Alf Star Anne Schedeen, TV's Beloved Kate Tanner, Dies at 77

The 1980s gave us many things worth remembering—neon, hair spray, and one very hungry alien living in the Tanner family garage. Anne Schedeen, the actress who anchored that delightfully weird premise as matriarch Kate Tanner on NBC’s Alf from 1986 to 1990, has passed peacefully at 77, her family announced Sunday on Facebook.

For those who grew up during that era, Schedeen was the grounding force that made the show work. While her character befriended Alf and brought the extraterrestrial into her home, it was Schedeen’s warmth and timing that sold the absurdity. She played it straight, which is exactly what sitcom gold requires when you’re sharing scenes with a puppet alien. That commitment to the role—the ability to make the ridiculous feel genuine—is what separated Alf from being a one-joke novelty into genuine family entertainment that lasted four seasons and spawned two movies.

But Schedeen’s resume was far deeper than one sitcom. She launched her Hollywood career in 1974 on The Six Million Dollar Man and went on to appear in a who’s-who of classic television: The Bionic Woman, Emergency!, The Incredible Hulk, Three’s Company, Cheers, Magnum PI, Murder She Wrote, and Judging Amy. She also took roles in films including Embryo, Flight to Holocaust, Exo-Man, Champions: A Love Story, Second Thoughts, and Slow Burn. Hers was the kind of steady, reliable career that built television’s golden age—the kind you don’t always hear about because the actor quietly shows up, does the work, and moves on to the next gig.

A cause of death was not disclosed. Her family’s Facebook announcement honored her extraordinary legacy of creative energy, painting a picture of an artist who cared deeply—so deeply, in fact, that they made note of her burning hatred for President Trump. Whether that detail ends up being remembered fondly or becomes a footnote, it speaks to someone who didn’t shy away from her convictions.

For millions, though, Anne Schedeen will forever be Kate Tanner—the woman who opened her home and her heart to an alien, and in doing so, created one of the most warmly remembered family comedies of the decade. That’s the kind of legacy that doesn’t fade.