'ALF' Star Anne Schedeen, Who Played Kate Tanner of Hit NBC Sitcom, Dies at 77

Her family announced she died peacefully on June 14, remembering the veteran actress as 'a force' whose warmth and creativity touched everyone she met.

Rudy Blalock

Published: 6/15/2026, 11:51:11 PM EDT

'ALF' Star Anne Schedeen, Who Played Kate Tanner of Hit NBC Sitcom, Dies at 77 — A 2017 file image of an emergency sign directing patients to the emergency room at a U.S. hospital. (Mike Blake/Reuters)

Anne Schedeen, the actress who charmed millions of viewers as the warm and witty Kate Tanner on NBC's hit sitcom "ALF," died peacefully on June 14, according to her family. She was 77.

Her family shared the news on Facebook, writing, "We are bereft without her. We loved her so so much, as did all who met her. She was a force. And it is unimaginable to think about life without her in it."

Born on Jan. 8, 1949, in Portland, Oregon, Schedeen began performing at age 6, acting with "teapots and flowers" on the family's farm on the outskirts of the city, according to a 1988 Washington Post profile. Her family's surname, originally Sjodin, had been changed during the family's emigration from Sweden. When an early agent pushed her to change it again, she refused—she liked the idea of her whole family seeing the name Schedeen in the credits, according to her IMDb biography.

She took acting lessons at the Portland Civic Theater and went on to study at Portland State University and Fort Wright College in Spokane, Washington. Her first professional gig paid only room and board—a dinner theater on the island of Kauai—before she backpacked across Europe and eventually landed in New York to chase her acting dreams.

"I called a girl I had acted with in Portland and said I'd come to New York to act," Schedeen recalled in 1988. "She said, 'Oh, no!' I think she was responding to all the problems she knew I would go through."

The struggle eventually gave way to a contract at Universal Studios, where she earned a recurring role on "Emergency!" and racked up guest spots across numerous series and TV movies. She also made five appearances on "Three's Company" between 1978 and 1982, and later starred in ABC's short-lived drama "Paper Dolls."

Then came "ALF."

In 1986, Schedeen landed the role that would define her career—Kate Tanner, the levelheaded suburban mom anchoring a household that had been turned upside down by an alien from the planet Melmac. The show, which co-starred Max Wright, Andrea Elson, and Benji Gregory, quickly climbed into the Top 10 in the ratings.

Her pregnancy with her daughter was written into the show's storyline, though the character ultimately had a son on screen.

In later years, she coached comedy actors part-time and in 2015 became an ambassador for Holiday Heroes, a Bulgarian nonprofit that assists disadvantaged families.

Schedeen is survived by her husband of 55 years, Christopher Barrett; daughter Taylor Barrett; daughter-in-law Hilary Flynn; sister Sarabeth Schedeen; niece Minnie Schedeen; brother Roland "Tony" Schedeen; sister-in-law Julieann Schedeen; and her two beloved rescue dogs, Roo and Red.

The family asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Habitat for Humanity, one of Schedeen's favorite causes.

"As she said, 'I'm always with you,'" the family wrote. "And she's right. The memories, artwork, belly laughter, handmade jewelry, oil paintings, sculptures, costumes, and all around joie de vivre live on."