Erik Per Sullivan, famous for playing Dewey on “Malcolm in the Middle,” has been photographed out in public for the first time in 18 years.
Per Sullivan, 33, was spotted last Wednesday leaving his house in Boston, Mass., to grab a coffee. The former child star wore a shawl-style grey marl sweater and smiled as he walked down his porch carrying brown grocery bags.
In other photos taken the same day, Per Sullivan, who starred in “Malcolm in the Middle” for the entirety of its run between 2000 and 2006, donned a brown peacoat, newsboy-style cap, olive green pants and caramel brown Chelsea boots.
He was spotted just one day after news broke that Disney+’s upcoming revival of the hit sitcom cast Caleb Ellsworth-Clark to take over the role Per Sullivan made famous.
When “Malcolm in the Middle” wrapped in 2006, Per Sullivan continued acting for a short period, appearing in the 2010 crime thriller “Twelve” before leaving Hollywood to focus on his education. He is currently a graduate student studying Victorian literature, per E! News.
Jane Kaczmarek, who played Per Sullivan’s mother on “Malcolm in the Middle,” recently shared that he is doing “very very well” and stopped acting because he lost interest in the profession.
“He did ‘Malcolm’ for seven years. He started at 7, he ended at 14,” Kaczmarek, 69, said while appearing at the Paris Manga Sci-fi Show in April 2024. “He wasn’t interested in acting at all. So many people think being in show business is the greatest thing in the world, [but] it’s not for everyone.”
“Malcolm in the Middle” centers on a child prodigy, Malcolm (Frankie Muniz), and his dysfunctional working-class family. Along with Per Sullivan, Kaczmarek and Muniz, 39, the Fox sitcom starred a pre-“Breaking Bad” Bryan Cranston, Christopher Masterson and Justin Berfield.
News that the show would be revived by Disney+ arrived last December. In its announcement, the studio revealed that Muniz, Cranston, 69, Kaczmarek, Masterson, 45, and Berfield, 39, would all reprise their roles.
The four episode limited series will reportedly focus on Hal (Cranston) and Lois’ (Kaczmarek) 40th wedding anniversary, an event Malcolm and his other brothers will play a part in.
“’Malcolm in the Middle’ literally changed the face of the television comedy landscape when it premiered two decades ago, redefining what the genre could be,” said Karey Burke, president of 20th Television, which is collaborating with New Regency on the series, in a statement at the time.
“When [‘Malcolm in the Middle’ creator] Linwood Boomer suggested it might be time to bring everyone’s favorite dysfunctional family back for a bit of a reunion, we couldn’t think of a more iconic and influential series to revisit, along with a truly brilliant cast to reunite.”
In addition to Ellsworth-Clark, newcomers Kiana Madeira, Keeley Karsten, Anthony Timpano and Vaughan Murrae will join the main cast.
