Linwood Boomer

Linwood M. Boomer (born October 9, 1955) is a Canadian and American film and television producer, writer, and actor. He is known for playing the role of Adam Kendall on the drama Little House on the Prairie, and for creating the Fox sitcom Malcolm in the Middle (2000-2006).

Early life

Boomer was born into a lower middle class family in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the third of four sons. He grew up in San Mateo, California and attended elementary school and high school there. He was enrolled in a gifted program at school. His mother is named Eileen. Boomer made a show based on his life story called Malcolm in the Middle, which ran on FOX from January 2000 to May 2006.

Career Boomer began his career as an actor. After playing Adam Kendall on Little House on the Prairie, Boomer began working behind the camera in the television business.

Boomer's writing and executive producing credits include Night Court, Flying Blind, The Boys Are Back, Townies, 3rd Rock from the Sun and God, the Devil and Bob. He also created and executive produced the pilots Family Business, Nice Try, and the American version of Red Dwarf and served as an executive producer under James L. Brooks for the pilot of Big. He owns his own production company Satin City.

Boomer negotiated with CBS on a pilot order for a project that reunited him with Gail Berman, the exec who shepherded Malcolm during her tenure at Regency TV and as programming chief at Fox. Boomer wrote the script and exec produced along with Berman and Lloyd Braun for their BermanBraun shingle and Universal Media Studios, where BermanBraun is based. Dubbed The Karenskys, the multi-camera comedy would revolve around a daughter's return to the fold of her large, eccentric, ethnic family after her husband takes a job in her hometown. It was directed by Pamela Fryman and starred Annie Potts, Desi Lydic, Jack Thompson, Mather Zickel, Sasha Alexander, Tinsley Grimes, and Todd Stashwick.

Malcolm in the Middle

Boomer based the Fox sitcom Malcolm in the Middle on his life story. The pilot episode of the series premiered on January 9, 2000, and was watched by 22.5 million viewers, while the second episode, "Red Dress" (premiered on January 16, 2000), was watched by 26 million viewers. Boomer wrote two episodes, starting with the pilot episode and then "Francis Escapes" and directed five episodes: "Opera," "Stilts," "Reese vs. Stevie," "Bride of Ida," and the series finale, "Graduation." Boomer received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for the pilot episode. The series completed its six-year run on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons and 151 episodes. In April 2026, a four-episode continuing miniseries of the show, Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair, also created by Boomer, was released on Hulu.

Awards and nominations

Wins Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for Malcolm in the Middle ("Pilot")

Nominations Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series for Malcolm in the Middle (2001) Primetime Emmy Awards for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series for Night Court (1984)

Filmography (as an actor) Year Title Role Notes1978 Suddenly, Love Dave Busby TV movie1980 Hawaii Five-O Nick Zano Episode: "The Flight of the Jewels"1978–1981 Little House on the Prairie Adam Kendall 35 episodes1982 The Love Boat Doug Bridges Episode: "The Return of the Captain's Lady/Love Ain't Illegal/The Irresistible Man"1983 Fantasy Island Alex Weston Episode: "Eternal Flame/A Date with Burt" Voyagers! Dr. Thomas A. Watson Episode: "Barriers of Sound"1985 The Young and the Restless Jared Markson Episode dated April 8, 19852006 Malcolm in the Middle Loan Shark (as Enzo Stussi) Episode: "Graduation"2018 Santa Clarita Diet Mr. Whetherton Episode: "The Queen of England"2026Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still UnfairUnknownEpisode: "Episode 4"