[1] He attended Towson State College in Maryland and taught geography for a year after graduation while continuing his vocal training at Peabody Conservatory.
In 1961 he appeared at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus as King Alcinous in Peggy Glanville-Hicks' Nausicaa, an opera written for the Athens Festival.
Mr. Malas was also seen on the Metropolitan Opera stage as Haly in L'italiana in Algeri opposite Marilyn Horne, and Capulet in Roméo et Juliette.
[5] He has also appeared in televised opera, with leading symphony orchestras, and recorded the operatic repertoire with notables such as Luciano Pavarotti, Beverly Sills, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, and Sutherland.
Frank Rich, theatre critic for The New York Times, commented on Malas' Drama Desk Award-nominated portrayal of the immigrant farmer Tony Esposito in the 1992 Broadway revival of The Most Happy Fella: "As acted by Mr. Malas, Tony's inner growth and redemption become the very soul of musical drama, especially as delineated in one gorgeous Loesser song after another."