Line #50 Characters/ALF


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6	This is the character sheet for ''Series/{{Alf}}''.
7
8	----
9
10	[[foldercontrol]]
11
12	[[folder:ALF]]
13	!!'''Gordon "ALF" Shumway'''
14	[[quoteright:235:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/alfface_2743.jpg]]
15	->'''Puppeteered by:''' Paul Fusco
16	->'''Played by:''' Mihaly 'Michu' Meszaros (Full-body ALF, uncredited)
17	->'''Voiced by:''' Paul Fusco (English), Creator/RogerCarel (French)
18
19	The lovable main character of the show.
20	----
21	* AdviceBackfire: What usually causes his problems in most episodes.
22	* AlienBlood: He states in one episode that he has green blood.
23	* AliensAreBastards: Whenever he acts aggressive.
24	* AnAlienNamedBob: An alien named Gordon. Although he prefers to be called ALF.
25	* AliensSpeakingEnglish: His entire species has a good grasp of English.
26	* AmusingAlien: Why the audience loves him so much.
27	* AntiHero: He has aggressive and rude moments.
28	* AssInAmbassador:[[spoiler: In ''Project Alf'' he becomes the representative of Melmac.]]
29	* BewareTheNiceOnes: Threaten his family and he'll threaten you. And in those moments, despite his having the appearance of a mutant teddy bear, he is ''surprisingly'' good at it.
30	* BigEater: He does have eight stomachs to fill.
31	* BizarreAlienBiology: His species have 10 vital organs. Eight of which are stomachs. He also has an average body temperature of 425 degrees.
32	* BrilliantButLazy: He was formerly the captain for the Bouillabiasseball team back on Melmac. He was also in the Orbit Guard, Melmac's military force. Which may explain why in the pilot, he recognized military garb on humans. He's shown to be reasonably capable as a member of the guard in the animated spin-off, which goes to show what Alf is capable of, ''if'' he truly wanted to apply himself.
33	* ButtMonkey: At times. Usually it's from his own mistakes.
34	* CharacterCatchphrase: "Haaaa! I kill me."
35	* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: By Earth standards he comes across as this.
36	** TheCloudcuckoolanderWasRight: However, he does have his moments where he is smart.
37	* CovertPervert: Knows a lot about human anatomy than he lets on.
38	* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Apparently, Alf is powerful and stealthy enough in his crazed state in the episode ''Wild Thing'' that he manages to successfully ''hijack a tiger'' from a zoo. While on a ''lawnmower''. '''''[[BeyondTheImpossible And then brought it to the Tanners' home and stuffed it into their garage without anyone seeing him do it]]'''''. Bear in mind, most tigers go about seven to ten feet long and weigh in excess of four hundred pounds on average. Then compare that to Alf, who's about three feet tall, if not shorter. And probably isn't more than a hundred and ten pounds soaking wet. Makes one wonder just what Alf might be like if he applied this strength and stealth while in his normal mindset.
39	** This was also the episode where it was revealed that Alf can do ''flawless'' imitations, when he does pitch perfect impressions of Brian, Lynn, and Willie, all in the span of about a minute. Needless to say this particular ability ''completely'' freaked the Tanners out, and they were ''already'' worried for/about Alf due to his psychological shift, which Alf himself claims would make him potentially dangerous till it wore off.
40	** Alf also displays ''telepathy'' as part of a BrickJoke that ran throughout the episode. It is never explained if Alf can access ''any'' of these abilities outside of the crazed state he enters every 75 years.
41	* DeadpanSnarker: The majority of his jokes come from this trait.
42	* TheDogIsAnAlien: One time he pretended to be a dog in order to fool humans. The surprising thing? It actually ''worked''.
43	* DoNotCallMePaul: He didn't like humans using his real name of Gordon Shumway. He actually preferred that they call him Alf.
44	* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler: In ''Project Alf'' he avoids being killed by the BigBad, becomes the representative of Melmac, and gains acceptance from humanity.]]
45	* EverybodyCallsHimBarkeep: Alf preferred that humans refer to him by his nickname. He never explains why, but he didn't like humans using his real name of Gordon Shumway.
46	* ExoticEyeDesigns: The latter is not noticed by many but ALF actually has BlackBeadEyes WITH white pupils.
