Anne Schedeen

Luanne Ruth Schedeen — known to the world as Anne — was born on January 8, 1949, in Portland, Oregon, into a family rooted in the Pacific Northwest soil. Her father, Roland "Poly" Schedeen, was a farmer and former Oregon State Senator of Swedish descent; the family name had journeyed across generations from Sjödin to Schedeen, carrying with it a quiet strength that Anne would carry all her life. She grew up on a farm outside Gresham, Oregon, a shy, deeply introverted child who preferred listening to speaking — so much so that she would slip beneath the skirts of the dining room table just to absorb the conversations of adults around her. It was her mother who first recognized that the world needed to hear from Anne. Enrolling her in youth drama classes, she set in motion a life in the theater. Anne took to the stage immediately, performing at the Portland Civic Theatre from childhood through high school, graduating from Gresham High School in 1967. She went on to study at Portland State University and Fort Wright College, then took her first professional steps with a dinner theater in Hawaii before the pull of New York City proved irresistible. Summer stock theater and commercials gave way to a contract with Universal Pictures, and by the mid-1970s Anne had relocated to Los Angeles, guest-starring on Emergency!, Marcus Welby, M.D., and sharing the screen with Rock Hudson in the 1976 science-fiction film Embryo. Her defining chapter arrived in 1986 when she was cast as Kate Tanner on NBC's ALF — the level-headed, pragmatic mother of a suburban family quietly sheltering a wisecracking alien. Over four seasons and more than 100 episodes, Anne made Kate the warm, sardonic heart of the show, earning a Kids' Choice Award nomination in 1988 and bringing international attention to a role she inhabited with effortless naturalism. Later roles on Cheers, Paper Dolls, and Judging Amy rounded out a television career that spanned three decades. Away from the screen, Anne was an artist in every sense. She sculpted, painted in oils, crafted handmade jewelry, and pursued antiques and vintage finds with the eye of a connoisseur. She loved her rescue dogs — Roo and Red — with fierce devotion, championed animal rescue causes, and in 2015 became an ambassador for Holiday Heroes, a Bulgarian non-profit serving disadvantaged families. She was married to talent agent Christopher Barrett from 1982 until her death, and their daughter Taylor was the joy of her life. Anne Schedeen passed away peacefully on June 14, 2026, at the age of 77. She leaves behind a legacy as luminous and layered as the characters she played — a life shaped by creativity, humor, love, and an enduring belief in the power of a good story.