Francisco Muniz IV (born December 5, 1985) is an American actor. He played the title character in the Fox sitcom Malcolm in the Middle (2000–2006), for which he earned an Emmy Award nomination and two Golden Globe Award nominations. His film roles include Deuces Wild (2002), Big Fat Liar (2002), Agent Cody Banks (2003), and Racing Stripes (2005). At the height of his fame, he was considered one of the most popular child actors and "one of Hollywood's most bankable teens" in 2003. In 2008, he put his acting career on hold to pursue an open-wheel racing career, and competed in the Atlantic Championship. He returned to racing in 2021 in stock cars, joining Rette Jones Racing for a full season in the ARCA Menards Series in 2023, where he would finish 4th in the standings. He currently competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 35 Ford Mustang for Joey Gase ... ()