47	* GadgeteerGenius: He was a skilled enough engineer to rework Willie's ham radio so it was capable of contacting Air Force One, the U.S. Presidential plane.
48	* TheHeroDies: [[spoiler: Was mostly likely to be killed after getting captured by the Alien Task Force, at the end of the regular series.]] [[spoiler: Averted in ''Project Alf'' (see Earn Your Happy Ending above).]]
49	* HiddenDepths: He's a very talented musician.
50	* HiddenHeartOfGold: Beneath all the snark is a guy who deeply loves his surrogate family and laments the destruction of his planet. Also shown in “ALF’s Special Christmas,” when he befriends a terminally-ill girl, helps a woman trapped in an elevator with him give birth (and got her to name the child after the girl), and stops Mr. Foley from jumping off a bridge in sorrow over his late wife.
51	* {{Hypocrite}}: Claims that he is fully capable of cleaning up his own messes then relies on the family to help bail him out of trouble.
52	* IChooseToStay: "Help Me, Rhonda" gives him the opportunity to reunite with Rhonda and Skip, but he just can't bring himself to leave on Brian's birthday. He "accidentally" misses the ride while saying his goodbyes. As for his friends, he's confident he'll see them again some day, due to how long Melmacians live.
53	* IdiotHero: He does more bad than good throughout the entire series.
54	* IJustWantToHaveFriends: One of the main reasons he's forgiven by his actions.
55	* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Feels this way about Lynn.
56	* InnocentlyInsensitive: He often insults people accidentally.
57	* ItsAllAboutMe: Sometimes he only worries about himself too much. This may partly stem from his situation; he's one of the last of his kind, and has next to no real freedom of movement, sometimes even in the house itself, due to fear of being taken into custody by the Alien Task Force. Occasionally subverted, however, when he'll spend an episode trying to help someone out. Usually the Tanner family, and often with hilarious results.
58	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He can be a real jerk, but he does love his family. Goes to great— and often ''odd''— lengths for the Tanners. He's especially close to Brian and has a very weird mix of brother and surrogate son relationship with Willie. If either of these two are in trouble, Alf ''will'' pull out all the stops to come to their aid, even if it means going against his own nature to do it.
59	* KarmaHoudini: Sometimes he doesn't get punished for his mischief.
60	* KickTheDog: More like "kick the cat". He casually reminisces about his cat kills.
61	* KindheartedCatLover: [[spoiler: Overcomes his hate against cats after adopting a CuteKitten.]]
62	* LastOfHisKind: Subverted. He is believed to be the last of his species until it's revealed that other Melmacians escaped the explosion.
63	* LazyBum: Does nothing to help out the family. Justified since he is an alien, but that's no excuse since ''he creates messes'' at their home.
64	* LovableCoward: He has a tough time handling his problems and hides behind his family.
65	* MadeOfIron: Survived a space crash, a car crash, and a kitchen explosion.
66	* {{Manchild}}: He's over 200 years old and still behaves like a 5 year old. May be justified due to the trauma of being one of the last of his kind, a fact that he seems desperate to ''forget'' as much as possible.
67	* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Most of the time he causes the problems of the show. He even screws up when he tries helping his family out of easy problems.
68	* TheNicknamer: Constantly greets people with (often pop-culture-related, but not always) phrases playing off their real names.
69	* NotMeThisTime: Some episodes will have the family blaming ALF for something he didn't do, all while he tries to clear his name.
70	* OnlySaneByComparison: While the Tanners know him as an excitable, non-stop joke machine with unusual habits, a flashback in "Help Me, Rhonda" and the cartoons show he was actually rather subdued and rational compared to his more extraverted friends and family.
71	* PetTheDog: He occasionally looks out for his family and ''does'' come through when they need him.
72	* PinocchioNose: His ears flutter when he lies.
73	* ShrinkingViolet: According to Alf, he's this by Melmacian standards.
74	-->"It was a planet full of game show hosts."
75	* SmallNameBigEgo: Apparently, he was known as [[BlatantLies Mr. Science]] back on his planet.
76	* SmugSnake: Can be selfish at times.
77	* SnarkToSnarkCombat: Has a moment with everyone.
78	* StrangeMindsThinkAlike: Has a moment of this with Trevor Ochmonek, as they both believed someone in the neighborhood was building a nuclear weapon in their basement.
