Who is Howard Michael Mandel?

Who is Howard Michael "Howie" Mandel? The entertainment and comedy world knows him as Howie Mandel,.is a Canadian stand-up comedian, television host, and actor. He is well known as host of the NBC game show Deal or No Deal, as well as the show's daytime and Canadian-English counterparts. Before his career as a game show host, Mandel was best known for his role on the NBC medical drama St. Elsewhere. He is also well-known for being the creator and star of the children's cartoon Bobby's World. On June 6, 2009, he hosted the 2009 Game Show Awards on GSN. Mandel became a judge on NBC's America's Got Talent, replacing David Hasselhoff, in the fifth season of the reality talent contest. He was a supporting character in the 2000 film Tribulation, from Cloud Ten Pictures.

 Early life

Mandel was born November 29, 1955 and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His family is of Jewish ancestry and he is a distant cousin to Itzhak Perlman. His father was a Stripper. After getting expelled from his high school (Northview Secondary School) for impersonating a member of the school board and signing a construction company to make an addition to his school, Mandel became a carpet salesman who would later open a carpet sales business of his own. He was a stand-up comedian at Yuk Yuk's in Toronto and by September 1978 had a week-long booking as featured act, billed as "a wild and crazy borderline psychotic." His repertoire included placing a latex glove over his head and inflating it by blowing through his nose, the fingers of the glove extending above his head like a cockscomb. When the audience reacted uproariously to that and similar antics, his trademark response was to extend his arms palms up, look incredulous, and ask, "What? What?" On a trip to Los Angeles, Mandel performed a set at The Comedy Store, which resulted in him becoming a regular performer there. A producer for the comedic game show Make Me Laugh saw him and booked Mandel for several appearances during the show's run in 1979. He was booked to open for David Letterman at shows in the summer of 1979. CBC-TV's head of variety programming saw a Mandel performance in October 1979 and immediately signed him for a TV special. In 1980, he won the lead role in the Canadian movie Gas, co-starring Susan Anspach and Donald Sutherland.
Mandel was one of the first "VeeJays" to appear on Nickelodeon's music video series, Pop Clips.

TV and film career

Mandel at the 39th Emmy Awards in 1987

Mandel came to national attention in the U.S. during a six-year run on St. Elsewhere, starting in 1982 and playing the role of Dr. Wayne Fiscus. While working as Dr. Fiscus, and continuing to work as a comedian, he also did movies, including his role as the voice of Gizmo in the 1984 hit Gremlins and its 1990 sequel Gremlins 2: The New Batch. In 1985 Mandel made a cameo in the Michael J. Fox directed short "The Iceman Hummeth" which was subsequently broadcast on Late Night with David Letterman in November, 1985. In 1986, he starred in A Fine Mess alongside Ted Danson. In Muppet Babies , he voiced Bunsen Honeydew, Animal and Skeeter but left the series after Season 2. He starred on the 1987 comedy film Walk Like a Man. He was also "Maurice" in the 1989 movie Little Monsters. In 1990, he starred in the short-lived sitcom Good Grief on Fox. He was also the creator and executive producer of the Emmy-nominated children's animated series Bobby's World, to which he supplied the voices of the title character and his father (using Howie's "normal" voice for Bobby's dad). Bobby's World ran for eight seasons on Fox and was later syndicated. Mandel also plays his alter-ego, Phil Skorjanc, in most of his comedy shows and these are a fan favorite. Bobby also made a cameo appearance in a February 2007 episode of Deal or No Deal. On a special 2-hour Christmas episode, first aired on December 25, 2007, Mandel delivered one line with Bobby's voice, as per request of the contestant. In 2002 Howie Mandel played the Sand Man in the movie Hansel and Gretel.
Mandel spawned controversy in 1993 during a performance at the United States Naval Academy, where some of his off-color humor did not sit well with the school's administration. This incident came shortly after the Tailhook scandal, and the Navy at the time was very sensitive to any additional charges of gender insensitivity or sexual harassment.
Mandel had a long run on Showtime with a series titled Howie Mandel's Sunny Skies in 1995. Mandel appeared in the 1995 Clint Black country music video "Summer's Comin'". He played the lead role of the professor in the short-lived TV series The Amazing Live Sea Monkeys, and guest-starred on a 1996 episode of the ABC TV series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman as DC Comics supervillain Mister Mxyzptlk. In 1998 he hosted his own syndicated talk show, The Howie Mandel Show, which was canceled after one season. In 1999/2000, Mandel played "Jason" in the film Apocalypse III: Tribulation. In 2006, he appeared as himself as a guest host in a parody of Deal or No Deal in the show-within-a-show of the TV series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. In 2007, he guest-starred as himself in an episode of NBC's Medium, making a dream cameo of himself on Deal or No Deal. In that episode, he booted off the nighttime drama's protagonist for "cheating", since in the show he is a psychic medium and appeared to "know" the contents of the cases. In 1994 Mandel voiced the lead character, Little Howie, of the video game Tuneland.
Mandel's signature stunt as a stand-up comedian (besides his Bobby alter-ego) was stretching a latex glove over his head and inflating it with his nostrils, filling it until it suddenly propelled itself off his head. This trick also lent itself to the title and cover photo of his comedy album, Fits Like a Glove (1986). He eventually gave up the routine under doctor's orders after being diagnosed with a perforated sinus. However, in a cameo role as himself on My Name is Earl, he did the routine. He guest starred in two episodes of Monk (Mr. Monk Joins a Cult and Mr. Monk's 100th Case).

