Whatever Happened To Buddy's Half-Brother From Elf?
Every holiday season, one classic stands tall above the rest to spread Christmas cheer loud enough for all to hear. That's right, we're talking about "Elf," the Christmas flick that raised the bar for lovable family-friends movies to gather around during the holidays. We all know the story: A baby is accidentally kidnapped from an orphanage by Santa Claus (Ed Asner), only to be adopted by an elf who raises him as his own. As Buddy (Will Ferrell) grows up, he learns of his true human heritage and travels to New York City to discover his biological family there.
Considered one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time, "Elf" has captivated the hearts of almost everyone who watches it. Even famed film critic Roger Ebert deemed it "one of those rare Christmas comedies that has a heart, a brain and a wicked sense of humor, and it charms the socks right off the mantelpiece" in his review for The Chicago Sun-Times. Even if it's not your thing, there's no denying the impact that "Elf" had on the careers of its stars. Many, like Zooey Deschanel, Amy Sedaris, and even Peter Dinklage, used the film as a springboard for their own careers. Others, however, weren't quite so lucky.
Have you ever wondered what happened to Daniel Tay, the actor who played Buddy's younger half-brother Michael in the original film? Well, it turns out, his acting career was pretty short-lived, though it had some real promise.
Michael Hobbs was Daniel Tay's breakout role
Though it takes Michael a little bit to warm up to Buddy as his older brother, they soon become thick as thieves. From snowball fights and mall races to TV appearances and chopping down trees in Central Park, Buddy and Michael go through a lot with each other during the 2003 holidays, and their exploits only make them closer. While we don't know what happens to them after "Elf" is over, they'll probably be in each other's lives for a long time given the way the story ends.
His most notable work, "Elf" was the real launching point for Daniel Tay's career. The young actor, who was only 12 years old when the film came out, had only been in one other film prior to the Christmas classic — "American Splendor" — though his role was minimal. "Elf," on the other hand, gave Tay the opportunity to showcase his range and ability as an actor, and because of the film's popularity, he got plenty of exposure.
While "Elf" no doubt helped Tay secure some other notable roles in family-friendly entertainment (more on that in a minute), it wasn't exactly the career launcher that one might expect. Nevertheless, Tay's performance in the Christmas classic is not only his most notable but also a large part of what makes "Elf" so great. Without Michael by his side, Buddy might never have reconciled with his biological father, nor saved Christmas.
Tay voiced Doogal in the 2006 animated remake
A few years after "Elf," Daniel Tay headlined his own feature film. No, this isn't another live-action production, but rather an animated adaptation of the 1960s-70s English series "The Magical Roundtable." In America, the film had a different name: "Doogal." Tay played the titular talking dog, who, along with his friends, fights to stop an evil wizard who threatens to destroy the entire world. Unfortunately, what could easily have been a charming animated revival is in practice nothing more than a strange attempt to bring back a series that nobody asked to return.
Not only did the movie have a horrific audience reception, but the critics hated it as well. According to Christy Lemire of The Associated Press, "Doogal is the laziest, most disheartening kind of animated children's film: one that seems interested in entertaining kids only on the most fundamental level (through colorful talking animals and flatulence jokes) while frantically cramming in as many pop culture references as possible to preoccupy their parents." Not exactly a rave review.
Despite "Doogal's" impressive cast — which also boasted Chevy Chase, Whoopi Goldberg, Jimmy Fallon, and Ian McKellen — the animated feature was a flop all the way around. Unfortunately, this was the first and last time that Daniel Tay was ever cast in a leading role. Though he did well enough voicing the animated pup, the film itself was a disaster that likely hurt Tay's career in the long run.
He voiced Billy Blue in Grand Theft Auto IV
Though "Doogal" was a failure, it opened the door for Daniel Tay to pursue voice acting. That same year, Tay voiced the character of Pedro in the video game "Bully," though it was a relatively small part. A few years after that, in 2009, Tay returned to the microphone for another Rockstar Games project: "Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony." An expansion pack to the highly acclaimed "Grand Theft Auto IV," this edition was set during the events of the original game and featured a character named Billy Blue, voiced by none other than Tay himself.
Billy Blue may not be a major character in "The Ballad of Gay Tony," but Tay made his mark on the "Grand Theft Auto" series. One-half of the brotherly duo called the Blue Brothers, Billy is seen being chased by some ravenous fans in the game — a far cry from his role in "Elf." But despite the brevity of their appearance, Billy and his brother Bobby are later mentioned in "Grand Theft Auto V" and are even honored in the game's own Vinewood Walk of Fame. To date, Daniel Tay's work in "Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony" is the actor's final performance, behind the microphone or otherwise.
After a few other roles, Daniel Tay left Hollywood for good
Aside from his vocal work, Daniel Tay appeared in two other feature films in a live-action capacity not long after "Elf." In 2006, he played Max in the sports comedy "Beer League," which is about as raunchy as it sounds, though the low-budget comedy wasn't exactly a hit. Starring stand-up comic and radio personality Artie Lange, "Beer League" didn't do Tay's career any favors, and it quickly turned into a box-office bomb. The failed comedy was a clear step down from his previous live-action appearance in "Elf," which is a perfect example of comedic genius.
The following year, Tay appeared in another feature film — this time a crime drama titled "Brooklyn Rules." He played a younger version of Jerry Ferrara's character Bobby. Taking place in the mob-infested 1980s, the film was received much better than Tay's previous theatrical outing and had an even more impressive cast that included Alex Baldwin, Freddie Prinze, Jr., and Scott Caan — yes, the son of Tay's former "Elf" co-star James Caan. The mob flick garnered mixed reviews from audiences and critics alike, but despite the improvement in reception, "Brooklyn Rules" was Tay's last acting role in a feature film.
