Frankie Muniz Has Grown Up Before Our Very Eyes

Maybe it's me, but when I think of the name Frankie Muniz, nothing rings a bell. However, if someone were to say to me, 'You know, the kid from the Codie Banks' movies,' I'd say, 'Oh yeah, I know him. I didn't know that was his name.'

My lack of theatrical knowledge notwithstanding, I have to admit that Muniz is one of my favorite actors - and undeniably one of most entertaining in the business as well - although I didn't initially know his name.

Having said that, now that I know his name, I thought it would be interesting to take a peek at the life and career one of America's most lovable stars.

Born on December 5, 1985, Muñiz first gained national stardom on the Fox Network sitcom, Malcolm in the Middle. The young actor has also starred in several films aimed at young audiences, including those very same Agent Cody Banks flicks I just mentioned.

Productions of The Sound of Music, The Wizard of Oz, and Our Town provided Muniz with valuable experience before he made his film debut in the made-for-television movie, To Dance With Olivia in 1997, starring Lou Gossett Jr.

That same year, Muniz also appeared in the CBS Hallmark presentation of What the Deaf Man Heard. A small role in the film Lost & Found in 1999 led to his breakthrough role, which would make him a household name and instant star.

When Malcolm in the Middle premiered on January 9, 2000, as a mid-season replacement, the show was quickly swamped with accolades with the young Muniz the anchor for the show with his narration and central role in many of the plots. For his efforts, Muniz was nominated for Golden Globe Awards in 2000 and 2001 and an Emmy Award in 2001.

Throughout his television career, Muniz has made guest appearances on youth oriented shows Lizzie McGuire, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, and MADtv. His first starring role in a feature film was as 'Willie Morris' in the family period piece My Dog Skip (2000), released around the same time as the pilot for Malcolm In The Middle.

Muniz then contributed a voice to the animal cast of Dr. Dolittle 2 in 2001 and had a moderate hit with one of my favorite Muniz films, the 2002 film, Big Fat Liar,, which teamed him with teen actress Amanda Byne as a pair of students seeking revenge on a sleazy movie producer (Paul Giamatti).

Muniz then landed the lead role in another one of my favorites, Agent Cody Banks, as well 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 $23 million.

Muniz trained in martial arts for the films, and performed most of his own stunts; he also has gone on record as saying 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 then had a cameo in the comedy Stuck on You and voiced a racing zebra named 'Stripes', in the 2005 film Racing Stripes.

Muniz'latest film, the horror flick, Stay Alive, which opened on March 24, was surprisingly good and although Muniz didn't have the lead role in th film, he was absolutely masterful in his supporting role.

In April of 2006, Muniz began filming My Sexiest Year, an independent film which will be shot in New York City and Miami, and which will star Oscar nominee Harvey Keitel as Muniz' father and Muniz' character will have a love scene in the film.

The same month, Muniz announced he was taking a break from acting to pursue a career in race car driving, with a full-time two year racing deal with Jensen Motorsport in the Formula BMW competition,saying; "Truthfully, I think it will be easier for me to leave for a while and come back to acting when I'm 23, 24 and be an adult and start fresh."

In May 2006, despite his announcement to temporarily leave acting, Muniz signed on to star in the raunchy teen sex comedy Parental Guidance Suggested, which will soon be rated R, by the MPAA and will be released in 2007 by Dimension Films.

In his personal life, Muniz enjoys playing the drums and basketball, as well as golf, having been taught to play by his grandfather at the age of five. He is a close friend of actress Hilary Duff, as well as musician Zac Hanson, whose band he joined on their "Underneath" tour in 2004.

Muniz has also developed an interest in performance/collector cars and auto racing and owns a Porsche 356 'Speedster' and one of the Volkswagen Jettas from The Fast and the Furious and also won the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race in 2005.

For 2006, Muniz is racing in the Formula BMW USA series, and plans to race in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship in 2007. Due to his success in Formula BMW USA, Muniz was selected by BMW to participate in Formula BMW World Final at Circuit de Valencia in Spain against champions from all four Formula BMW series.

Muniz, who has been home schooled since the sixth grade, has pushed back his plans to attend college, choosing to concentrate on his acting career.[

In 2003, he commented that he "hates teenagers," calling them "the most annoying people on the planet," and saying that at the time he had never tried smoking or drinking

In July 2005, Muniz, who was 19-years-old at the time, proposed to his girlfriend, Jamie Gandy, who is a local hairdresser who is six years older than him. The two met on the New Orleans set of his film, Stay Alive. He had plans of moving to his fiance's native New Orleans after his wedding.

