Benji Gregory of 'ALF' Looks Barely Recognizable Since the Show's Last Episode
Former child star Benji Gregory has changed a lot since his last appearance in “ALF.” He has not worked in the entertainment industry since the early 90s.
Born in May 1978, Gregory began acting when he was just a kid in “T.J. Hooker” and “The A-Team.” In 1986, two years after his on-screen debut, he was cast as Brian Tanner in “ALF.”
Gregory also provided his voice for animated series like “Fantastic Max” and “Back to the Future” but disappeared from Hollywood after voicing Edgar in “Once Upon a Forest” in 1993.
Max Wright, Benji Gregory, Andrea Elson, and Anne Shedeen with ALF on May 23, 1986 in Los Angeles, California | Photo: Getty Images
Coming back to “ALF,” it was the most important project in Benji Gregory’s career, but it only ran for four years. The sitcom’s premise was groundbreaking, but it was also the reason for its cancelation.
Given that ALF was an alien that secretly lived among humans, pretty much everything was supposed to happen in the Tanner house to avoid violating the show’s rules.
Writing episodes mainly focused on the rest of the characters and getting rid of ALF was not an option as the puppet was the main star, so the characters and the sitcom were boxed in.
Eventually, the “ALF” cast, including Max Wright, got bored. Wright, an impressive theater actor, began acting “like a diva” once the show made him unhappy.
During a rehearsal, Wright “flipped out” on Gregory after he made a mistake. At the time, Gregory was just nine years old, and he was “bawling” while Wright was screaming.
The show was canceled in 1990, but its fans were shocked in 2018 after it was reported that Warner Bros. had plans to work on a reboot. Sadly, they never made it.
Three decades have passed since “ALF” went off the air, and a lot has changed in the cast's lives. Benji Gregory now has no interest in returning to Hollywood.
In 2003, he joined the US Navy and served as an aerographer’s mate. Two years later, he was discharged for medical reasons. Judging by his Facebook page, Gregory lives in Thousand Oaks, California.
Max Wright, Andrea Elson, Anne Schedeen and Benji Gregory on June 2, 1987 in Century City, California | Photo: Getty Images
As per Max Wright, he passed away in June 2019 after a long battle with cancer. He was 75 years old at the time of his death. Anne Schedeen, who played Kate Tanner, had only a few acting credits after “ALF,” “Tiny Nuts” being the most recent.
Andrea Elson, Benji Gregory’s TV sister, married Scott Hopper, one of the show’s production assistants, in 1993. She walked away from Hollywood in 1998, so no member of the “ALF” cast is currently acting. What a shame.