“ALF” Cast: Where Are They Now? A Look Back at the Stars of the 80s Cult Hit
More than three decades after “ALF” left television screens, the fates of the Tanner family and their furry houseguest have taken varied turns – including a tragic recent passing. the beloved sitcom, which ran from 1986 to 1990, launched the careers of several young actors, but fame proved fleeting for many. Here’s an update on what happened to the cast of “ALF.”
Kate Tanner (Anne Schedeen): Anne Schedeen, born in 1949, portrayed the selfless matriarch, Mama Kate Tanner, who sacrificed her artistic ambitions to support her family. While still alive, Schedeen didn’t achieve importent roles following “ALF,” appearing in supporting parts in a few minor films and guest roles on series like “Magnum, P.I.,” “Murder, She Wrote,” and “Just the Ten of Us.” She later transitioned to a career as an antique dealer and outfitter, and also taught aspiring comedians. Notably, Schedeen serves as an ambassador for the aid organization “Holiday Heroes” in Bulgaria. In an interview, Schedeen described her time on “ALF” as the most arduous of her life, citing complications with the ALF puppet and reported issues with colleagues.
Lynn Tanner (andrea Elson): Andrea Elson played the responsible teenage daughter,Lynn Tanner. Remarkably, she was only 17 years old - just one year older than her character - when the series began. Like Schedeen, Elson found herself primarily limited to small roles after “ALF,” with guest appearances in shows such as “Who’s the Boss?,” “Growing Pains,” “A very Nice Family,” and “Days of our Lives” (her final acting credit). After marrying production assistant Scott Hopper while working on “ALF,” she became Annie Hopper. The couple has a son and a daughter and resides in California, where Hopper owns and operates a yoga studio. Elson has largely stepped away from public life.
Brian Tanner (Benji Gregory): Benji Gregory, the youngest Tanner child and ALF’s closest human friend, was just eight years old at the start of the series. Following “ALF,” Gregory appeared in a television film, an episode of “Murphy Brown,” and had a voice role in the animated film “Master Badger and His Friends” before leaving acting. He attended the Academy of Art College in San Francisco and briefly joined the US Navy in 2003, but was discharged after two years due to health concerns. gregory married in 2006, around the time of a bipolar disorder diagnosis, but the marriage later ended.Tragically, Benji Gregory was found dead in his car on June 13, 2024. The coroner’s office persistent the cause of death to be heat exposure combined with hepatic cirrhosis. He was 46 years old. In 2015, Gregory, under the name Ben Hertzberg, posted a video on YouTube.
