Early life

Muniz was born and grew up in Wood-Ridge, New Jersey. His father, Francisco III, was a restauranteur, and his mother, Denise, was a nurse. His father is Puerto Rican and his mother is of Italian and Irish descent. He has an elder sister, Cristina. Muniz was first discovered at the age of eight, at a talent show in Raleigh, North Carolina, shortly after the family moved to the area from New Jersey. He was cast as Tiny Tim in a local production of A Christmas Carol. Shortly after, his parents divorced, and he subsequently moved to Burbank, California, with his mother. He appeared in commercials and made his film debut in the made-for-television movie To Dance With Olivia (1997), starring Lou Gossett Jr. In that same year, he appeared in the CBS Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation of What the Deaf Man Heard. A small role in the film Lost & Found (1999) led to his breakout role as the title character on Malcolm in the Middle.

Career

Acting

Fox premiered Linwood Boomer's Malcolm in the Middle, starring Muniz, on January 9, 2000, as a mid-season replacement, and the show was quickly overcome with accolades. The premiere episode was watched by 23 million people and the second episode by 26 million. He was nominated for the Emmy Awards in 2001, and received the Hollywood Reporter "Young Star Award" for his work in the series.

Throughout his television career, Muniz made guest appearances on the shows Lizzie McGuire; Sabrina, the Teenage Witch; and MADtv. His first starring role in a feature film was as Willie Morris in the 2000 family period piece My Dog Skip, which was released at the same approximate time as the pilot for Malcolm in the Middle. That same year, he provided the character voice of Domino in the 2000 video game 102 Dalmatians: Puppies to the Rescue, and was featured on the video game Stargate Worlds.

The following year, he contributed a character voice to the animal cast of the film Dr. Dolittle 2. He had a hit with the 2002 release Big Fat Liar, which teamed him with teen actress Amanda Bynes as a pair of students seeking revenge on a sleazy movie producer (played by Paul Giamatti). Muniz was also part of the ensemble for the gang film Deuces Wild, released that same year. In 2003, he made a cameo appearance as Cher's underage boyfriend in Stuck on You. That same year, he appeared in the series premiere of Ashton Kutcher's MTV practical joke series Punk'd.
Muniz subsequently played the title role in the film Agent Cody Banks as well as its sequel, Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London. The first film opened in March 2003, and grossed $47 million; the sequel, which opened a year later, grossed $28 million. He trained in martial arts for the films, and performed most of his own stunts. He also commented that it was the point in his career where he should "make the transition from child actor to an adult actor or a respectable actor."

Muniz provided the character voice of a zebra named Stripes, who wishes to become a racing equine, in the 2005 film Racing Stripes. That same year, he made a guest appearance as himself in "Mr. F," an episode of the Fox comedy Arrested Development. In April 2006, he began filming My Sexiest Year, an independent film in which Harvey Keitel played his father. He announced, during that same month, that he would be taking a break from acting, in order to pursue a career in race car driving, under a full-time two-year deal with Jensen Motorsport in the Formula BMW competition.

Malcolm in the Middle finished its run on May 14, 2006. Ten days later, on May 24, Muniz appeared in the horror movie Stay Alive. He expressed a desire to leave traditional Hollywood film roles behind, saying:

Growing up has never scared me until last year. I started thinking about getting older, being an adult, and it scared me. Hopefully things will work out in my career. If they don't, then it was never meant to be.

Despite his earlier stated intention to take a break from acting, in May 2006, he signed on to star in the R-rated teen-sex comedy Extreme Movie. The film was originally planned to be released in 2007 by Dimension Films, but was ultimately released straight to DVD in February 2009.

In late 2007, he made a guest appearance in an episode of the CBS crime drama Criminal Minds. In December 2007, he made a cameo appearance in the movie Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, playing Buddy Holly. In 2008, he began work on a film with former Missy Elliott protégée Brianna Perry, but the project was never released.

In 2012, he made a cameo appearance as himself in the second season of the comedy Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23.

Writing and producing

Muniz started writing in 2004, when he wrote the screenplay of the TV show Granted. To date, that is his only screenplay. In 2004, he was the executive producer of Granted. In 2006, he was also executive producer for the movie Choose Your Own Adventure: The Abominable Snowman. A year later (2007), he became an associate producer of the film Choose Connor.

Racing

Muniz has had a long-running interest in car racing. A fateful encounter occurred on February 18, 2001, when Muniz drove the pace car for the Daytona 500 and met Dale Earnhardt shortly before Earnhardt entered his vehicle for the race. Muniz, who was also attending the race to film for MTV's documentary series True Life, witnessed the subsequent crash on the final lap which killed Earnhardt.

