Where To Watch
What ever happened to the cast of 'ALF'?
Ever wonder what became of Willie?
Image: The Everett Collection
In 1987, ALF was the No. 10 show in America. In Bulgaria, it was even bigger. Nearly 20 million viewers were tuning in each week to see the alien manage his way through suburbia.
However, despite all that attention — and all the merchandise — it was really only the puppet that became a superstar. The rest of the cast was lovely on the sitcom, but they largely all fell off the map after the series ended in 1990. None of them returned for the Project: ALF TV movies a few years later.
So, we wanted to put the original actors back on the map. Here what became of the Tanner family, and that nosy neighbor.
1. Andrea Elson - Lynn Tanner
ALF was not the only notable gig for this 1980s teen star. Elson, a New York native, got her big TV break in the underrated Whiz Kids (1983–84), one of the earliest series to depict the activity of computer hackers. After four years of playing Lynn Tanner, the actress landed a few small roles in Afterschool Specials and Married… With Children before stepping away from the spotlight. These days, Elson had found harmony as a yoga instructor in California.
Image: The Everett Collection
2. Anne Schedeen - Kate Tanner
Schedeen largely left acting after ALF ended. Outside of a few episodes of Judging Amy, the actress has not been seen onscreen since the early 1990s. It was reported that she got into interior design work. A year and a half ago, she put her celebrity to good use as an ambassador for the Holiday Heroes charity.
Image: The Everett Collection
3. Benji Gregory - Brian Tanner
Gregory was born Benjamin Gregory Hertzberg. At a very young age, he was put to work in front of a camera, popping up in a handful of TV commercials. In 1985, not long before ALF, the kid almost scored another sitcom role with Fenster Hall, a planned spin-off of Punky Brewster. Alas, that orphanage comedy never took off. When ALF ended, Gregory explained, "It was a relief… I didn’t want to do any more shows, but I don’t regret any of it.” After attending the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, Gregory joined the Navy. He served aboard the Aircraft Carrier USS Carl Vinson. After a medical discharge in 2005, Gregory settled in Arizona. He was last known to be living in the suburbs of Phoenix.
Image: The Everett Collection
4. Liz Sheridan - Raquel Ochmonek
Of all the performers on ALF, it would be the pesky neighbor who found the greatest television success. Most recognize the actress as Jerry's mom on Seinfeld. More recently, she appeared alongside Andy Griffith in his final film, Play the Game, which featured an octogenarian sex scene between the two TV veterans. Sheridan is now 88.
5. Max Wright - Willie Tanner
No ALF star, including the puppet himself, has had a more fascinating career post-ALF, marked with ups and downs. Wright landed another steady sitcom job on Norm Macdonald's The Norm Show (1999–2001). He achieved greater acclaim on Broadway, as he was nominated for a Tony award in 1998 for Ivanov. Earlier this decade, he was performing Shakespeare in the Park. However, in that span, he has also been the subject of some scandal and salacious ink in gossipmongers like TMZ and Radar.
Image: The Everett Collection
6. ALF
We're not going to overlook the alien himself. The character has appeared in several TV shows, commercials and specials over the last three decades, from Matlock to The O'Reilly Factor. Michu Meszaros, the man inside the furry suit whenever ALF stood upright or ran, passed away last summer at the age of 76. Paul Fusco, the creator and puppeteer underneath ALF, continues to work the character. In 1998, a dark film starring Ben Stiller titled Permanent Midnight detailed some of the behind-the-scenes drama of ALF, which was altered to Mr. Chompers.
Related
4 Comments