Here is a lis of Muniz career filmography.

Actor - filmography
(In Production) (2000s) (1990s)

The Legend of Secret Pass (2007) (filming) (voice) .... Manu

Parental Guidance Suggested (2007) (post-production) (attached)

My Sexiest Year (2007) (post-production) .... Jake

Choose Your Own Adventure: The Abominable Snowman (2006) (V) (voice) .... Benjamin North

"Malcolm in the Middle" .... Malcolm (105 episodes, 2000-2006)
- Graduation (2006) TV Episode .... Malcolm
- Morp (2006) TV Episode .... Malcolm
- Cattle Court (2006) TV Episode .... Malcolm
- Stevie in the Hospital (2006) TV Episode .... Malcolm
- Bomb Shelter (2006) TV Episode .... Malcolm
(100 more)

Danny Roane: First Time Director (2006) .... Frankie Muniz

Stay Alive (2006) .... Swink Sylvania

Racing Stripes (2005) (voice) .... Stripes

Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London (2004) .... Cody Banks

"The Fairly OddParents" .... Chester McBadbat / ... (14 episodes, 2001-2003)
- Chip Off the Old Chip/Snow Bound (2003) TV Episode (voice) .... Chester McBadbat
- Cosmo Con/Wanda's Day Off (2003) TV Episode (voice) .... Chester
- Shiny Teeth/Odd Odd West (2002) TV Episode (voice) .... Chester McBadbat
- Foul Balled/The Boy Who Would Be Queen (2002) TV Episode (voice) .... Chester McBadbat
- Super Bike/A Mile in My Shoes (2002) TV Episode (voice) .... Chester McBadbat
(9 more)

"Clifford the Big Red Dog" .... Frankie (1 episode, 2003)
- Episode dated 17 March 2003 (2003) TV Episode .... Frankie

Agent Cody Banks (2003) .... Cody Banks
... aka Agent Cody Banks, L' (Canada: French title)

"Fillmore!" .... Augie / ... (2 episodes, 2002)
... aka Disney's Fillmore! (USA: complete title)
- A Wurm in Our Midst (2002) TV Episode (voice) .... Tony
- Test of the Tested (2002) TV Episode (voice) .... Willie/Augie

Deuces Wild (2002) .... Scooch
... aka Deuces Wild - Wild in den Straßen (Germany)

"The Nightmare Room" .... Joey Davola (1 episode, 2002)
- Camp Nowhere: Part 1 (2002) TV Episode .... Joey Davola

"Titus" .... Nick Galenti (1 episode, 2002)
- Too Damn Good (2002) TV Episode .... Nick Galenti

Big Fat Liar (2002) .... Jason Shepherd
... aka Lügen haben kurze Beine (Germany)

"Moville Mysteries" (2002) TV Series .... Mosley "Mo" Moville (unknown episodes)

Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001) (voice) .... Boy Bear Cub
... aka DR.2 (USA: promotional abbreviation)
... aka DR2 (USA: promotional abbreviation)

"The Simpsons" .... Thelonious (1 episode, 2001)
- Trilogy of Error (2001) TV Episode (voice) .... Thelonious

"The Andy Dick Show" .... Himself / ... (1 episode, 2001)
- Kid Krist (2001) TV Episode .... Young Andy Dick/Himself

102 Dalmatians: Puppies to the Rescue (2000) (VG) (voice) .... Domino

Miracle in Lane 2 (2000) (TV) .... Justin Yoder

It Had to Be You (2000) .... Franklin

My Dog Skip (2000) .... Willie Morris

Little Man (1999) .... Ross

Lost & Found (1999/I) .... Movie on TV 'Boy'

"Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" .... Angelo (1 episode, 1999)
... aka Sabrina (USA: promotional abbreviation)
... aka Sabrina Goes to College (USA: promotional title)
- Sabrina the Matchmaker (1999) TV Episode .... Angelo

"Spin City" .... Derek (2 episodes, 1998)
- The Kidney's All Right (1998) TV Episode .... Derek
- Three Men and a Little Lady (1998) TV Episode .... Derek

What the Deaf Man Heard (1997) (TV) .... Young Sammy

To Dance with Olivia (1997) (TV) .... OscarInterestingly, Muniz was born under a bridge in Wood-Ridge, New Jersey and was raised in the small town of Knightdale, North Carolina, where he found his interest in acting by watching his older sister in a play. Muniz scratched his itch for acting by eventually landing a role as Tiny Tim in a local production of A Christmas Carol.