Francisco James Muniz IV was born on December 5, 1985, in Ridgewood, New Jersey, to Frank and Denise Muniz. His parents moved him and his older sister, Christina, to Knightdale, North Carolina, where they lived until his parents divorced. While in North Carolina he caught the acting bug at age eight. He was cast as Tiny Tim in a community production of A Christmas Carol and went on to have roles in many other community theater productions. One of the local theaters where he performed was owned by the father of actress Evan Rachel Wood (The Upside of Anger) and the two performed in some productions together.

Frankie Muniz moved to California with his mother after his parents divorced, and he quickly found roles on television and in film. In 1999 he had a small supporting role in the movie Lost & Found with David Spade and the following year he landed the lead in Malcolm in the Middle.

Over the next six years, Frankie Muniz continued to play the role that made him famous while also starring in several films. In 2002 he was cast opposite teen star Amanda Bynes in the film Big, Fat, Liar. The following year he starred in Agent Cody Banks as a teenage James Bond type, with female lead Hillary Duff. The two also starred in the sequel Agent Cody Banks 2 the following year. In 2005 he lent his voice talents to the film Racing Stripes, playing a zebra who believes he is a race horse.

Frankie Muniz seems to have resisted the Hollywood dating scene, opting to date non-celebrities. His first serious girlfriend was Megan Hubbell, a high school student. He has also been linked to his Cody Banks co-star Hillary Duff, but the two have never confirmed a romantic relationship. In July 2005 Frankie Muniz became engaged to his girlfriend Jamie Gandy, a hair dresser and six years his senior. Gandy is from New Orleans, and she and Frankie Muniz have spent some time there helping to rebuild since the devastating hurricane that hit in 2005.

Acting is not Frankie Muniz’s only love. He is also a drummer and is close friends with drummer Zac Hanson of the band Hanson. He joined Zac and the other Hanson brothers on tour in 2004. Muniz collects cars and has announced that at some point he would like to take time off from acting to pursue professional race car driving.

Frankie Muniz has yet to actually leave acting behind, however. He has two films scheduled to be released in 2007. The first is My Sexiest Year in which he’ll have his first real love scene. The other is Parental Guidance Suggested.

YUDDY