The Cast Of ALF – Where Are They Now?

Who could forget the furry alien ALF? The classic sitcom, which first aired during the late ’80s, focuses on an extraterrestrial by the name of Alf – an acronym which stands of Alien Life Form. At the start of the series, Alf crash lands in the garage of the house that belongs to Willie, the patriarch of the Tanner family. Ironically though, it seems like the most normal character on the entire series was, more often than not, Alf. This begs the question: what happened to the cast members of ALF now? Join us as we take a look at the cast members of ALF and reveal where they are today.

For some reason, people couldn’t get enough of Alf, the furry alien who ends up moving in with the Tanners. But where did the cast members of this amazing sitcom end up today?

On the show, Kate Tanner is a strong woman with many responsibilities. So when Alf arrives on the scene, Kate knows she needs to put the furry alien in his place. With time though, Kate loves Alf like he was her own.

Arguably one of the more successful actors/actresses to have come out of ALF, Anne Schedeen has maintained a steady career ever since her time as Kate Tanner came to an end.

One of her most daring changes in character roles came in legal dramas such as Parry Mason: The Case of the Maligned Lobster and Judging Amy. Her last acting role came in 2014’s Tiny Nuts and since then, Schedeen has worked as an antique interior decorator.

As the show progressed, more and more members of the Tanner family entered the fold to add their own flavor.

One of the most memorable inclusions was Neal Tanner, who ended up moving in with his brother Willie and the family after splitting up with his own wife. It was at this point that Neal first met Alf and despite getting off on the wrong foot, Neal develops a fascinating friendship with the furry little alien.

ALF certainly wasn’t Jim J. Bullock’s first rodeo. After establishing himself as a talented actor on the sitcom Too Close For Comfort, Bullock proved that he had the chops to jump ship to another classic sitcom.

Despite only starring as a recurring character in season four, this wouldn’t stop Bullock from finding success in other sitcoms such as Roseanne and The Bold and the Beautiful. However, it appears that Bullock hasn’t worked in the acting industry since 2015.

You know that a sitcom has made an impression on fans when it starts churning out Christmas specials. In 1987’s festive two-part episode, Molly Hagan plays Denise, a young lady who is in labor.

When Alf notices that she is in distress, he puts on his vigilant hat and helps her deliver her baby. While the moment came across as a little too bizarre, it also warmed the hearts of many diehard fans in equal measure.

With an incredible 140+ acting credits, Molly Hagan is surprisingly very prolific in the world of acting. Definitely one of those actresses who you’ve seen in everything but can’t quite put your finger on who she is, the actress has been in every noteworthy show under the sun.

These include Grey’s Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, The Mentalist, NCIS: Los Angeles and Better Call Saul, to name a few. However, her most prevalent role came in iZombie, in which she appeared in five episodes.

Living with your aunt and uncle can be a tough situation for any kid. However, it is particularly challenging for Jake Ochmonek, who would love nothing more than to seek pastures new.

Eventually, his wish is granted, as Josh Blake’s character gets the chance to live with the neighbors, the Tanners, as well as their furry alien Alf. As time goes on, Alf becomes something of a role model for Jake and helps him grow into a fairly well-behaved young man.

Seeing that so many child actors made it in the ’80s, it made sense that Josh Blake would be able to capitalize on the success of his role in ALF, appearing on shows such as Full House and Married…With Children.

Since then, Josh Blake has made a radical change in his career, giving up his acting shoes and trading them in for a career in real estate. The career change proved to be a risk worth taking, as Blake has since become very successful.

It only makes sense for a sitcom to explore the love lives of virtually every main character. For Jake, his brief romance came with the girl next door, Laura.

What casual fans might not realize is that it was Hollywood actress Carla Gugino who played Jake’s love interest all those years ago. Although Alf helps Jake write romantic love letters to Laura, which actually end up working, they aren’t able to make their puppy love last.

Young Carla Gugino probably never anticipated the trajectory that her career would take after her brief role on ALF. After some minor success on shows such as Threshold, Karen Sisco, and Chicago Hope, Gugino has since become something of a Hollywood superstar.

