Dallas Malloy
Dallas Malloy (born December 25, 1976) is an actress and pianist, and former female boxer and bodybuilder from Bellingham, WA, United States. Malloy first gained international fame after she wrote to the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, D.C., protesting her by-then ineligibility to fight as an amateur boxer for US Boxing due to her gender. See ACLU victories-1993:[1] She portrayed herself in the opening of Jerry Maguire directed by Cameron Crowe. While boxing toward the camera, Tom Cruise narrated her true story of making boxing history. VoyageLA Interview
Boxing
Malloy began training for a boxing career as a teen, hoping to compete in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. She began training on August 6, 1992, under coach James Ferguson. Malloy spoke to promoter Bob Jarvis, who told her that there was no place for women's boxing (soon after, professional female boxing would start to become popularized by Christy Martin, Deirdre Gogarty and others; women would debut as boxers at the 2012 London Olympic Games).
Jarvis' denial inspired Malloy to write to the ACLU, asking them to intervene on her behalf. The ACLU put Malloy in contact with the Graham and Dunn Law Offices in Seattle, who agreed to represent her. Her case was heard in the Washington State Court.
Citing the precedent set by Gail Grandchamp in her 1992 Superior Court victory, the judge presiding over Malloy's case granted an injunction, allowing her to box as an amateur in the United States.
On October 30, 1993, Malloy and 21-year-old rival Heather Poyner made history after engaging in a three-round, two-minute-per-round fight that captured media attention. Malloy won by unanimous decision.[2] Having passed the sport's 35 year-old age limit by the conclusion of her 12-year long trial, Grandchamp's victory had come too late, as age restrictions prevented her from becoming an amateur boxer. Therefore, the Malloy-Poyner bout became the first ever fully sanctioned female boxing fight in the United States. Their televised fight was broadcast locally in Seattle.
Acting career
Malloy has worked on several television series including Conan, 1000 Ways to Die, a major guest star role on Eli Stone and several others. She has also worked in film, including Space Command and The ABCs of Death. She played herself in the 1996 Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding Jr. movie Jerry Maguire. She was also on the dating show 12 Corazones, hosted by Penélope Menchaca.[3] She has had extensive theater experience and studies with Jamie Paolinetti and Atwater Playhouse.
Bodybuilding
Malloy is also a former bodybuilding champ.[4]
Musician
Malloy is a professional classical pianist; she started playing piano at 6 years old.[5]
Personal
Malloy is a recovering alcoholic and drug addict; she has stayed clean and sober since January 14, 1997. In 1999 she stopped smoking.[6]
References
- Female Fighters Pound Their Way Into History : Boxing: Dallas Malloy, 16, who fought to open the sport to women, wins nation's first sanctioned amateur bout by unanimous decis...
- Dallas Malloy - IMDbPro
- Ric Drasin And Dallas Malloy On Pre And Post Workout Drinks
- Dallas Malloy playing Clementi - YouTube
- 'Maybe I'm just me' - Glendale News-Press