Muniz's career in car racing traces back to 2004, when he ran the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race in Long Beach as a celebrity participant, finishing 7th. The following year, he finished third, and was the best-finishing celebrity after capitalizing on Ingo Rademacher and Aaron Peirsol's contact on the final lap. While investigating the possibility of joining a racing team as an owner, he was granted a test in a car, and instead signed a two-year deal with Jensen Motorsport as a driver. Muniz entered fourteen races during the 2006 Formula BMW USA season, and failed to finish in a point-scoring position. He was selected as one of the thirty-six drivers to compete in the annual Formula BMW World Final at Valencia. Muniz finished 29th. In April, he again competed in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity, finishing 11th after starting 19th.

In 2007, Muniz moved up to the more competitive Champ Car Atlantic Series, where he competed in the entire season of 12 races. For the season, his best race finish was ninth place, and he officially earned a total of 41 points (for 22nd place) and $17,000 in prize money, logging 351 laps. In January 2007, he placed second at the Sebring Winter National race. He signed with Atlantic Championship-winning team Pacific Coast Motorsports in January 2008, with a goal to consistently compete in the top ten of the points championship. He finished the 2008 season in eleventh place. At the end of the 2008 season, he won the Jovy Marcelo Award, an award for sportsmanship voted on by fellow drivers named in memory of the 1991 Atlantic Championship winner who was killed during practice for the 1992 Indianapolis 500. In 2009, Muniz joined Team Stargate Worlds, and finished in the top ten in every race he contested, with a best finish of fourth at Miller Motorsports Park. However, prior to the penultimate race at Road America, his season was shortened by wrist surgery.

In 2011, Muniz returned to the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race; after starting 15th, he finished 4th.

Music

Muniz joined the unsigned band "You Hang Up" as a drummer. He said, "This is something I have always wanted in my life, and I'm thrilled to be associated with such a great group of guys!"

In 2012, Muniz joined Kingsfoil, a band based in York, Pennsylvania, and endorsed SJC Drums and Imperial Cymbals. In 2014 he had to leave the band because of scheduling problems.

Personal life

In 2007, Muniz began dating Elycia Marie, owner of clothing line Arcadia Vintage. On October 22, 2011, he announced via Twitter that they were engaged. They live in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Muniz is an avid supporter of the Arizona Cardinals and the Los Angeles Clippers.

On November 30, 2012, Muniz was hospitalized after having a "mini stroke", also described as a transient ischemic attack, and spoke about the experience on Katie. He suffered a second attack a year later, in November 2013.

Muniz criticized the Obama administration for hiring Susan Rice as National Security Advisor in early June 2013.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1997	To Dance with Olivia	Oscar	TV movie
1997	What the Deaf Man Heard	Young Sammy	TV movie
1998	Spin City	Derek Evans	Episode: "Three Men and a Little Lady" Episode: "The Kidney's All Right"
1999	Sabrina, the Teenage Witch	Angelo	Episode: "Sabrina the Matchmaker"
1999	Lost & Found	Movie on TV 'Boy'
1999	Little Man	Ross	Short film
2000	My Dog Skip	Willie Morris	Main role
2000	2000 Kids' Choice Awards	Host/Himself
2000	Miracle in Lane 2	Justin Yoder	TV movie
2000-2006	Malcolm in the Middle	Malcolm	Lead role 150 episodes
2001	Andy Dick Show, TheThe Andy Dick Show	Young Andy Dick	Episode: "Kid Krist"
2001	The Simpsons	Thelonious (voice)	Episode: "Trilogy of Error"
2000	Dr. Dolittle 2	Boy Bear Cub (voice)
2001-2003	Fairly OddParents, TheThe Fairly OddParents	Chester McBadbat (voice)	24 episodes
2002	Moville Mysteries	Mosley 'Mo' Moville	TV series
2002	Lizzie McGuire	Himself/Frankie Muniz	Episode: "Lizzie in the Middle"
2002	Big Fat Liar	Jason Shepherd	Main role
2002	Titus	Nick Galenti	Episode: "Too Damn Good"
2002	Nightmare Room, TheThe Nightmare Room	Mike	Episode: "Camp Nowhere: Part 2"
2002	Deuces Wild	Scooch
2002	Fillmore!	Willie / Augie / Tony (voice)	Episode: "Test of the Tested" Episode: "A Wurm in Our Midst"
2002	Moville Mysteries	Mosley "Mo" Moville	TV series
2003	Clifford the Big Red Dog	Himself/Frankie Muniz	Episode: "Little Big Pup/Getting to Know You"
2003	Agent Cody Banks	Cody Banks	Main role
2003	Stuck on You	Cher's Boyfriend
2004	Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London	Cody Banks	Main role
2005	Racing Stripes	Stripes (voice)	Main role
2005	Arrested Development	Himself/Frankie Muniz	Episode: "Mr. F"
2006	Stay Alive	Swink Sylvania
2006	Danny Roane: First Time Director	Himself/Frankie Muniz
2006	Choose Your Own Adventure: The Abominable Snowman	Benjamin North (voice)	Video
2006	Fabulous Life Presents: Really Rich Real Estate, TheThe Fabulous Life Presents: Really Rich Real Estate		Episode: "1.1"
2007	My Sexiest Year	Jake Stein
2007	Criminal Minds	Jonny McHale	Episode: "True Night"
2007	Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story	Buddy Holly
2008	Extreme Movie	Chuck
2010	Legend of Secret Pass, TheThe Legend of Secret Pass	Manu (voice)
2011	Pizza Man	Matt Burns / Pizza Man
2012	Last Man Standing	Richard	Episode: "Baxter & Sons"
2012	Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23	Himself/Frankie Muniz	Episode: "A Reunion..."
2013	Blast Vegas	Nelson	Main role
2015	Hot Bath an' a Stiff Drink 2	Deputy Allister Jenkins	Sequel to Western Hot Bath an' a Stiff Drink
2015	Road To Capri	Daniel	Post production
2015	The Mysteries of Laura	Himself/Frankie Muniz	Episode: "The Mystery of the Crooked Clubber"
2015	Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!	Lucas Stevens	TV movie

