Benjamin Gregory Hertzberg (May 26, 1978 – June 13, 2024), known professionally as Benji Gregory, was an American actor.
Benji Gregory
He was best known for playing the role of Brian Tanner on the sitcom Benji Gregory, best known for his acting work as a child star on the 1980s NBC sitcom ALF, was found dead on June 13.The Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s office confirmed the death but has not yet determined a cause. TMZ said he was found in his car at a Chase Bank parking lot in Peoria, Arizona. His service dog, Hans, was also found dead in the vehicle.
The actor’s sister, Rebecca, told TMZ that her brother suffered from depression and bipolar disorder and had a sleep disorder that often kept him awake for days. His service dog also was found dead, the site reported. Gregory played middle son Brian Tanner on more than 100 episodes of ALF, which aired from 1986-90. It followed the earthly adventures of a furry alien from the planet Melmac who crashes his spaceship into the Tanners’ garage. Nicknamed ALF (for Alien Life Form) and voiced by Paul Fusco, the creature often cracked wise about human customs and was a cat lover — though not in the usual sense.
Benji Gregory, who starred as a child in the hit television series “ALF” in the 1980s, has died. He was 46.His death was confirmed by his sister, Rebecca Pfaffinger, who said that an official cause of death was still pending. According to Mrs. Pfaffinger, Mr. Gregory and his service dog, Hans, were found dead in his car on June 13 at a bank’s parking lot in Peoria, Ariz. She said in a Facebook post that he had fallen asleep in the vehicle and had died of heatstroke.
Mr. Gregory was best known for his role as Brian Tanner on “ALF,” an NBC sitcom that premiered in September 1986, when he was 8. The show featured a suburban family whose world is thrown upside down when a back-talking, pointy-eared alien from the planet Melmac crash-lands through their garage. The Tanner family calls the alien ALF, short for Alien Life Form, and he stays with them, causing mischief and voicing his observations about humankind. “ALF” was a hit and aired for four seasons.
Gregory enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 2003 and graduated school to become an aerographer’s mate. During his naval career Benji was assigned to the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70). In 2005, he received an honorable medical discharge from the Navy. He married in 2006, after completing his military service.
Death
On June 13, 2024, Gregory and his service dog were found dead inside a car at a Chase Bank parking lot in Peoria, Arizona. Gregory was 46. His death was publicly disclosed nearly a month later, on July 10, 2024, when the cause of his death was still under investigation. His sister said Gregory had suffered from depression, bipolar disorder and a sleep disorder and said he likely died of a heatstroke after falling asleep in his car.