‘ALF’ Star Max Wright Dead at 75

Max Wright, beloved sitcom actor best known for his role on ALF, has reportedly died at age 75. TMZ spoke with “family sources” who revealed that Wright died in Hermosa Beach, California, on Wednesday. He was apparently at home when he passed.

Wright had been in a battle with cancer over years, ever since he was diagnosed with lymphoma in 1995. However, he was reportedly in remission for quite a while. No other details about Wright’s passing have surfaced as of press time.

Over the years, the actor racked up quite the filmography for both TV and film work. Aside from his run on ALF, he had regular TV roles on The Norm Show, Buffalo Bill, Misfits of Science and Dudley. His TV credits also include guest spots on Friends, Taxi, Cheers, Quantum Leap, Ghostwriter, Murphy Brown, Mad About You, The Drew Carey Show and Murder, She Wrote.

Movie-wise, Wright appeared in All That Jazz, Soul Man, Grumpier Old Men, The Sting II, Reds, Touch and Go, The Shadow and the 1999 adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, among others.

However, Wright’s role as Willie Tanner, the patriarch of the mild-mannered family that the alien ALF (Paul Fusco) stows away with. His work on Buffalo Bill apparently made producers see him as the ideal fit for the role.

“Tom (Patchett, executive producer,) got Max Wright from Buffalo Bill. He was the perfect choice,” Fusco told Mental Floss in 2016. “ALF and Max had great chemistry onscreen.”

Patchett added “Max absolutely made you forget ALF was a puppet.”

However, his peers did note that Patchett’s high-level skill as an actor may have meant he was a bit limited by ALF”s sitcom material. The 2016 Mental Floss piece on ALF paints the picture of Wright being a remarkable actor who grew frustrated with the puppet-heavy show at time.

“Max was this theater guy who probably thought, ‘Sure, I’ll do this pilot and I’ll be back on stage in three weeks,’” said Dean Cameron, who played Robert Sherwood on the show. “Four years later, he’s still the dad on ALF.”

Director Paul Miller added, “Max’s character was exasperated with ALF, and that was real.”

“When it came down to doing year three or four, I’m sure he had had enough,” Patchett said. “Max is brilliant on the stage. Working in television might be anathema to his instincts.”

Despite tensions, cast and crew glowed about his work ethic, recognizing the struggle he must have faced.

Supervising producer Lisa Bannick said, “Let me tell you about Max: Writing for Max was like playing a synthesizer. He would play every single comma, ellipsis, or dash you put in. You type it in and he gives you exactly what you wanted.”

Cameron added, “I respected Max. He worked hard. I felt for him.”

No word on Wright’s funeral arrangements has been made public yet.