The retired actor portrayed Dewey on all seven seasons of ‘Malcolm in the Middle’
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Erik Per Sullivan is not reprising his role as Dewey in the Malcolm in the Middle revival.
The former actor portrayed the hilarious, musically gifted second youngest Wilkerson son on all seven seasons of the beloved Fox sitcom, from 2000 to 2006.
But, for nearly two decades, Per Sullivan has led a private life away from Hollywood. In June 2025, Bryan Cranston, who portrayed patriarch Hal Wilkerson, shared on the Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade podcast that Per Sullivan was earning his master’s degree at Harvard while Malcolm will return for a limited four-episode run on Disney+.
Cranston shared that his on-screen son is not interested in stepping into Dewey’s shoes again.
"I talked to Erik and I said, 'Hey, we got the show! It's going to come back.' He goes, 'Oh, that's fantastic!' And I go, 'Yeah, so we're looking forward to having you back.' He goes, 'Oh, no, no, I don't want to do it. But it's fantastic,' " Cranston revealed.
In April 2026, Lois actress Jane Kaczmarek confirmed Cranston's account and told The Guardian, “He’s studying Dickens and is an incredible student – they offered him buckets of money to come back, and he just said: ‘No thank you.' "
Here’s everything to know about Erik Per Sullivan and where the Malcolm in the Middle alum is now.
Who is Erik Per Sullivan?
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Per Sullivan is a former American actor. Born in Worcester, Mass., on July 12, 1991, his first big role came in 1999’s The Cider House Rules.
He appeared in the pilot of the brief ABC medical drama Wonderland before landing the role of Dewey on Malcolm in the Middle. The Fox sitcom remains his best-known role.
What was Erik Per Sullivan’s role on Malcolm in the Middle?
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Per Sullivan portrayed Dewey on Malcolm in the Middle. The Massachusetts native appeared in all seven seasons of the Fox show’s original run, which ran for 151 episodes from 2000 to 2006.
Dewey was the humorous, smart, musically-inclined second youngest son of the Wilkerson family.
Did Erik Per Sullivan act after Malcolm in the Middle?
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During his time on the sitcom, Per Sullivan appeared in films like 2001’s Joe Dirt, 2003’s Finding Nemo and 2004’s Christmas with the Kranks.
His last credited role on IMDb was as Timmy in the 2010 film Twelve, starring 50 Cent, Chace Crawford and Emma Roberts.
The actor retired from the industry in 2010, leaving Hollywood to focus on his education.
Will Erik Per Sullivan return for the Malcolm in the Middle revival?
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Per Sullivan has never participated in a Malcolm reunion, and he will not return for the revival, as he is retired from acting.
Malcolm in the Middle is returning as a four-episode, limited-run series on Disney+, the streamer announced in December 2024. In the new series, Dewey is portrayed by Caleb Ellsworth-Clark.
While Per Sullivan has not publicly commented on the revival or recasting, Cranston and Kaczmarek have. On a June 2025 episode of the Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade podcast, the Breaking Bad star shared that Per Sullivan was “the only one who didn’t come back to act in the show.”
"He's really, really smart, and he's getting his master's at Harvard right now," Cranston said. "He said, 'Oh, God no. I haven't acted since I was 9 or something, so I'm not into it.' "
Cranston did note that though Per Sullivan didn’t want to do the revival, he did think “it’s fantastic” that Malcolm would be returning.
Where is Erik Per Sullivan now?
Per Sullivan leads a private life.
In 2007, he earned the James Joyce Award from the Literary and Historical Society of University College Dublin. He also made a handful of public appearances that year, attending the New York City premiere of Arthur and the Invisibles, Boston’s Oscar Night America and his mother Ann’s naturalization ceremony in Boston.
After leaving the entertainment industry in 2010 to pursue academia, he briefly attended the University of Southern California.
“I talked to Erik Per Sullivan (Dewey) today for the first time since Malcolm finished filming 4 years ago. He's going to USC… crazy!” Frankie Muniz, who portrayed Dewey’s big brother Malcolm, wrote on X in December 2009.
During an April 2024 interview with Malcolm France at the Paris Manga Sci-fi Show by TGS, Kaczmarek revealed that her on-screen son was now studying Victorian literature at "a very prestigious American university,” though she didn’t reveal which school. On the Fly on the Wall podcast, Cranston named the university as Harvard.
In April 2025, Per Sullivan was spotted running errands in Boston. In the photos, he’s seen wearing a peacoat and cap while holding onto a to-go cup of coffee.
What did Jane Kaczmarek say about Erik Per Sullivan?
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In an April 2024 interview with Malcolm France, Kaczmarek explained that Per Sullivan's interest in acting changed over time.
"He's very, very well," she said. "He did Malcolm for seven years. He started at 7, he ended at 14. He wasn't interested in acting at all."
"I admire it too because so many people think being in show business is the greatest thing in the world. It's not for everyone," she added.
In April 2026, Kaczmarek added that Per Sullivan reportedly turned down a large offer to come back as Dewey.
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