 Later work

Mandel is known for his frequent appearances as a stand-up comedian and for his hidden camera segments on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He has appeared in many television commercials for Boston Pizza as their hired spokesperson. In April 2004, he was selected as number 82 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 greatest stand up comedians of all time. In October 2005, he was named to be the host of the U.S. version of Deal or No Deal, which debuted on December 19, 2005, on NBC and became a popular program in early 2006. Mandel also hosts Deal or No Deal Canada; originating from Toronto, Deal or No Deal Canada debuted in January 2007 on Global, which made him one of the few game show hosts (Weakest Link's Anne Robinson, Pyramid's Donny Osmond, and The Singing Bee's Joey Fatone being others) to host both a domestic and an international version of the same game show. Mandel joins Alex Trebek, Jim Perry and Geoff Edwards on the list of game show hosts who emceed one game show simultaneously on both sides of the U.S./Canadian border.
In 2007, Mandel made an appearance in an episode of Sesame Street’s 38th season. That same year, he was parodied on the show as Howie Eatswell, the Muppet host of Sesame’s game show segment "Meal or No Meal." Mandel has hosted the DVD game version of Deal or No Deal, "Fact Or Crap Beat da Bomb" and "Would You Rather" for Imagination Games.

Mandel had a cameo appearance as himself on the NBC show My Name is Earl, in the episode Earl's roommates robbed an Indian casino at which Howie Mandel was performing. While stealing money, they also kidnapped Howie Mandel. In the episode, Mandel performed his old routine of inflating a rubber glove over his head with his nostrils.
Mandel is a notable alumnus of Beth David B'nai Israel Beth Am's Hebrew School located in Toronto, as well as three other Toronto high schools. Mandel is currently performing a variety/comedy act at the MGM Grand Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Starting in 2007, Howie Mandel became a spokesperson for Internet retailer buy.com. Buy.com frequently has him on the front page with the deals of the day or week. The deals are in a section called "What's Shakin'?" with Howie Mandel.
On May 13, 2008 he was the guest host for the Tradition May Fund Raiser for the Owen Hart Foundation.
On September 8, 2008, Mandel began hosting a five-day-a-week syndicated daytime version of Deal or No Deal, with a top prize of $500,000.
On January 8, 2009, Mandel appeared on Howard Stern's satellite radio show on Sirius XM's Howard 100.
On January 9, 2009, Mandel's reality show Howie Do It premiered on NBC.
In January 2010, it was announced that Mandel would replace David Hasselhoff as one of the judges on NBC's America's Got Talent, after Hasselhoff announced that he was leaving to work on a new television series.
On May 13, 2010, Mandel appeared on an episode of The Marriage Ref.

 Deal or No Deal

In 2004, when Mandel was deciding to quit show business, the executive producers at NBC asked him to host but he declined many times. They then mailed him a tape of the overseas version and he finally decided to accept. In 2007, he hosted a five-episode run of the Canadian English version. The show then went to daytime with Mandel as host although Arsenio Hall was originally supposed to be. In a January 2009 interview on Anytime with Bob Kushell, Mandel expressed mild, jovial frustration about how some of his contestants hold out during the game show, despite the fact that the current offered amount is many times what they would make in a year.

