Frankie Muniz's Real Name: Francisco James Muniz IV

Quick answer: Frankie Muniz's documented full name is Francisco James Muniz IV. He was born on December 5, 1985. He is an actor who starred as Malcolm on Malcolm in the Middle and later in the Agent Cody Banks films (Biography.com).

Real name and early life

A Library of Congress CIP galley records the full name Francisco James Muniz IV, born December 5, 1985, in Woodridge, New Jersey, as Francisco Muniz IV, and says the family moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1993. The authorized heading is "Muniz, Frankie, 1985-," with the variant "Muniz, Francisco James, 1985-." A Biography.com profile uses Francisco Muniz IV and gives the birthplace as Ridgewood, New Jersey, which conflicts with the CIP galley's Woodridge; this page follows the CIP form of the name, notes both place spellings, and records Biography.com's account that he and his older sister briefly lived in Knightdale, North Carolina, before returning to New Jersey with their mother after their parents' separation. He was home-schooled from sixth grade, the profile says, and began acting at eight as Tiny Tim in a local A Christmas Carol.

Career highlights

After the local stage role, he turned to television, appearing on Spin City and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. In 1997 he starred in two television films, To Dance with Olivia and the Hallmark Hall of Fame production What the Deaf Man Heard, work that came before the sitcom role that made him famous. In 2000 he was cast as Malcolm, a child prodigy, on the Fox sitcom Malcolm in the Middle, which ran until 2006. Biography.com describes the character as a confused 9-year-old with a 165 IQ and says the performance drew critical notice. The same year he starred with Kevin Bacon and Diane Lane in his first feature, My Dog Skip, and appeared in the Disney Channel film Miracle in Lane 2. The profile also notes that he later starred in two Agent Cody Banks movies opposite Hilary Duff, expanding the child-star roles that first made the name Frankie Muniz widely familiar.

Name notes for searchers

Francisco James Muniz IV is the documented full name in a Library of Congress CIP galley; Biography.com uses the shorter form Francisco Muniz IV. He has been billed as Frankie Muniz. Searchers looking for any of these forms are usually aiming at the same person.