Awards and nominations

Awards

Year	Result	Award	Category	Nominated work
1998	Nominated	Young Artist Awards	Best Performance in a TV Movie/Pilot/Mini-Series: Young Actor Age Ten or Under	What the Deaf Man Heard
	Nominated	YoungStar Award	Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Miniseries/Made-for-TV Movie
2000	Won	Giffoni Film Festival	Best Actor	My Dog Skip
	Nominated	Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards	Youth in Film
	Nominated	YoungStar Awards	Best Young Actor/Performance in a Motion Picture Drama
	Won		Best Young Actor/Performance in a Comedy TV Series	Malcolm in the Middle
	Won		Best Young Ensemble Cast: Television
	Nominated	Teen Choice Awards	TV: Choice Actor
	Nominated	Television Critics Association Awards	Individual Achievement in Comedy
2001	Won	Young Artist Awards	Best Ensemble in a Feature Film	My Dog Skip
	Nominated		Best Performance in a TV Movie (Drama): Leading Young Actor	Miracle in Lane 2
	Nominated		Best Ensemble in a TV Series	Malcolm in the Middle
	Won		Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series: Leading Young Actor
	Nominated	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
	Nominated	Golden Globe Awards	Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series Comedy/Musical
	Won	Satellite Awards	Best Performance by an Actor in a Series: Comedy or Musical
	Nominated	Teen Choice Awards	TV: Choice Actor
	Nominated	TV Guide Awards	Breakout Star of the Year
2002	Nominated	Teen Choice Awards	Film: Choice Chemistry	Big Fat Liar
	Nominated	Golden Globe Awards	Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series: Musical or Comedy	Malcolm in the Middle
	Nominated	Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite Television Actor'
	Won	Young Artist Awards	Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series: Leading Young Actor
	Nominated		Best Ensemble in a TV Series: (Comedy or Drama)
2003	Nominated	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie Actor: Comedy	Agent Cody Banks
	Nominated		Choice TV Actor: Comedy	Malcolm in the Middle
	Won	Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite Television Actor
	Won	Young Artist Awards	Best Ensemble in a TV Series: (Comedy or Drama)
	Nominated		Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama): Leading Young Actor
2004	Nominated	Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films	Best Performance by a Younger Actor	Agent Cody Banks
	Nominated	Young Artist Awards	Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama): Leading Young Actor
	Won	Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite Television Actor	Malcolm in the Middle
	Nominated	Teen Choice Awards	Choice TV Actor: Comedy
2005	Nominated	Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite Television Actor	Malcolm in the Middle
	Nominated	Teen Choice Awards	Choice TV Actor: Comedy

Motorsports career results

American open-wheel racing results

(key)

Atlantic Championship

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Rank	Points
2007	Jensen MotorSport	LVG	LBH	HOU	POR1	POR2	CLE	MTT	TOR	EDM1	EDM2	SJO	ROA	22nd	41
2008	Pacific Coast Motorsports	LBH	LS	MTT	EDM1	EDM2	ROA1	ROA2	TRR	NJ	UTA	ATL		11th	102
2009	Team Stargate Worlds	SEB	UTA	NJ1	NJ2	LIM	ACC1	ACC2	MDO	TRR	MOS	ATL	LS	9th	62

Charities

Frankie Muniz supports the following charitable cause: Education.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]