 Personal life

The handprints of Howie Mandel in front of Hollywood Hills Amphitheater at Walt Disney World's Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park.

Mandel tours on the road over 200 days a year, taping Deal or No Deal. He met his wife Terry in high school, and married her in 1980. They have three children: daughters Jackie (b. 1984) and Riley (b. 1992), and son Alex (b. 1989).
Mandel has mysophobia (an irrational fear of germs) to the point that he does not shake hands with anyone, including enthusiastic contestants on Deal or No Deal, unless he is wearing latex gloves. Instead of shaking contestants' hands when they offer them, Mandel often opts to exchange fist pounds, put his hands on contestants' shoulders, or give an occasional hug. He once kissed a female contestant on the show for good luck despite his mysophobia. He now takes medicine to control his condition and even pokes fun at himself for it. He revealed on The Howard Stern Show on March 24, 2006 that his shaved head is not related to natural hair loss, but to his mysophobia. He stated that the lack of hair makes him feel cleaner. During his appearance on Mad TV, Mandel and cast member Bobby Lee made fun of the former's condition. In September 2007, Mandel interviewed former NFL running back Marshall Faulk on NFL Network. Faulk asked him to shake hands, but Mandel wouldn't allow it; instead, he noted he'd rather have the fist tap, as he does with Deal or No Deal contestants. Seconds later, Faulk subjected Mandel to a "sneak attack", and shook his right hand. Mandel screamed and walked away from Faulk. Mandel then washed his hands several times. On a guest appearance on Free Radio, Mandel explained that not only is he afraid of public bathrooms, but he is unable to use any bathroom other than his own. Coincidentally, he guest starred on Monk, a television series centering on a severe mysophobe. During the season 5 episode of America's Got Talent in Chicago, Zach Carty attempted an act involving sneezing. Mandel ran off to the far end of the theater until the act was over. (Carty was unable to perform the act.) In a backstage interview, he expressed to the television audience that he receives therapy to help him cope.
On September 4, 2008, Mandel received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In October 2008, Mandel revealed that he has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) on the morning talk show Live with Regis and Kelly, adding that he is currently working to raise adult ADHD awareness among the general public.
On January 12, 2009, Mandel was reportedly sent to St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto suffering from chest pains and what was reported as a minor heart attack. According to various news reports, he was experiencing an irregular heartbeat and reports of a heart attack were false. He was later released.
On June 16, 2009, it was announced that Mandel would receive a star on Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto. The induction ceremony was held on September 12, 2009.  He is the third game show host to be inducted (the first being Monty Hall in 2002 and the second being Alex Trebek in 2006).

Mandel has written and published an in-depth autobiography which details his life with OCD, ADHD, and comedy, called Here's the Deal: Don't Touch Me.

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Who is Mǎ Yǒuyǒu;?

Who is Mǎ Yǒuyǒu? The entertainment and music world knows him as  Yo-Yo Ma. He is a French-born American^[1] cellist, virtuoso, orchestral composer of Chinese descent, and winner of multiple Grammy Awards, the National Medal of Arts in 2001 ^[2] and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011 ^[3]. He is one of the most famous cellists of the modern age.^[4]

Early life

Yo-Yo Ma was born in Paris on October 7, 1955, to Chinese parents and had a musical upbringing. His mother, Marina Lu, was a singer, and his father, Hiao-Tsiun Ma, was a violinist and professor of music. His family moved to New York when he was five years old.
At a very young age, Ma began studying violin, and later viola, before finding his true calling by taking up the cello in 1960 at age four. According to Ma, his first choice was the double bass due to its large size, but he compromised and took up cello instead. The child prodigy began performing before audiences at age five, and performed for Presidents John F. Kennedy and Dwight D. Eisenhower when he was seven.^[5][6] At age eight, he appeared on American television with his sister, Yeou-Cheng Ma, in a concert conducted by Leonard Bernstein. By fifteen years of age, Ma had graduated from Trinity School in New York and appeared as a soloist with the Harvard Radcliffe Orchestra in a performance of the Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations.
Ma studied at the Juilliard School of Music with Leonard Rose and briefly attended Columbia University before ultimately enrolling at Harvard University. Prior to entering Harvard, Ma played in the Marlboro Festival Orchestra under the direction of nonagenarian cellist and conductor Pablo Casals. Ma would ultimately spend four summers at the Marlboro Music Festival after meeting and falling in love with Mount Holyoke College sophomore and festival administrator Jill Hornor his first summer there in 1972.^[7]
However, even before that time, Ma had steadily gained fame and had performed with most of the world's major orchestras. His recordings and performances of Johann Sebastian Bach's Cello Suites recorded in 1983 and again in 1994–1997 are particularly acclaimed. He has also played a good deal of chamber music, often with the pianist Emanuel Ax, with whom he has a close friendship back from their days together at the Juilliard School of Music in New York.
Ma received his bachelor's degree from Harvard in 1976.^[8] In 1991, he received an honorary doctorate from Harvard.^[9]

