Actress Anne Schedeen, best known for playing Kate Tanner on the hit NBC sitcom “ALF,” passed away on June 14, 2026, at age 77, according to her family. She died peacefully with family by her side. No cause of death was given.
Her family posted a notice on Anne Schedeen’s Facebook page with a statement. “It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share Annie has passed peacefully,” the family statement read. They described her vibrant legacy, which included her sharp wit, devotion to family, love of rescue dogs, political convictions, enthusiasm for thrift shopping, and passion for storytelling.
The family said life without her was unimaginable and encouraged friends and fans to raise a margarita in her honor.
Schedeen became a household name as Kate Tanner, the sensible matriarch who served as the level-headed mother figure when her family’s suburban California home became the refuge for an alien from Melmac who had survived a spaceship crash. The beloved sitcom ran for four seasons between 1986 and 1990, totaling 99 original episodes, and became a global television phenomenon, attracting devoted viewers in Australia and many other countries. She played a central character who provided both humor and heart throughout the show’s run.
Born Luanne Ruth Schedeen on Jan. 8, 1949, in Portland, Oregon, she initially adopted the stage name Anne Schedeen when she began her journey in acting in the early 1970s. She made her professional television debut in 1974 on an episode of “The Six Million Dollar Man” before securing a studio deal with Universal Pictures, which resulted in many appearances on television programs during that era.
During her first 15 years in the industry, Schedeen became an extremely familiar face on the American small screen. Among her most notable credits were recurring roles in iconic series such as “Emergency!” from 1974 to 1976, “Marcus Welby, M.D.” from 1974 to 1976, “Family” in 1977, and “Three’s Company” from 1978 to 1982, where she played several different characters. She also appeared on “Cheers,” “Magnum, P.I.,” and “The Incredible Hulk.”
In addition to her prolific television work, she made occasional forays into film, appearing in feature films including the cult horror movie “Embryo” in 1976. In 1984, she joined the cast of “Paper Dolls,” a prime-time drama that aired briefly before being cast on “ALF” in 1986.
Following the show’s cancellation in 1990, she appeared infrequently on television. She recurred on “Judging Amy” in 2001, making just one other acting appearance after it ended, in 2014. Following her departure from acting, she redirected her professional activity toward interior design and philanthropy.
With Schedeen’s passing, only one of the four actors who played the Tanner family on “ALF” remains alive. Actor Max Wright, who played Willie Tanner, died in 2019, and child actor Benji Gregory, who played son Brian Tanner, died in 2024. Actress Andrea Elson, who played daughter Lynn Tanner, is the sole surviving member of the main Tanner family cast.
Schedeen is survived by Christopher Barrett, her husband, whom she married in 1982, who works as a talent agent; her daughter Taylor Barrett and her daughter-in-law Hilary Flynn; her sister Sarabeth Schedeen; her brother Roland “Tony” Schedeen and his wife; her niece; and her beloved rescue dogs, Roo and Red.
