Swedish-American actor Erik Per Sullivan was born on July 12, 1991 in Worcester, Massachusetts. An only child, he grew up studying piano and the alto saxophone, along with becoming fluent in his mother’s native Swedish and earning a first-degree black belt in tae kwon do. He has also been known to study the Japanese language. Aside from playing Dewey Wilkerson in the hit Fox sitcom Malcolm in the Middle, he also landed supporting roles in two Academy Award-winning films: Finding Nemo and The Cider House Rules. He studied at the Mount Saint Charles Academy in Woonsocket, Rhode Island and attended the Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire.
Erik Per Sullivan has been known for playing a variety of roles on film and television. He had a small, uncredited appearance in the film Armageddon, and was cast in an episode of Wonderland. In 2001, he landed the lead role in the movie Wendigo, a horror flick starring Patricia Clarkson and Jake Weber. He later played an only child in the film Unfaithful and was given the role of a younger version of the lead character in Joe Dirt, portrayed by David Spade. Erik Per Sullivan was next seen on episodes of Black of Life and The King of Queens, while filming the hit sitcom Malcolm in the Middle. When the series wrapped up in 2006, the actor took on the lead role in the short drama Once Not Far from Home. He also voiced characters in the English version of Arthur and the Minimoys, and starred in the title role of the independent feature Mo. In 2005, he and Malcolm in the Middle co-star Jane Kaczmarek worked together to write the afterword to Together, a children’s book on the importance of livestock in the world. Some of Erik Per Sullivan’s other hobbies include skiing, riding a boogie board, building obstacle courses and playing paintball. He is also an avid traveler and has been a consistent honor student.
(Photo Courtesy of FOX)
-Malcolm: What do you do if he catches you?
-Dewey: Roll in a ball.
-Malcolm: What if he starts kicking you?
-Dewey: Stay in a ball.
-Hal: Dewey, what did I tell you about raw meat?
-Dewey: [mouth full of raw meat] I'm not.
-Hal: Dewey, what have I said about snitching?
-Dewey: Only snitch when asked to snitch.