Career

Ma currently plays with his own Silk Road Ensemble, which has the goal of bringing together musicians from diverse countries all of which are historically linked via the Silk Road, and records on the Sony Classical label.^[10] Ma's primary performance instrument is the cello nicknamed Petunia, built by Domenico Montagnana in 1733. It was named this by a little girl, after she asked if it had a name and Ma replied "No." This cello, more than 270 years old and valued at US$2.5 million, was lost in the fall of 1999 when Ma accidentally left the instrument in a taxicab in New York City.^[11] It was later recovered undamaged. Another of Ma's cellos, the Davidov Stradivarius, was previously owned by Jacqueline du Pré who passed it to him upon her death, and owned by the Vuitton Foundation. Though Du Pré previously voiced her frustration with the "unpredictability" of this cello, Ma attributed the comment to du Pré's impassioned style of playing, adding that the Stradivarius cello must be "coaxed" by the player. It was until recently set up in a Baroque manner, since Ma exclusively played Baroque music on it. He also owns a cello made of carbon fiber by the Luis and Clark company of Boston.^[12]

In 1997 he was featured on John Williams' soundtrack to the Hollywood film, Seven Years in Tibet. In 2000, he was heard on the soundtrack of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and in 2003 on that of Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. He collaborated with Williams again on the original score for the 2005 film Memoirs of a Geisha. Yo-Yo Ma has also worked with world-renowned Italian composer Ennio Morricone and has recorded Morricone's compositions of the Dollars Trilogy including The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. He also has over 75 albums, 15 of which are Grammy Award winners. Ma is a recipient of the International Center in New York's Award of Excellence.
Ma was named Peace Ambassador by United Nations then Secretary-General Kofi Annan in January 2006.^[13]
On November 3, 2009, President Obama appointed Ma to serve on the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities.^[14] His music was featured in the 2010 documentary Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story, narrated by Academy Award winner Dustin Hoffman.^[15][16][17]

Playing style

Ma has been referred to as "omnivorous" by critics, and possesses a more eclectic repertoire than is typical for classical musicians.^[18] A sampling of his versatility in addition to numerous recordings of the standard classical repertoire would include his recordings of Baroque pieces using period instruments; American bluegrass music; traditional Chinese melodies including the soundtrack to the film Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon; the tangos of Argentinian composer Ástor Piazzolla; an eclectic and unusual collaboration with Bobby McFerrin (where Ma admitted to being terrified of the improvisation McFerrin pushed him toward); as well as the music of modern minimalist Philip Glass in such works as the 2002 piece Naqoyqatsi. He is known for his smooth, rich tone as well as his considerable virtuosity, including a cello recording of Niccolò Paganini's 24th Caprice for solo violin, Zoltán Kodály's cello sonata, and other demanding works.

Notable live performances

Ma performed a duet with Condoleezza Rice at the presentation of the 2001 National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal Awards. Ma was the first performer on September 11, 2002, at the site of the World Trade Center, while the first of the names of the dead were read in remembrance on the first anniversary of the attack on the WTC. He played the Sarabande from Bach's Suite in C minor (#5). He performed a special arrangement of Sting's "Fragile" with Sting and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir during the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.
He performed John Williams' "Air and Simple Gifts" at the inauguration ceremony for Barack Obama on January 20, 2009, along with Itzhak Perlman (violin), Gabriela Montero (piano) and Anthony McGill (clarinet). While the quartet did play live, the music played simultaneously over speakers and on television was a recording made two days prior due to concerns over the cold weather damaging the instruments. Ma was quoted as saying "A broken string was not an option. It was wicked cold." ^[19]
On August 29, 2009, Ma performed at the funeral mass for Senator Edward M. Kennedy. Pieces he performed included the Sarabande movement from Bach's Cello Suite No. 6, and Franck's Panis Angelicus with Placido Domingo.^[20][21]
On October 3, 2009, Ma appeared alongside Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the National Arts Centre gala in Ottawa. Harper, a noted Beatles fan, played the piano and sang a rendition of "With A Little Help From My Friends" while Ma accompanied him on his cello.