She has appeared in big-budget blockbusters such as Watchmen and American Gangster. One of Gugino’s most recent roles came on the Netflix hit miniseries The Haunting of Hill House, in which she plays the matriarch of the Crain family, Olivia.

Although Alf wasn’t always able to get out of the house due to the fact that he’s an alien, the writers found new and exciting ways to keep his story fresh.

One way was by making him a character in his own dreams, which set the stage for some truly strange situations. One of those came when Brian Tanner starts dating a woman by the name of Roxanne. Fran Drescher plays a lady who simply doesn’t like Alf and instructs Brian to cut ties with him.

While Fran Drescher won’t steal headlines for her brief appearance in ALF, she managed to make a name for herself in her very own show. During the ’90s, she played Fran Fine-Sheffield, the title character of the critically acclaimed series The Nanny.

That lead role seemed to be enough to keep her in the public consciousness, earning her multiple roles elsewhere. Since then she has had voice roles in the Hotel Transylvania film series and appeared in shows such as Entourage and Broad City.

Don’t be fooled by Ricky Paull Goldin’s two-episode appearance on ALF. His presence was certainly felt as Danny Duckworth, the boyfriend of Lynn. He also spent most of his time playing for his high school’s baseball team.

Goldin already established himself as a talented TV actor before his time on ALF. One of his first roles came in 1985 on the ABC sitcom Hail to the Chief. Goldin played the son of Patty Duke’s character, who was the first female President.

In more recent times, Rick Paull Goldin has transitioned from acting to producing. In the last couple of decades, he has produced shows such as The Celebrity Arabian Adventure and TLC’s Seeing VS Believing.

It seems like Ricky Paull Goldin’s personal life has often overshadowed his professional endeavors, especially since his brief role on ALF. With high profile failed relationships with the likes of Yasmine Bleeth and Priscilla Taylor, Goldin finally found some stability when he started seeing Gretta Monahan in 2009. Since then, the couple has had two sons.

It seems like every sitcom family has an annoying neighbor. For the Tanners, it was the Ochmoneks. The matriarch of the family, Raquel, is quick to suspect that something’s not quite right next door, especially since Alf arrived on the scene.

No matter how much Willie and co. wanted to keep the alien a secret, Raquel would be around trying to figure out what was going on. However, it seems like most fans will remember Raquel for her constant bickering with her husband Trevor.

A true multitasker, Liz Sheridan also played the mother of Jerry Seinfeld in his own sitcom, Seinfeld, which was on air at the same time as ALF.

She has also appeared on shows such as Complete Savages and Play The Game. One of Sheridan’s biggest claims to fame is having been briefly romantically involved with none other than James Deen. She even wrote a book about it! Approaching 90 years of age, Sheridan was married to William T. “Dale” Wales until his death in 2003.

It might not be one of the biggest roles on the show, but there is no denying Dean Cameron’s impact as Robert Sherwood. He is working as a mime, as part of a catering company, at a party hosted by the Tanners.

This sets the stage for Robert’s first encounter with Lynn Tanner. After having a crush on her, Robert starts dating Lynn soon after the party. However, the relationship doesn’t last too long and the couple goes their separate ways.

It was no coincidence that Dean Cameron found his way onto the casting sheet of ALF. It was during the late ’80s that the actor was turning heads with some great performances.

These include his role as Jeff Spicoli in Fresh Prince of Bel Air, as well as his role as “Chainsaw” Gremp in Summer School. The remainder of Cameron’s career has resorted to guest TV appearances. However, his most recent high-profile film appearance came in 2015’s critically acclaimed NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton.

Using her reputation as a Matinee Lady from The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson to full effect, many fans couldn’t believe when Teresa Ganzel appeared on a two-part episode of ALF.

With the furry alien taking over as the host of the Tonight Show, Ganzel was there to assist him every step of the way. It is her who gives a testimonial for the Pecs ‘R Us gym. One thing’s for sure, Alf and Ganzel made quite the dynamic duo.

While she will probably be best remembered for her work on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, there has rarely been a moment since then that Teresa Ganzel hasn’t been working in the world of entertainment.

