrative, they do keep the cash coming in.
Sullivan went on to land other roles as he left his childhood acting days behind him, including a film called “Twelve,” a film about drugs, murder and a group of wealthy young children that definitely cast him against type.
Background
Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, Sullivan went to Phillips Exeter Academy, and enrolled at USC in 2009. In addition to his acting talents, he has studied piano and the saxophone, so he definitely isn’t short on talent.
He attended KD College for acting classes, and Sullivan played a prominent role in a children’s book called “Together” for a nonprofit charity called Heifer International. He also speaks fluent Swedish, something many fans probably didn’t know about back in his Malcolm in the Middle days.