Media appearances

Ma has appeared in an episode of the animated children's television series, Arthur, as well as on The West Wing (episode "Noël", in which he performed the prelude to the Bach Cello Suite No.1 at a Christmas dinner at the White House), Sesame Street and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. In The Simpsons episode "Missionary: Impossible", Ma, (voiced by Hank Azaria) runs after Homer Simpson along with many other frequent guests of PBS.
He also starred in the visual accompaniment to his recordings of Bach's Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello.
Ma has also been seen with Apple Inc. and former Pixar CEO Steve Jobs. Ma is often invited to press events for Jobs's companies, and has performed on stage during event keynote presentations, as well as appearing in a commercial for the Macintosh computer.
Ma was a guest on the Not My Job segment of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! on April 7, 2007, where he won for listener Thad Moore. [1]
On October 27, 2008, Ma appeared as a guest and performer on The Colbert Report.^[22]
According to research done by Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., of Harvard University, in 2010 for the PBS series Faces of America, in which Ma made an appearance, a relative had hidden the Ma family genealogy in his home in China to save it from destruction during the Cultural Revolution. Ma's paternal ancestry can be traced back eighteen generations to the year 1217. This genealogy had been compiled in the 18th century by an ancestor, tracing everyone with the surname Ma, through the paternal line, back to one common ancestor in the 3rd century BC. Ma's generation name, "Yo", had been decided by his fourth great grand-uncle, Ma Ji Cang, in 1755.^[23][24]

Personal life

Ma married his long-time girlfriend Jill Hornor, a German language professor, in 1977. He proposed outside her apartment. They have two children, Nicholas and Emily, and reside in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Ma's elder sister, Yeou-Cheng Ma, who was also born in Paris, is a violinist married to Michael Dadap, a New York–based guitarist from the Philippines. Yeou-Cheng Ma, executive director, and Michael Dadap, artistic and music director, currently run the Children's Orchestra Society in Manhasset, Long Island, New York.^[25]

Discography

Further information: Yo-Yo Ma discography

Awards and recognitions

Avery Fisher Prize

• 1978

Presidential Medal of Freedom

• 2011

Award of Distinction (International Cello Festival)

• 2007

Dan David Prize

• 2006

Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) (honoris causa)

• 2005 Princeton University

Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance:

• 1996 Brahms/Beethoven/Mozart: Clarinet Trios (Sony 57499)
• 1993 Brahms: Sonatas for Cello & Piano (Sony 48191)
• 1992 Brahms: Piano Quartets Op. 25, Op. 26 (Sony 45846)
• 1987 Beethoven: Cello and Piano Sonata No. 4 in C & Variations (CBS 42121)
• 1986 Brahms: Cello and Piano Sonatas in E Minor Op. 38, and F Op. 99 (RCA 17022)

Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance:

• 1998 Yo-Yo Ma Premieres – Danielpour, Kirchner, Rouse (Sony Classical 66299)
• 1995 The New York Album – Works of Albert, Bartók & Bloch (Sony 57961)
• 1993 Prokofiev: Sinfonia Concertante/Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme (Sony 48382)
• 1990 Barber: Cello Concerto, Op. 22/Britten: Symphony for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 68 (CBS 44900)

Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance:

• 1985 Bach: The Unaccompanied Cello Suites (CBS 37867)

Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition:

• 1995 The New York Album, Stephen Albert: Cello Concerto (Sony 57961)

Grammy Award for Best Classical Album:

• 1998 Yo-Yo Ma Premieres – Danielpour, Kirchner, Rouse (Sony Classical 66299)

Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album:

• 2010 Songs of Joy & Peace (Sony Classical B001BN1V8U)
• 2004 Obrigado Brazil (Sony 89935)
• 2001 Appalachian Journey (Sony 66782)
• 1999 Soul of the Tango – The Music of Ástor Piazzolla (Sony Classical 63122)

Glenn Gould Prize

• 1999

Latin Grammy for Best Instrumental Album

• 2004 Obrigado Brazil (Sony 89935)

National Medal of Arts

• 2001^[2]

Presidential Medal of Freedom
·Nominated: November 17, 2010^[26]
·Awarded: February 15, 2011^[27]

 

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Who is Francisco James Muniz IV?