With a number of impressive voice roles to her name, Ganzel has lent her voice to Rugrats, Monsters, Inc., Inside Out and Despicable Me 3, to name a few. Ganzel has also worked in online broadcasting, having appeared in Ken Reid’s TV Guidance Counselor podcast in 2016.

Dorothy originally moved into the Tanner family home after suffering tragic loss and didn’t want to live alone. However, she would soon find company elsewhere when Whizzer Deaver emerged on the scene.

Paul Dooley plays the clarinet player, who is a frontrunner for his band Whizzer Deaver and the Whizztones. But it is his relationship with the Tanners that he is best remembered for and eventually, he evolves into a fan favorite on the show.

To called Paul Dooley a jack of all trades is nothing short of an understatement. The man who once played Whizzer Deaver has added many strings to his bow over the years.

Not only has he gone beyond acting, having his fair share of writing and stand-up comedy, but Dooley has also worked in the world of animation. At 90 year of age, Paul Dooley is still landing roles in big budget Hollywood blockbusters. His most recent film role came as Sarge in Pixar’s Cars 3.

Having already become a famous face for his role as Charley Dietz in the sitcom Empty Nest, David Leisure was warmly welcomed during his time on ALF.

In one of the most meta roles in the show’s history, Leisure plays Brandon Tartikoff, a big executive at NBC who manipulates TV ratings to ensure that his favorite show isn’t canceled. Interestingly, Leisure played another character on the show – Nick “Nicky ‘The Fish'” Mintz in the episode “The Gambler.”

While his film roles have dried up over the years, David Leisure has remained much more prolific in the world of TV. In the last couple of decades, the actor has appeared on classic soap operas such as General Hospital and Days of our Lives.

While his personal life has been pretty rocky, to the say the very least, after marrying and divorcing three different women, Leisure is grateful that his professional life has been a bit more stable.

When you are an alien trying to live a life of secrecy, it helps if the humans you do have contact with don’t actually know that you’re an extraterrestrial.

It seems like Alf hit the jackpot when he met Andrea Covell’s character. Jody is a blind woman who Alf met on a radio chat show. Naturally, the duo hit it off. However, there were plenty of times that Jody suspected that Alf was a little different from all the other guys…

Arguably one of the most difficult former stars of ALF to keep track of, Andrea Covell became somewhat disillusioned with the world of acting and decided that she wanted to take a step back from the limelight.

After her role on ALF came to an end, Covell took a much-deserved hiatus. However, it wouldn’t take too long before Covell put on her acting shoes once again, being inducted into the West Coast Ensemble theater group in 2002. She starred in productions such as Five Tellers Dancing in the Rain.

To keep in line with the bizarre nature of the show, Alf’s life started to extend beyond his time with the Tanners. He spent a fair amount of time with Dr. Larry Dykstra, who was played by the fantastic Bill Daily.

Dykstra was just the kind of psychiatrist that Alf needed in his life, especially due to his private style. Everything that Alf shared with him was confidential. It also helped that he wanted to help his friend Willie.

Bill Daily established himself over the years as one of the most underrated actors in the world of TV. Long before landing his role as Dr. Larry Dykstra, Daily was actually better known for his roles on shows such as The Bob Newhart Show and I Dream of Jeannie.

In fact, Daily’s career was coming towards the end by the time ALF came around. In his later years, the former actor spent a lot of time on the radio. On September 4, 2018, Daily passed away at the age of 91.

One thing that the showrunners of ALF did so well was exploring different sides of the Tanner family. So it was an absolute masterstroke when Anne Meara was brought on board to portrayed Dorothy Halligan, the mother of Kate.

However, as soon as Dorothy meets Alf, the two instantly hate each other. At one point, Dorothy even threatens to turn the furry alien into a rug. She loves nothing more than gambling and knitting.

What casual fans might not realize is that Ann Meara was a wife of Jerry Stiller, as well as the mother of Hollywood superstar Ben Stiller. In fact, it was through her half a century in showbiz that she met Jerry Stiller.