79	* ThrowTheDogABone: In the first episode, he uses Willie's ham radio to try to contact other Melmacians, but no one answers, and he appears to recognize what that could mean. He learns in "Help Me, Rhonda" that there actually are other survivors out there, which does a lot for his mood.
80	* TooDumbToLive: It's amazing he's even alive after all the crap he's pulled. A particularly infamous example of this happens in "Try To Remember", where he tries to fake the feeling of a jacuzzi by taking a bath with an electric mixer. Naturally, he zaps himself, and gets amnesia in the process.[[note]]This was edited into him [[TapOnTheHead slipping and bumping his head in the shower]] in later airings after complaints from MoralGuardians[[/note]]
81	* TookALevelInBadass: He fought off a giant cockroach in ''La Cucaracha''.
82	* TookALevelInJerkass: In the last season.
83	* TookALevelInKindness: Started out hating humans and condescending towards Earth concepts, but grew to accept and appreciate it over time.
84	* TrademarkFavoriteFood: While ALF will eat just about anything other than spinach, Alf mentioned his favorite food is cat and he desperately craves it, but he seems to have adjusted comfortably to Earth favorites, like pizza, sandwiches, cheeseburgers and fried chicken.[[note]] This is due in part to NBC telling creator Paul Fusco to tone down the jokes about eating cats, as reportedly, one kid put their cat in a microwave after watching ''ALF''.[[/note]]
85	* UngratefulBastard: Subverted. He comes across as this a lot of times, but he really is grateful to the Tanners for saving his life. This comes up in several episodes, including one where, thinking Willie was either being mistaken for a criminal (or possibly that he had ''been'' a criminal leading a double life), Alf did his utmost to keep Willie from being captured by the police. A case of PoorCommunicationKills meant this didn't come off the way Alf intended it to until he finally ''explained'' himself near the episode's climax, but the Tanners were extremely touched by the lengths he went through to keep Willie out of jail once they understood what he was trying to do earlier in the episode.
86	* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: He is usually sympathetic, but sometimes he doesn't apologize.
87	* VocalEvolution: In the earliest episodes, Paul Fusco's voice for ALF is notably gruffer, more deadpan and lower in pitch. Over the course of the first season, though, the pitch raises slightly, and the voice grows both softer and livelier, fully morphing into the classic ALF voice in the second half of the season.
88	* WeAreAsMayflies: Like all Melmacians, ALF has a centuries-long lifespan.
89	[[/folder]]
90
91	[[folder:Willie Tanner]]
92	!!'''William "Willie" Francis Tanner'''
93	->'''Played by:''' Max Wright
94
95	The often-frazzled head of the Tanner clan.
96	----
97	[[quoteright:230:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/willieface_9362.jpg]]
98
99	* BewareTheNiceOnes: When pissed off he can get very intimidating.
100	* BumblingDad: Zig-Zagged. Willie is generally pretty competent, but having to cover for Alf tends to make him look stupid to others.
101	* ButtMonkey: Usually the one who suffers from Alf's mischief. It's common to see Willie have his dinner stolen by Alf or get forced to pay hefty bills for Alf's TV watching and clumsy damage to the house.
102	* TheChewToy: Is constantly annoyed by Alf.
103	* DeadpanSnarker: What makes his character funny.
104	* GoodParents: With Kate.
105	* HappilyMarried: With Kate.
106	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's only this towards Alf.
107	* LargeHam: ALF! What you did was WRONG! WRRROONNNNG!...wrong.
108	** "You're STALLLLLLLLLLLLLL-ing!
109	* NerdGlasses: He's got 'em and he's a bit of nerd.
110	* OnlySaneMan: Compared to Alf and everyone around him, he's the only one to think rationally. Though this is occasionally subverted when ''he'' sometimes seems to go off into weird tangents and the rest of the family (sometimes including Alf himself) have to get him back on track again.
111	* TheScapegoat: Since the Tanners were hiding ALF from the authorities and neighbors, Willie was often forced to take the blame when ALF did something bad. This would result in Willie [[MisplacedRetribution being punished or suffering embarrassment that he didn't deserve]]. The season one episode "Pennsylvania 6-5000" and the season four episode "Hooked on a Feeling" are the most profound examples of this.
112	* StereotypicalNerd: He's got the glasses, is rather dorky, owns a ham radio and dabbles in some science & tech stuff (like examining a hairball sample ALF coughed up and proving ALF didn't really eat Lucky).