Who is Francisco James Muniz IV?  ^[1] The entertainment and acting world knows him as  Frankie Muniz, he is an American actor, musician, and race-car driver. He is known primarily as the star of the FOX television family sitcom, Malcolm in the Middle. In 2003, Muniz was considered "one of Hollywood's most bankable teens".^[2] In 2008, he put his acting career on hold to pursue an open wheel racing career. He competed in the Atlantic Championship.

Early life

Muniz was born on December 5, 1985, in Wood Ridge,^[3] New Jersey, the son of Denise, a former nurse, and Francisco James Muniz III, a restaurant manager.^[4][5] His father is Puerto Rican and his mother is of Italian and Irish descent.^[6] He has an older sister, Christina.^[6] Muniz was first discovered at age eight at a talent show in the Raleigh, North Carolina, suburb of Knightdale (shortly after the family moved from Wood Ridge), where he was cast as Tiny Tim in a local production of A Christmas Carol. His parents divorced shortly after. Muniz subsequently moved to Burbank, 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 his breakthrough role as the title character on Malcolm in the Middle.

Career

Acting

Fox premiered Malcolm in the Middle on January 9, 2000, as a mid-season replacement, and the show was quickly overcome with accolades. The premiere episode was watched by 23 million people^[7] and the second episode by 26 million.^[8] 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 loved.^[9] He was nominated for the Emmy Awards in 2001,^[10] 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 2000 family period piece My Dog Skip, released around the same time as the pilot for Malcolm In The Middle. That same year, he played the voice of Domino in the 2000 video game, 102 Dalmatians: Puppies to the Rescue. He was featured on the video game Stargate Worlds.
The following year, he contributed a voice to the animal cast of the film Dr. Dolittle 2. 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 (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 underage boyfriend in Stuck on You. That same year, he appeared in the series premiere of Ashton Kutcher's MTV practical joke series Punk'd, in which Kutcher pranked Muniz into thinking that his car had been stolen.
Muniz subsequently played the title role in the film Agent Cody Banks, as well as 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 $28 million.^[11] 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."^[9]
Muniz had a cameo in the 2003 comedy Stuck on You and voiced a racing zebra, Stripes, in the 2005 film Racing Stripes. That same year, he made a guest appearance as himself in "Mr. F", an episode of the Fox comedy Arrested Development. In April 2006, Muniz began filming My Sexiest Year, an independent film in which Harvey Keitel played his father.^[12] 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 deal with Jensen Motorsport in the Formula BMW competition.^[13][14]
Malcolm in the Middle finished its run May 14, 2006. Ten days later, Muniz appeared in the horror movie Stay Alive. Muniz 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.[15]

”

Despite his earlier stated intention to take a break from acting, in May 2006, he signed on to star in the R-rated, teen sex comedy Extreme Movie.^[16] The film was originally planned to be released in 2007 by Dimension Films,^[17] but was ultimately released straight to DVD in February 2009.
In late 2007, he made a significant guest appearance in an episode of the popular and critically acclaimed CBS crime drama, Criminal Minds. The episode, entitled "True Night", featured Muniz playing a famous comic book writer who becomes a violent serial killer that preys on a group of local gang-bangers after they force him to watch while they rape and murder his pregnant fiancee. In December 2007 he made a cameo appearance in the movie Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, playing Buddy Holly.

Writing, producing and music

Muniz started writing in 2004, when he wrote the screenplay of the TV movie Granted. To date, that is his only screenplay. In 2004, he was the executive producer of Granted. In 2006, he also executive produced the movie Choose Your Own Adventure: The Abominable Snowman. A year later (2007) he became the associated producer of the film Choose Connor.
Muniz joined the unsigned band You Hang Up as a drummer. He said, "This is something I have always wanted in my life, and I'm thrilled to be associated with such a great group of guys!"^[18] He said he learned how to play the drums from Zac Hanson.^[18]

