Benji Gregory obit

ALF Child Star Benji Gregory Dies at 46

The late actor rose to fame playing Brian Tanner in 101 episodes of 'ALF' from 1986 to 1990 

He was not on the list.

Benji Gregory, best known for his role on ALF, has died. He was 46.

On June 13, the late actor was found dead in his car in the parking lot of a Chase Bank located in Peoria, Arizona, according to TMZ. The outlet reported those closest to Gregory believe that he was visiting the bank to deposit checks the day before when he fell asleep in his car.

They believe that he died from vehicular heatstroke. The temperature rose as high as 109 degrees on June 12 where he was in Arizona. The outlet also noted that his service dog, Hans, was also found deceased in the vehicle.

The Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office told ABC7 Los Angeles that his cause of death is still pending.

Rebecca Hertzberg-Pfaffinger, his older sister, told TMZ that Gregory was faced depression, bipolar disorder and a sleep disorder that kept him awake for days.

The late actor rose to fame playing Brian Tanner in 101 episodes of ALF from 1986 to 1990. It followed the title character — whose acronym stands for “Alien Life Form” but is actually named Gordon Shumway — after he crashed into the garage of the Tanner family’s suburban home. Puppeteer Paul Fusco, who co-created the series with Tom Patchett, was behind the iconic performance.

In 2018, Warner Bros. shared that it was in the early stages of creating a reboot. However, the plans were canceled later that same year after failing to find a home for the project. In February, Shout! Factory announced that it had acquired the rights to ALF and would be developing new related content.

Gregory in addition to his stint on ALF, appeared in several television shows which include Fantastic Max (1988–1990), Pound Puppies (1986–1987), Murphy Brown (1988), Fantasy Island (1978), The A-Team (1984), T.J. Hooker (1984), Amazing Stories (1985), The Twilight Zone (1985), and Mr. Boogedy (1986). He also made an appearance in the feature film Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986).

Gregory appeared as himself in the PSAs television series The More You Know, the children's game show series I'm Telling!, the "Salute to the 50 States episodes" of the game show Fun House, as well as on a kids episode of The Dating Game.

Gregory made several appearances on the television sitcom Punky Brewster, playing an orphan named "Dash," and supplied the voice of Edgar the Mole in the animated feature Once Upon a Forest (1993), which would be his final acting role. He was scheduled to co-star in a Punky Brewster spin-off called Fenster Hall. The pilot/television-movie of Fenster Hall was never picked up for regular production.

Gregory leaving the acting industry, served a stint in the U.S. Navy after graduating from school, he enlisted in 2003 and became an aerographer's mate. During his naval career he was assigned to the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70). In 2005, he received an honorable medical discharge from the Navy.

Actor

Paul Fusco and Mihaly 'Michu' Meszaros in ALF (1986)

ALF

7.4

TV Series

Brian Tanner

1986–2004

101 episodes

 

Elisabeth Moss, Ellen Blain, Michael Crawford, Paige Gosney, Benji Gregory, and Ben Vereen in Once Upon a Forest (1993)

Once Upon a Forest

6.4

Edgar (voice, as Ben Gregory)

1993

 

Dan Castellaneta and David Kaufman in Back to the Future (1991)

Back to the Future

6.4

TV Series

Biff Jr. (voice)

1992

13 episodes

 

Crystal Bernard in Lady Against the Odds (1992)

Lady Against the Odds

5.5

TV Movie

Newspaper Boy (as Ben Gregory)

1992

 

Leonard Nimoy in Never Forget (1991)

Never Forget

6.9

TV Movie

Kenny Mermelstein (as Ben Gregory)

1991

 

Candice Bergen in Murphy Brown (1988)

Murphy Brown

6.9

TV Series

Brian (as Ben Gregory)

1991

1 episode

 

Fantastic Max (1988)

Fantastic Max

6.8

TV Series

Benjamin 'Ben' Letterman (voice)

1988–1989

4 episodes

 

Pound Puppies (1985)

Pound Puppies

6.4

TV Series

Andy (voice)

1987

1 episode

 

Alf Loves a Mystery (1987)

Alf Loves a Mystery

6.2

TV Movie

Kid Cameron

1987

 

Whoopi Goldberg in Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986)

Jumpin' Jack Flash

5.9

Harry Carlson, Jr.

1986

 

The Magical World of Disney (1954)

The Magical World of Disney

8.4

TV Series

R.E. 'Reginald Ernest' Davis (as Benjamin Gregory)

1986

1 episode

 

Robert Mitchum and Wilford Brimley in Thompson's Last Run (1986)

Thompson's Last Run

5.9

TV Movie

Little John (as Benjamin Gregory)

1986

 

The Twilight Zone (1985)

The Twilight Zone

7.7

TV Series

Boy (segment "Night of the Meek") (as Benjie Gregory)

1985

1 episode

 

Kevin Costner, Harvey Keitel, Charlie Sheen, Christopher Lloyd, and John Lithgow in Amazing Stories (1985)

Amazing Stories

7.4

TV Series

Sam (as Benjie Gregory)

1985

1 episode

 

Soleil Moon Frye, Susie Garrett, George Gaynes, and Cherie Johnson in Punky Brewster (1984)

Punky Brewster

6.6

TV Series

Dash (as Benjie Gregory)

1985

2 episodes

 

T.J. Hooker (1982)

T.J. Hooker

6.1

TV Series

Sean (as Benjamin Gregory)

1984

1 episode

 

George Peppard, Mr. T, Dirk Benedict, and Dwight Schultz in The A-Team (1983)

The A-Team

7.5

TV Series

Eric (as Benjamin Gregory)

1984

1 episode