In 1987, Alf made it to the Top 10 shows in America. And in some areas of the world, Alf made it even to the Top 5. Millions of viewers tuned in to watch the alien manage his way through suburban America. The puppet grew into a superstar, with a merchandise line, clothing line, and more. Sadly, the rest of the cast fell off the map after the show ended. Let’s see what happened to the cast of Alf.
The series ended in 1990, but then had the Project: Alf TV movie a few years later. The sitcom ran from 1986 to 1990. Alf, the title character, crash-landed in the garage of a suburban, middle-class American family. Alf stands for “alien life form”. In the summer of 2018, Warner Bros announced the development of an Alf reboot. But they canceled the plans in November the same year. Let’s see what happened to the cast of Alf.
Anne Schedeen – Kate Tanner
Anne had an amazing performance in Alf. The show made her famous. But she left acting after the end of Alf. She did have some guest appearances in other projects, but she largely left the screen in the early 1990s. Schedeen appeared in a few episodes of Judging Emmy.
But she did manage to put her celebrity status to good use. She now works as an ambassador for Holiday Heroes, a Bulgarian organization helping disadvantaged families.
She got married to her husband, Christopher Barrett in 1982. The two met on the set of a stage play in 1972. In 1991, they got their daughter, Taylor.
Max Wright – Willie Tanner
Wright had a relatively average career following the end of Alf. We can say he got the best out of it. Following the end of the show, he landed another sitcom job on The Norm Show. He played a part in the show from 1999 to 2001.
But while Max didn’t enjoy success on TV, he found it elsewhere. Wright achieved greater acclaim on Broadway, where he earned a Tony nomination in 1998 for Ivanov.
He started his stage career in 1968, in the original production of The Great White Hope. In the late 1990s, he also played Sir Andrew in the Twelfth Night. And then in 2007, he appeared at the JET, Jewish Ensemble Theatre in Detroit.
He got married to his wife Linda Ybarrondo in 1965. The two stayed together until her death in 2017. They have two children together. Wright got diagnosed with lymphoma in 1995. He managed to remain in remission until 2019 when he died of the disease at the age of 75.
Andrea Elson – Lynn Tanner
Andrea earned the status of a teen star in the 1980s. Before Alf, she got her big break on Whiz Kids, appearing in the show from 1983 to 1984.
Elson started her career as a child actress and model. Before appearing on a TV screen, she appeared in commercials and print advertorials. In 1983, she moved with her family to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. That helped her land a job on Whiz Kids.
Following the end of Whiz Kids, she appeared in Alf. That appearance helped her earn two Youth in Film Award nominations.
Following the end of Alf, she continued to appear in television roles, mostly guest-starring roles. But she left acting by the end of the 1990s.
Since 2008, Elson works as a yoga instructor.
Benji Gregory – Brian Tanner
Born in Los Angeles, California, Benji continues a long line of actors. His sisters worked as actresses. And his uncle worked as an actor as well. Fun fact: his grandmother worked as his agent.
Following his stint on Alf, Benji appeared in shows like Fantastic Max, Pound Puppies, Murphy Brown, and more. He portrayed himself on the PSA television series The More You Know.
In 2003, he enlisted in the US Navy and graduated school to work as an aerographer’s mate. He got an honorable discharge from the Navy in 2005. In 2006, he got married and stays away from the public since then.
Liz Sheridan – Raquel Ochmonek
The main cast of Alf largely fell off the map following the end of the show. But the pesky neighbor found success in television.
Liz played Jerry’s mother on Seinfeld following the end of Alf. And recently, she appeared alongside Andy Griffith in the final movie, Play the Game.
Sheridan started her professional career as a nightclub dancer and singer but quickly turned into a successful actress.
Alf – Paul Fusco
We cannot talk about the cast of Alf without the puppet itself. The character appeared in many TV shows, commercials, and specials following the end of the show. He is the only cast member with a successful career following the end of the show.
Paul Fusco served as the main puppeteer and voice actor for Alf. He kept the alien in the public eye as much as possible after Project Alf. He even got him an Alf Hit Talk Show in 2004. In 2012, Fusco confirmed that Sony Pictures Animation got the rights to the Alf character. They wanted to develop him into a GGI-live-action hybrid feature.
Besides Fusco, other people helped make Alf a star. Michu Meszaros worked as one of Alf’s assistants in costume. Lisa Buckley and Bob Fappiano worked as assistant puppeteers.