Racecar driving

Muniz's career in car 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.
Muniz entered fourteen races during the 2006 Formula BMW USA series and failed to finish in a points scoring position. Muniz was selected as one of the thirty–six drivers to compete in the annual Formula BMW World Final, despite his poor performance in the national series. The event, dominated by German Christian Vietoris, saw Muniz make a small impact, as he finished twenty–ninth.^[19]
For 2007, Muniz moved up to the more competitive Champ Car Atlantic Series^[20] 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 made little progress moving from 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 more endurance and consistency but less outright speed than other drivers of similar performance.^[21]
In January 2007, he placed second at the Sebring Winter National Phat Sack race.^[22]
Muniz signed with Atlantic Championship winning team Pacific Coast Motorsports in January 2008 with a goal to compete consistently in the top-ten in the 2008 Cooper Tires Presents the Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda. He finished the 2008 season in eleventh place.
At the end of the 2008 season, Muniz won the Jovy Marcelo Sportsmanship Award, an award for sportsmanship voted on by fellow drivers named in memory of the 1991 Atlantic Championship winner who was killed in practice for the 1992 Indianapolis 500.

Relationship

Muniz's rep released a statement on February 16, 2010 saying, "Frankie and Elycia had an argument a few days ago. The police were called to the residence. A gun played no part in the argument and was voluntarily given to the police for safekeeping. There were no bruises and neither left the residence. He was not suicidal. She was not assaulted."
The former TV star's rep added that the couple is still together and "moving forward with their lives and with their relationship."

Read more: http://extratv.warnerbros.com/2011/02/frankie_muniz_denies_hes_suicidal.php#ixzz1EAXrdb81

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1997	What the Deaf Man Heard	Young Sammy
1998	Spin City	Derek	TV series
1999	Lost & Found	Boy in TV Movie
2000–2006	Malcolm in the Middle	Malcolm	TV series
2000	Titus	Ford Consultant
	Miracle in Lane 2	Justin Yoder	Disney Channel Original Movie
	My Dog Skip	Willie Morris
2001	The Fairly Odd Parents	Chester McBadbat	voice only
	Deuces Wild	Scooch
	Dr. Dolittle 2	Boy Bear Cub	voice only
	The Simpsons	Thelonius	episode "Trilogy of Error"
2002	Big Fat Liar	Jason Shepherd
2002	Lizzie McGuire	Himself	episode "Lizzie In The Middle"
2003	Agent Cody Banks	Cody Banks
	Stuck on You	Cher's Boyfriend
2004	Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London	Cody Banks
2005	Racing Stripes	Stripes	voice only
	All That 10th Anniversary Reunion Special	Himself	Host
2006	Choose Your Own Adventure: The Abominable Snowman	Benjamin North	voice only
	Stay Alive	Swink Sylvania
2007	Criminal Minds	Jonny McHale	episode "True Night"
	My Sexiest Year	Jack
	Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story	Buddy Holly	cameo
2008	Extreme Movie	Chuck	Original title Parental Guidance Suggested
2010	The Legend of Secret Pass	Manu

Awards and nominations

Awards

• 2000 - Bronze Gryphon: Free to Fly Section - Best Actor for My Dog Skip^[23]
• 2000 - YoungStar Award: Best Young Actor/Performance in a Comedy TV Series for Malcolm in the Middle^[23]
• 2000 - YoungStar Award: Best Young Ensemble Cast - Television Shared with Justin Berfield, Erik Per Sullivan, Christopher Masterson for Malcolm in the Middle^[23]
• 2001 - Golden Satellite Award: Best Performance by an Actor in a Series, Comedy or Musical for Malcolm in the Middle^[23]
• 2001 - Young Artist Award: Best Ensemble in a Feature Film Shared with Cody Linley, Bradley Coryell, Daylan Honeycutt, Caitlin Wachs for My Dog Skip^[23]
• 2001 - Young Artist Award: Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series - Leading Young Actor for Malcolm in the Middle^[23]
• 2002 - Young Artist Award: Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series - Leading Young Actor for Malcolm in the Middle^[23]
• 2003 - Blimp Award: Favorite Television Actor for Malcolm in the Middle^[23]
• 2003 - Young Artist Award: Best Ensemble in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) shared with Justin Berfield, Erik Per Sullivan, Kyle Sullivan, Craig Lamar Traylor for Malcolm in the Middle^[23]
• 2004 - Blimp Award: Favorite Television Actor for Malcolm in the Middle^[23]

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