113	* [[WackyParentSeriousChild Serious Surrogate Father, Wacky Surrogate Son]]: Crossed between this and BigBrotherMentor to Alf, who never quite gets over the CultureClash between Earth and Melmac. Willie has his silly moments as well, and Alf, of all people, sometimes has to point out these moments. Given their usual relationship, this actually makes those moments much more hilarious.
114	* TranquilFury: He tries his best to hold back against Alf. And that's ''saying something''.
115	* UglyGuyHotWife: The ugly guy to Kate's hot wife.
116	* VitriolicBestBuds: Occasionally this with Alf on those occasions when the two are arguing or Willie is upset with Alf. However, the two will always back one another up when in trouble.
117	[[/folder]]
118
119	[[folder:Kate Tanner]]
120	!!'''Kate Daphne Tanner'''
121	->'''Played by:''' Anne Schedeen
122	[[quoteright:168:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kateface_5399.png]]
123
124	The often-irritated (by ALF) mother of the Tanner clan.
125	----
126	* DeadpanSnarker: Always delivers at least one sarcastic quip per episode.
127	* EveryoneHasStandards: She was the one most against ALF staying with the family, but upon learning what ghastly treatment would await him in government custody, she feigned ignorance when questioned by a federal agent.
128	* FieryRedhead: When she gets in an angry mood.
129	* GoodParents: With Willie.
130	* HappilyMarried: Again, with Willie.
131	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She's sometimes this way towards ALF.
132	* UglyGuyHotWife: The hot wife to Willie's ugly guy.
133	[[/folder]]
134
135	[[folder:Lynn Tanner]]
136	!!'''Lynn Tanner'''
137	->'''Played by:''' Andrea Elson
138	[[quoteright:180:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lynnface_5255.jpg]]
139
140
141	----
142	* ButtMonkey: She has her moments.
143	* DeadpanSnarker: As expected of a teenage daughter character.
144	* EightiesHair: Her style is outdated by today's standards.
145	* JerkassBall: In the season two episode "Varsity Drag" and the season three episode "Promises, Promises". Lynn becomes quite bratty and pouty in the former[[note]]Because Willie and Kate couldn't afford to send her to the college she wanted.[[/note]] and downright hostile with ALF and Brian in the latter.[[note]]Because ALF let it slip that she was dating an older guy; which led to Kate and Willie grounding Lynn and her having a major falling out with ALF.[[/note]]
146	* PluckyGirl: Always the optimist of the family.
147	* ShrinkingViolet: She lacks confidence in herself too often.
148	* TheUglyGuysHotDaughter: The hot daughter to Willie's ugly guy.
149	[[/folder]]
150
151	[[folder:Brian Tanner]]
152	!!'''Brian Tanner'''
153	->'''Played by:''' Benji Gregory
154	[[quoteright:130:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2020_11_22_162955_2.png]]
155
156	The Tanner's middle child and ALF's closest friend on Earth.
157	----
158	* CheerfulChild: His defining characteristic.
159	* ChildrenAreInnocent: By far Alf's biggest defender in the family, taking to him from the get-go and consistently seeing the best in him. Alf frequently spares Brian his usual biting comments out of respect for this innocence.
160	* FlatCharacter: Receives the least character development out of every character.
161	* MoralityPet: For Alf.
162	* NiceGuy: Treats [[SmugSnake Alf]] with respect and kindness. Because of this, he's probably the closest to Alf in the family, and Alf genuinely reciprocates Brian's kindness and respect, jumping to Brian's aid whenever the need arises, which just feeds into their mutual respect and friendship. The two are quick to come to one another's aid or defense if accused of something, and Brian's behavior goes a long way towards helping Alf settle in. In many ways, Brian treats Alf as a kind of elder brother, despite the fact that Alf often does strange things and occasionally gets Brian in on the act, though Alf has always been careful never to put Brian in harm's way due his unfailing kindness towards the Melmacian.
