# Andrea Elson
**Andrea Elson** (born 1969) is an American retired actress best known for playing Lynn Tanner, the teenage daughter of the Tanner family, on the NBC science fiction sitcom *ALF* from 1986 to 1990.[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/50891/andrea-elson) • [2](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/shows/alf) She began her career as a child performer in commercials and print modeling and first came to wide attention as Alice Tyler on the CBS series *Whiz Kids* (1983–1984).[3](https://doyouremember.com/145086/andrea-elson-career)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1969, New York City, New York, United States[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/50891/andrea-elson) |
| Signature role | Lynn Tanner on *ALF* (NBC, 1986–1990), a starring role across 101 episodes[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/50891/andrea-elson) |
| First major role | Alice Tyler on *Whiz Kids* (CBS, 1983–1984), landed at age 14[3](https://doyouremember.com/145086/andrea-elson-career) |
| Awards | Two Youth in Film Award nominations (1986 and 1989) for *ALF*[4](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/andrea-elson.html) |
| Marriage | Married Scott Hopper, an *ALF* production assistant, in 1993; daughter Claire born 1997[5](https://www.nndb.com/people/683/000160203/) |
| Retirement | Last acting credit in *Men Behaving Badly* (1997), after which she left the entertainment business[6](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/cast-alf-where-now-203618214.html) |
## Early life and start in acting
Born in New York City in 1969, Elson moved around repeatedly as a child due to her father's advertising career; by the time she reached age ten she had already made homes in New York, Chicago, San Diego, and Los Angeles.[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0255699/) She has described falling in love with acting at age eleven, when she played the lead in a sixth-grade school production of *Alice in Wonderland*.[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0255699/)
While in San Diego she obtained an agent and won the first part she auditioned for, a commercial, and acting jobs followed one after another.[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0255699/) She entered the industry as a print model and commercial actor before moving into television.[3](https://doyouremember.com/145086/andrea-elson-career)
## Whiz Kids
At 14, Elson landed her first major television role as Alice Tyler on *Whiz Kids*, a CBS science fiction adventure series about teenage detectives who solve crimes with the help of a talking computer.[3](https://doyouremember.com/145086/andrea-elson-career) The show ran for one season, ending in 1984, but it gave the young cast a foothold in the industry and made them fixtures in teen magazines of the era.[3](https://doyouremember.com/145086/andrea-elson-career) Elson also appeared with the show's young cast in a crossover episode of the detective series *Simon & Simon* in 1983.[3](https://doyouremember.com/145086/andrea-elson-career)
## ALF and Lynn Tanner
Two years after *Whiz Kids* ended, NBC cast Elson as Lynn Tanner on *ALF*, which premiered in September 1986.[3](https://doyouremember.com/145086/andrea-elson-career) The sitcom, created by [Paul Fusco](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-fusco) and Tom Patchett, follows Gordon Shumway, a sarcastic alien from the planet Melmac who crash-lands into the garage of the suburban Tanner family and is taken in secretly.[2](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/shows/alf) Elson played the Tanners' teenage daughter Lynn alongside [Max Wright](https://www.edgepedia.org/max-wright) as father Willie, Anne Schedeen as mother Kate, and [Benji Gregory](https://www.edgepedia.org/benji-gregory) as younger brother Brian; the series ran on NBC for four seasons, from 1986 to 1990.[2](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/shows/alf) • [8](https://as.com/meristation/series/hace-40-anos-que-el-alienigena-mas-irreverente-llego-a-la-tierra-fenomeno-mundial-de-la-cultura-pop-f202609-n/) Elson appeared in 101 episodes as a main cast member.[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/50891/andrea-elson)
Lynn's storylines were written to reach young viewers: the character dealt with self-esteem issues, a changing body, and school angst, and her friendship with ALF was written as mutual, with the alien helping the girl's confidence.[3](https://doyouremember.com/145086/andrea-elson-career) Elson's work in the role earned her two Youth in Film Award nominations, in 1986 and 1989.[4](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/andrea-elson.html)
## After ALF
When *ALF* ended in 1990, Elson continued working in television, almost entirely in guest roles. In 1990 alone she appeared in *Who's the Boss?* (as Melinda), *Parker Lewis Can't Lose* (as Denise), and *They Came from Outer Space* (as Julie Carter).[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0255699/) Later credits include *Married People* and the television movie *Frankenstein: The College Years* (both 1991), *Married... with Children* (as Heidi, 1993), *Mad About You* (as Joanne, 1994), *Step by Step* and *Kirk* (1996), and *Men Behaving Badly* (as Girl #1, 1997).[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0255699/) • [1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/50891/andrea-elson) She also appeared in the 1989 television movie *Class Cruise* as Staci Poston and voiced the Co-Pilot in the 1994 video game *Surgical Strike*.[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0255699/)
Her last acting credit was *Men Behaving Badly* in 1997, after which she left the entertainment business.[6](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/cast-alf-where-now-203618214.html)
## Personal life
While working on *ALF*, Elson met Scott Hopper, who was working as a production assistant on the show; they married in 1993.[5](https://www.nndb.com/people/683/000160203/) • [9](https://alf.fandom.com/wiki/Andrea_Elson) Their daughter Claire was born in 1997.[5](https://www.nndb.com/people/683/000160203/) After retiring from acting she focused on family life, and by 2008 she had taken up work as a yoga instructor.[3](https://doyouremember.com/145086/andrea-elson-career)
## References
1. [Andrea Elson, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/50891/andrea-elson)
2. [ALF, Television Academy Interviews](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/shows/alf)
3. [Whatever Happened To Andrea Elson, Lynn Tanner From 'ALF'?, DoYouRemember](https://doyouremember.com/145086/andrea-elson-career)
4. [Andrea Elson, Famous Birthdays](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/andrea-elson.html)
5. [Andrea Elson, NNDB](https://www.nndb.com/people/683/000160203/)
6. [The Cast of "Alf:" Where Are They Now?, Yahoo Entertainment](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/cast-alf-where-now-203618214.html)
7. [Andrea Elson, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0255699/)
8. [Hace 40 años que el alienígena más irreverente llegó a la Tierra, AS MeriStation](https://as.com/meristation/series/hace-40-anos-que-el-alienigena-mas-irreverente-llego-a-la-tierra-fenomeno-mundial-de-la-cultura-pop-f202609-n/)
9. [Andrea Elson, ALF Wiki (Fandom)](https://alf.fandom.com/wiki/Andrea_Elson)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames Do to Es*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 20, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license