20 Stars You Forgot Were on ‘Malcolm in the Middle,’ Now 20 Years Old (PHOTOS)
Susan Sarandon
The Oscar winner earned her second Emmy nomination after playing the chatty Meg in “Company Picnic” — the two-part episode that aired after Super Bowl XXXVI — but lost to fellow Malcolm guest star Cloris Leachman.
Bradley Whitford
The West Wing star — who was married to Kaczmarek at the time — played the husband of Sarandon’s character in the two-parter.
Heidi Klum
The German supermodel guest-starred as a toothless hockey player in the first half of “Company Picnic.”
Christina Ricci
The Casper and Addams Family actress also appeared in “Company Picnic,” as did Terry Bradshaw, Magic Johnson, Howie Long, Stephen Root, Tom Green, and Patrick Warburton.
Emma Stone
The Academy Award-winning star of La La Land played Diane, one of Reese’s classmates, in the Season 7 episode “Lois Strikes Back.”
Cameron Monaghan
The Shameless and Gotham alum guest-starred in six episodes as Chad, one of Dewey’s classmates.
Hayden Panettiere
The Heroes and Nashville star played a manipulative babysitter named Jessica in four episodes.
Jason Alexander
This Seinfeld star appeared in the Season 4 episode “Future Malcolm” as Leonard, a depressed middle-aged man named Malcolm fears he’ll turn into.
George Takei
This star of the original Star Trek series guest-starred as himself in the Season 7 episode “Hal Grieves.”
Christopher Lloyd
The Back to the Future actor played Hal’s father in the Season 4 episode “Family Reunion.”
Leslie David Baker & Oscar Nuñez
These two alums of The Office appeared in small parts on the show before breaking out on the NBC hit.
Betty White & Bea Arthur
The Golden Girls stars — seen here in 2005 — guest-starred on the show as Sylvia Welker, Lois’s stepmother-in-law, and Mrs. White, one of Dewey’s babysitters, respectively.
Malcolm David Kelley
The Lost alum — who’s also one half of the pop duo MKTO — played Kid #1 in the Season 3 episode “Malcolm’s Girlfriend.”
Brenda Strong, Kathryn Joosten, Shawn Pyfrom, Mark Moses, & Mehcad Brooks
Each of these five Desperate Housewives stars — including Strong and Moses, seen here — appeared in exactly one Malcolm in the Middle episode.
You probably know that before Big Fat Liar and Agent Cody Banks, Frankie Muniz played the titular child genius on Malcolm in the Middle. You likely remember that a pre-Breaking Bad Bryan Cranston played his father, Hal, and that Jane Kaczmarek scored seven consecutive Emmy nominations for her role as his mother, Lois.
You might even recall that Christopher Masterson, Justin Berfield, and Erik Per Sullivan portrayed his brothers Francis, Reese, and Dewey.
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But as we mark the 20th anniversary of the Fox sitcom’s premiere on January 9, we’re looking back at the Hollywood stars — including two Academy Award recipients — who appeared on the Peabody Award-winning series in lesser capacities. Click through the gallery above to see these notable Malcolm in the Middle guest stars.
