Anne Schedeen, best known for playing Kate Tanner on the hit sitcom ALF, has died at 77. Her family confirmed the news, saying she “passed peacefully.”
Schedeen built a long Hollywood career before ALF, appearing in shows including The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, Three’s Company, The Incredible Hulk and Starsky & Hutch.
Her breakthrough came in 1986 when she was cast as Kate Tanner, the loving but level-headed mother of the Tanner family. ALF, which followed a family secretly caring for a wisecracking alien, became a major NBC hit and ran for four seasons from 1986 to 1990.
Schedeen later described filming the series as a “technical nightmare” because of the elaborate puppetry, with some 30-minute episodes taking up to 20–25 hours to film.
Her performance as Kate Tanner made her a beloved figure in television history and left a lasting impression on generations of ALF fans.
Rest in peace, Anne Schedeen. 🕊️