Frankie Muniz Biography
Summary
"Frankie Muniz" (born "Francisco Muniz IV" on December 5 1985, in Wood-Ridge, New Jersey) is an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award nominated American actor, who is now a full time Formula Atlantic driver. He was the star of the Fox Network television situation comedy, "Malcolm in the Middle", as well as several films aimed at preteen and teen audiences, including "Big Fat Liar", "Agent Cody Banks" and "Stay Alive". By 2003, Muniz was considered 'one of Hollywood's most bankable teens'. He was also the original voice of Chester McBadbat on the Nickelodeon animated television series "The Fairly OddParents" from 2001 until 2003 (when Jason Marsden took over).
Early life
Muniz was born "Francisco James Muniz IV" in Wood-Ridge, New Jersey, U.S., to Francisco Muñiz III (a restaurant manager of Puerto Rican descent) and Denise (a former nurse of Italian and Irish descent); he has an older sister, Cristina. Muniz was raised in the small town of Wood-Ridge, New Jersey, where he found his interest in acting by watching his older sister in a play. He was soon cast as Tiny Tim in a local production of "A Christmas Carol", a role he reprised the next two seasons. Productions of "The Sound of Music", "The Wizard of Oz", and "Our Town" fleshed out his regional theater résumé; he sometimes appeared alongside now well-known actress Evan Rachel Wood, whose father ran a local theater.
After his parents' divorce, Muniz moved to San Diego , 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. The 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 up to the breakthrough role, which would make him a familiar face in millions of households.
Career
Film and television
FOX premiered "Malcolm in the Middle" on January 9, 2000, as a mid-season replacement, and the show was quickly swamped with accolades. The premiere episode was watched by 23 million people; and the second episode by 26 million. Muniz anchored the show with his narration and central role in many of the series' plots, although he has said that he does not consider himself a comic actor and does not find himself funny. He was nominated for Golden Globes in 2000 and 2001, the Emmy Awards in 2001, and was honored with 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 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" (2001). He had a moderate 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 (Academy Award nominated Paul Giamatti). He 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 under age boyfriend in Stuck on You.
Muniz subsequently played the title role in the film "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 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 had a cameo in the comedy "Stuck on You" and voiced a racing zebra, 'Stripes', in the 2005 film "Racing Stripes". His latest film, the horror movie "Stay Alive", opened on March 24, 2006. "Malcolm in the Middle" finished its run May 14, 2006. Muniz has 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'. He also made a guest performance on the "Arrested Development" episode 'Mr. F' where Michael and his girlfriend Rita were taking a bus through Taramount Studios when it disrupted a filming of Malcolm in the Middle (although none of the footage was actually seen in Malcolm in the Middle) and after clearing the filming equipment to make way for the bus, Frankie Muniz sarcastically said, 'It's more important to show how we film the show than actually film it.' Later saying '*Beep* Taramount.'
In April 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. 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 be rated R. The film will be released in 2007 by Dimension Films.
Racing career
Muniz's career in racing traces back to 2005, when he won the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race as a celebrity participant. While investigating the possibility of joining a racing team as an owner, Muniz was granted a test in a car and instead signed a two year deal with Jensen Motorsport as a driver.
The American entered fourteen races during the 2006 Formula BMW USA series and failed to finish in a points scoring position. Despite this, Muniz was selected as one of the thirty–six drivers to compete in the annual Formula BMW World Final. The event, dominated by German Christian Vietoris, saw Muniz make a small impact, as he finished twenty–ninth.
For 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 finish was ninth place and he officially earned a total of 41 points and $17,000 in prize money. Even though he languished in the bottom half of the pack by avoiding breakdowns and accidents, he was able to log 351 season laps. This was more race mileage than most other drivers except for the winners, indicating he has more endurance and consistency but less outright speed than other drivers of similar perfomance..
Personal life
Muniz, who has been home schooled since the sixth grade. Muniz, was shy as a young kid which lead him to push back his plans to attend college, choosing to concentrate on his racing career. Recently he placed 2nd at the Sebring Winter National SCCA race.
He was engaged to a woman whom he met in New Orleans while filming the movie 'Stay Alive', but in January 2007, Frankie was spotted around Miami, Florida with a 'mystery woman', this 'mystery woman we have discovered was none other than female celebutaunt Paris Hilton. While in town for a celebrity appearance, leading to speculation that his engagement was off. Right now he is dating a woman who goes by the name C.H. It is now believed that this woman was Courtney Larson.
Muniz is a fan of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Muniz once dated Singer/Actress Hilary Duff. The two portrayed together in Agent Cody Banks.Muniz is rumoured to have a relationship with former children television star Holly Willoughby, after meeting her on 'Ministry of Mayhem' in 2003. He competed in the popular game 'Cakey Sk8'
Frankie Muniz gets Punk'd
In 2003, Muniz appeared on the first episode of the MTV series Punk'd, hosted by Ashton Kutcher. The cast drove Muniz's cherished Porsche Speedster across the street, fooling him into believing it was stolen. Muniz was upset and used a variety of swear words until it was finally revealed to be a gag.
External links
(Malcolm In The Middle Voting Community - Fan Site)
Credit
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article about Frankie Muniz.