After that, Tay left acting behind. Though his LinkedIn page notes that he remained with Abrams Artists Agency through 2019, the young star hasn't been officially credited with any roles past 2009 on IMDb, and that includes video games.
Tay went to Yale and now is an SAT tutor
After leaving acting behind, Daniel Tay went on to further his academic career. Eventually, the former child actor graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in economics, but that isn't all. From 2014-2018, Tay worked with Veritas Prep — an organization tasked with helping high school students prepare for standardized tests — where he was an SAT Tutor. Upon leaving Veritas Prep, Tay joined Bespoke Education, where he continued to help students prepare for exams such as the SAT, ACT, ISEE, and SSAT. He left the New York-based organization in April 2023.
Additionally, Tay's LinkedIn page details his other educational exploits. He also worked as a research assistant for the Columbia University Irving Medical Center, where he edited grant proposals and co-designed protein purification protocols. He also co-authored "Engraftment of Alveolar Epithelial Type II Cells in a Lung Disease Model." Speaking of Columbia University, Tay also received his postbaccalaureate certificate in Premedical Studies in 2021 and is currently working on his MD at the Jean & Sanford I. Weill Medical College of Cornell University.
While Tay didn't further pursue his acting career, he's been highly successful in other ways and has actively used his education to help further those same dreams for others. Looks like he learned the right lessons from Buddy, after all.
Tay was replaced for the Elf stop-motion TV special
Although Daniel Tay is best known for his work in "Elf," the movie grew far beyond its own stars. In 2010, the Christmas classic was adapted into a Broadway musical titled "Elf: The Musical" (as if they'd call it anything else), where the character of Michael Hobbs was adapted for the stage. Unsurprisingly, Tay didn't return to reprise his role there. In fact, none of the original cast of "Elf" did. Michael was instead played by Matthew Gumley and Matthew Schechter in the original Broadway cast. But when the musical became a hit, it took "Elf" back to the screen.
Honoring the Rankin/Bass Christmas specials of yesteryear, "Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas" adapted the film and musical into a stop-motion special that aired on NBC in December 2014. Since the characters would be animated, bringing back the film's original stars might've seemed like an obvious move. After all, many of them have had experience behind the microphone, and it's certainly cheaper than reuniting everyone for a sequel. But in the end, only Ed Asner returned from the original film to reprise his role as Santa, with Max Charles of "The Lion Guard" fame taking over Michael duties.
The special might not be as beloved as the 2003 live-action film, but it was fairly well-received upon its initial release. Featuring Jim Parsons as Buddy the Elf and Mark Hamill as Walter Hobbs, it certainly feels like a vast departure from the original classic.
Daniel Tay knows multiple languages and worked as a bilingual editor
As if Daniel Tay's resume wasn't impressive enough, it's worth noting that he's also fluent in Mandarin. That's right, the former child actor went from studying scripts to studying other languages entirely. For an entire year, Tay worked as a bilingual editor for Cantos Translations where he translated documents from Chinese to English. Given that Yale once awarded him the Richard U. Light Fellowship for his studies in Mandarin, it doesn't come as a surprise that the star student would keep up with the language, but what might shock some is that he continued to study others as well.
During his time at Yale, Tay also studied Spanish and French, which he later taught as a tutor. He even spent four years surveying patients at the New York Presbyterian and Lower Manhattan Hospitals in English, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese. While his life has certainly turned out quite different from what some might have expected, Tay has proven that switching careers and pursuing further education can always be worthwhile pursuits. Who knows what the "Elf" star could go on to do next?
Could an Elf sequel ever happen?
For years, fans have wondered if an "Elf 2" could ever happen. These days, most popular movies have sequels, and who wouldn't want to see where Buddy and Jovie ended up after all this time? Well, as it turns out, an "Elf" sequel has been written, but it'll likely never get made. In a 2021 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Will Ferrell revealed that he turned down $29 million because the sequel script felt almost like a retread of the first film. "I would have had to promote the movie from an honest place," Ferrell said. "I don't think I can, so I guess I can't do the movie."
Other members of the cast expressed interest in an "Elf" sequel as well – particularly James Caan before he died in 2022. "We were gonna do it," Caan told the radio show "The Fan in Cleveland" in 2020. "And I thought, 'Oh my god, I finally got a franchise movie, I could make some money, let my kids do what the hell they want to do.'" According to Caan, the project never happened due to a number of complicating factors, including scheduling issues and the overall difficulty of bringing back the whole cast and crew.
As we're unlikely to ever get an "Elf" sequel — even if one were greenlit — Daniel Tay almost certainly will never return as Michael Hobbs. Between his commitment to his education and his lack of an acting career since 2009, Tay seems to have moved on entirely.
Here's where you can watch Elf this Christmas
With so many different streaming services out there to choose from, it can be both hard and confusing to find something for the whole family. Tracking down the best Christmas movies can prove a challenge, but if you want to watch "Elf" this holiday season, then never fear. The Will Ferrell classic (not to be confused with his more recent Christmas flick, "Spirited") can be streamed in its entirety on both Max and Hulu this holiday season. Additionally, if you've connected your Max subscription to Amazon Prime Video, the film can be streamed on that service as well. The same is true for the Paramount+ and Apple TV bundle.
To rent "Elf," the movie can be found on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube, VUDU, the Microsoft Store, and DirectTV. It can be rented for $3.99 on most of these platforms. To purchase "Elf," the film is also available on all of those services for $9.99, or $7.99 on VUDU. Of course, if you'd rather revisit "Elf" on the big screen, select Cinemark theaters are also bringing the Christmas triumph back for the film's 20th anniversary this holiday season.