Michael from Elf looks totally unrecognisable years after quitting acting
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It's fair to say Elf is up there with some of the most-loved Christmas movies of all time. From Buddy's adorable character to the festive cheer and the warm, fuzzy message of the importance of believing - it's hard not to be enchanted by its storyline. But, little you may realise, it actually hit our screens 21 years ago.
That means little Michael, played by actor Daniel Tay, is now all grown up. Tay, now 32, is a former actor who is best known for his role as Michael Hobbs in the Christmas movie. In the film, Michael watches his father Walter (played by the late James Caan) navigate life as a cynical children’s book publishing executive. Early on, he also discovers he is the younger brother of Buddy, a man who claims to be an elf.
It was actually his first major role in film, and he also appeared in American Splendor as Young Harvey Pekar during the same year. Even though he only had few roles, it's Elf that makes the former star go viral every festive season. Despite being widely remembered for his role in Elf, Tay's acting career was short lived. It wasn't long before he moved on from acting, and later graduated from Yale University, having studied economics.
Now you'd hardly recognise Tay from his acting days. More recently, he's reported to have worked as an instructor for the SAT. According to the company’s website, Tay spent time as a Teaching Assistant and Peer Tutor in the Department of Computer Science while at Yale. He was also a recipient of the Richard U. Light Fellowship for his studies in Mandarin Chinese language.