163	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Because of Brian's usual [[CheerfulChild cheery, happy-go-lucky attitude]], you can tell things are ''really'' bad when ''he'' is the one who gets angry or upset with someone. [[note]]Season 2's "You Ain't Nothin' But a Hound Dog" and Season 3's "Promises, Promises"[[/note]]
164	[[/folder]]
165
166	[[folder:Lucky]]
167	!!'''Lucky'''
168	[[quoteright:180:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2020_11_22_163037_4.png]]
169
170	The Tanner family cat...and constant target of ALF's appetite.
171	----
172	* TheChewToy: Alf's literally trying to chew him up, but always fails.
173	* LostPetGrievance: In the episode, "Live and Let Die".
174	* ThatPoorCat: Always chased by Alf.
175	[[/folder]]
176
177	[[folder:Raquel Ochmonek]]
178	!!'''Mrs. Raquel Ochmonek'''
179	->'''Played by:''' Liz Sheridan
180	[[quoteright:180:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ochmonek_7138.png]]
181
182	The Tanner's obnoxiously nosy neighbor.
183	----
184	* AwfulWeddedLife: Watching the Ockmoneks is like reading a ''ComicStrip/TheLockhorns'' comic.
185	* BadlyBatteredBabysitter: Becomes one in an early episode...not due to anything Bryan does (Bryan's asleep the whole time) and none of it is physical but due to hearing ALF's antics while watching ''Film/{{Psycho}}'' (sounds she can't explain) and her husband assuming she's over-reacting to nothing.
186	* BickeringCouplePeacefulCouple: She & Trevor are the bickering one to the Tanner's mostly peaceful one.
187	* EvilOldFolks: Averted. She isn't really evil, just really annoying.
188	* NosyNeighbor: Her defining characteristic.
189	[[/folder]]
190
191	[[folder:Trevor Ochmonek]]
192	!!'''Mr. Trevor Ochmonek'''
193	->'''Played by:''' John [=LaMotta=]
194	[[quoteright:180:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2020_11_22_163114.png]]
195
196	Raquel's crass, boorish husband.
197	----
198	* AwfulWeddedLife: Watching the Ockmoneks is like reading a ''ComicStrip/TheLockhorns'' comic.
199	* BickeringCouplePeacefulCouple: He & Raquel are the bickering one to the Tanner's mostly peaceful one.
200	* BigApplesauce: Where he's from and has the "Noo Yawk" accent and attitude to match.
201	* BigRottenApple: Why he moved away from New York City.
202	* DadTheVeteran: Is a Korean War vet.
203	* DropInCharacter: His main role.
204	* StrangeMindsThinkAlike: Has shown to sometimes think along the same lines as Alf, such as the time when both of them thought someone in the neighborhood was building a nuclear weapon in their basement.
205	* JerkJock: He tends to have his moments, but these also tend to be the result of him telling stories of his behavior in high school.
206	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Takes whatever opportunity he can get to say snarky things, but he's always tried to do the right thing.
207	[[/folder]]
208
209	[[folder:Jake Ochmonek]]
210	!!'''Jake Ochmonek'''
211	->'''Played by:''' Josh Blake
212	[[quoteright:180:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jake_daydreaming_about_laura.png]]
213
214	Trevor's nephew, who moves in with them after his father is arrested.
215	----
216	* AbhorrentAdmirer: Often makes passes at Lynn, much to her annoyance.
217	* MrFixit: He's very good at fixing things because his father taught him how while they were getting by finding things in the trash to repair and sell. He even boasts that his motto is "If I can't fix it, it ain't broke".
218	* SecretKeeper: Becomes one to ALF after ALF catches him breaking into the Tanner's garage and intimidates him into not telling anybody, though they quickly become friends afterward.
219	[[/folder]]
220
221	[[folder:Dorothy Halligan]]
222	!!'''Dorothy Halligan [[spoiler:Deaver]]'''
223	->'''Played by:''' Anne Meara
224	[[quoteright:180:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2020_11_22_163214.png]]
225
226	Kate's initally overbearing mother.
227	----
228	* TheBully: To ALF. He tends to reciprocate, making them [[ArchEnemy Arch Enemies]], or as close to it as the show ever got.
229	* {{Hypocrite}}: In her first appearance, she is irate that ALF seems to have taken over the Tanner's house, even though she was doing the exact same thing up until ALF got fed up with hiding and made himself known to her.
230	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She is very rude to ALF, but she loves her daughter and her family.
231	* MyBelovedSmother: In her debut episode she takes over Kate's life. She grows out of this thanks to Alf.
232	[[/folder]]

Context Characters / ALF