Background and career
Erik Per Sullivan (born July 12, 1991) is an American former actor. He is best known for his role as Dewey on the Fox series Malcolm in the Middle (2000–2006).
Erik Per Sullivan was born on July 12, 1991, in Worcester, Massachusetts, the only child of his mother, Ann, born in Sweden and naturalized as an American citizen in 2007, and Fred Sullivan, of Irish descent, who owned a Mexican eatery called The Alamo. He speaks a little Swedish and his family visits Sweden almost every year. At a young age, he began studying piano and the saxophone. He has a 1st dan black belt in Taekwondo. Per Sullivan studied at the Mount Saint Charles Academy, in Rhode Island, and Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire. Beginning in 2009, he attended the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. By 2026, he was studying at Harvard University.
From January 9, 2000, to May 14, 2006, Per Sullivan appeared in the Fox sitcom Malcolm in the Middle as Malcolm's younger brother Dewey. In 2005, along with Malcolm co-star Jane Kaczmarek, he wrote the afterword to the children's book Together, which is about farming and was inspired by the nonprofit organization Heifer International. Per Sullivan had a starring role in the 2004 movie Christmas with the Kranks and has played a variety of characters in film and on television, including the title role in the independent film Mo (2007), as well as voicing Sheldon the Seahorse in both the animated film Finding Nemo and its video game tie-in. Per Sullivan's last acting credit was an appearance in the 2010 film Twelve when he was 18 years old. He has since kept a low profile, and has been absent from several Malcolm in the Middle cast reunions. Per Sullivan also did not return for the show's revival, Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair, with Caleb Ellsworth-Clark taking over the role of Dewey. Kaczmarek said in 2025 that Per Sullivan was studying Victorian literature. He turned down a chance at participating in the revival because it would take him away from his studies. Despite his lack of involvement, he has reportedly remained supportive of his former castmates and the show's legacy.
