What ALF Looks Like In Real Life

He may not be as fuzzy as his alter ego, but Paul Fusco made a name for himself playing the top half of everyone's favorite Melmacian. Fusco is the puppeteer, co-creator, writer, director and voice behind Gordon Shumway, better known as ALF, portraying the character throughout the four-season run of the NBC sitcom. He's also played the alien in multiple specials, revivals and talk show appearances, and has even voiced ALF for several cartoon adaptations like "ALF: Fairy Tales" and "ALF: The Animated Series."

While Fusco may have been the main "ALF" actor when he was in puppet mode and couldn't be seen below his chest, several actors took on the role when full body shots of the alien were required. Mihaly "Michu" Meszaros played the character in a costume whenever the plot required ALF to run around on camera. Other actors of smaller stature have taken on the part since then. Fusco, meanwhile — who definitely has made playing the irascible alien his stock in trade over the years — has also proven he's much more than a goofy extra-terrestrial.

While he's most closely identified with the cat-eating fuzzball, Paul Fusco has done voiceover work that's completely unconnected to ALF. He made his TV debut with the special "The Crown of Bogg," voiced Captain Catgut in the short-lived "Spacecats," and puppeteered Erzats in the Rue McClanahan special "The Wickedest Witch." He was Tom Turkey in "A Thanksgiving Tale" and Santa himself in "Santa's Magic Toy Bag," both TV specials Fusco wrote and produced himself. He also co-wrote the special "The Moonstone Gem" with his long-time collaborator and wife, Linda. He also directed several episodes of the USA Network puppet-centric series "Lost on Earth." 

But Fusco is still best known for his Melmacian creation, and sometimes he ends up identifying with ALF when he's in creative arrears. "When I used to write an episode and couldn't come up with a line for ALF, I needed something really funny, I would actually ask ALF," he told The Hollywood Reporter. "I would actually put the character on, and the character would just tell me what the line was." It's the kind of symbiosis that gave ALF its sometimes ribald-enough-for-adults sense of humor. It also made ALF an icon of the '80s and a familiar face to TV fans worldwide. With a Ryan Reynolds-led ALF revival possibly in the works, who knows what form his next step may take.