Tom Malley has been a bike assembler for Apollo for over 8 years now, however, not many people know he’s not only an assembler, but a bit of a movie star. Malley grew up in New York City and was a part of the Irish community thanks to his heritage. In his 20’s, Malley was cast in a play where he spoke Gaelic (he still speaks and even teaches the Irish language to this day). One of the guys he worked with got him involved in off-off broadway theatre there. A director noticed him and gave him another major part utilizing his acting skills, and then Malley went on to radio school from there. He moved to upstate New York and worked in radio, did a few plays such as West Side Story and Brighton Beach Memoirs. However, after he married and had kids, he left radio for a better paying job working in a factory. Malley had always been handy with tools, however, he continued to do plays here and there locally, such as a, 'Christmas Carol.' One night after the performance, a guy introduced him to a woman who thought he was a professional actor. At this time Governor Cuomo was giving out incentives for movie companies to film in New York.
Malley saw an advertisement for extras and signed up for a non-speaking role. He remembers the scene called for him to sit in a circle and listen to a guy admit he had issues with drugs and alcohol. During the scene, the director noticed instantly that Malley wasn’t a typical extra – he could actually act. Malley later auditioned for the role of an old man in a film that won an award at the Sundance Film Festival in 2018. Malley confronts some starving children who are trying to steal vegetables from his garden to eat. His character invites the kids up to his house to get some food, but becomes angry when they start lying to him. “I still get my residual check from that film which comes to about $6.00, but I don’t care about the money, I think it’s fun,” said Tom. You can see the film and Tom Malley’s work on Netflix. Just searched for the title “We the Animals.” If you live in upstate, New York and order an in-home assembly from us, don't be surprised if Tom comes to build your furniture!