What Ever Happened to the Cast of ALF?

Anne Meara played Dorothy Halligan, Kate Tanner’s sharp-tongued mother who never quite understood why her daughter’s family life included a sarcastic alien in the kitchen. Meara’s dry wit and veteran comedic timing gave every Dorothy appearance a little extra punch, reminding viewers that the Tanners came by their humor honestly.

By the time she joined ALF, Meara was already comedy royalty—half of the iconic duo Stiller & Meara and mother to Ben Stiller. Her decades-long career spanned stage, film, and television, from Rhoda to Archie Bunker’s Place. On ALF, she brought a touch of old-school comedy class to the chaos.