Over the course of her career, Meara won numerous awards including the Writer’s Guild Award, Emmy Award, and Tony Award. Ironically, she had a role alongside husband Jerry in The King Of Queens. Sadly, Meara passed away in 2015.

Another actor who only had a brief part on ALF was David Ogden Stiers, who is best known for his role as Major Charles Emerson Winchester III on the TV show M*A*S*H.

His character on ALF, Flakey Pete, ends up in the Tanners’ neighborhood during Thanksgiving and desperately needs shelter as he is homeless. However, after spending so much of his life devoid of love, food, and shelter, Alf provides him with some food and a fresh set of clothes.

One of the rare actors on this list to have a prolific career both in the world of film and TV, David Ogden Stiers was a huge loss to the acting community when he passed away in 2017 after a bout with bladder cancer.

However, his resume cannot be ignored. Ogden Stiers starred in a number of big movies after his brief role on ALF. He had voice roles in Disney movies such as Beauty and the Beast and Pocahontas.

What would a family sitcom be without a strong, young, female lead? In ALF, the person who fulfilled that role was Lynn Tanner, who was played by Andrea Elson.

At first, Lynn comes across as quite an obnoxious older sibling, giving her little brother Brian a hard time. However, Willie and Katie’s daughter soon matures into a responsible young lady, especially after Alf came into her life. At any rate, it was definitely the start of a beautiful friendship.

Andrea Elson’s resume seems to have been fixed in time, having had the majority of her roles throughout the 80s and 90s. It’s a shame, especially after the young actress showed so much promise with guest appearances on shows such as Who’s The Boss, Married…With Children and Mad About You.

Her last role came in The Young and the Restless and towards the turn of the millennium, Elson took a long hiatus from acting. Since 2008, she has been working as a yoga instructor.

In many ways, Brian Tanner was the star of the show, with many episodes being told through his point of view. After first encountering Alf, Brian starts to cause a lot of trouble with the furry alien.

However, he would often be forced to protect his cat Lucy from Alf, who regularly tried to eat the little furball. At one point, later on in his life, Brian wonders if he had wasted his childhood after spending so much time with Alf.

Unlike many child stars, Benji Gregory managed to hold down an acting career for quite a while before finally moving onto other areas of life. In the ’80s alone, he starred in shows such as The A-Team, The Twilight Zone, and Murphy Brown (just like his TV dad Max Wright).

In the last few decades, Benji Gregory has served in the US Navy and once his time in the military was up, he married his wife Sarah. He is determined to get back into the world of entertainment.

Let’s face it, if it wasn’t good ole’ Willie Tanner, ALF wouldn’t be the cult classic show that we all grew to love. It was Willie who brought the furry alien to the household in the first place and set the show’s wheels in motion.

Naturally, Max Wright’s character was extremely uptight and stressed out trying to hide an alien from the public. Without a doubt, his complicated relationship with Alf is the heartbeat of the show.

Although he made plenty of guest appearances on other shows such as The Drew Carey Show and Murphy Brown, there is no denying that Max Wright’s most iconic role to this very day is Willie Tanner.

However, with a string of legal issues, as well as a heavily publicized battle with lymphoma, Wright has rarely been out of the news. Sadly, after being married for over half a century, his wife Linda died in 2017. As of 2018, it is believed that Wright is living in Germany with a new partner.

While a number of people had a part to play in bringing Alf to life, it was ultimately Paul Fusco who was the beating heart of the iconic character.

He is the man responsible for that witty, passive-aggressive, sarcastic nature that the alien displayed so often. All of the chaos that Alf caused, and the many run-ins he had with the family cat, wouldn’t have been possible without Fusco at the helm. Fusco also wrote for the show.

Like many puppeteers, Paul Fusco has the pleasure of being known as the voice of Alf, without necessarily being recognized on the streets by casual fans.

One of the biggest ambassadors of the show, Fusco regularly attends conventions and has reprised the role of Alf on a number of special occasions. Not only did he play the furry alien on the show Mr. Robot, but it is also reported that an ALF full-length motion picture is currently in the works.