- Benji Gregory died on June 13 at the age of 46.
- He and his service dog were found deceased in his car, with heatstroke as the suspected cause of death.
- Gregory was known for playing Brian Tanner in 101 episodes of ‘ALF.’
On June 13, Benjamin Gregory Hertzberg, known professionally as Benji Gregory, was found dead in his car. He is believed to have died of heatstroke after falling asleep in his vehicle. He was only 46 years old, and his service dog was found also deceased in the car with him.
Kicking off his acting career in 1984, former child star Gregory was particularly famous for playing Brian Tanner in the NBC sitcom ALF. Gregory maintained the role throughout the show’s entire run, from ’86 to ’90. He stepped away from acting by 1993.
The remarkable career of Benji Gregory
ALF, Benji Gregory, (Season 1), 1986-90. © Alien Productions / Courtesy: Everett Collection
Benji Gregory was born on May 26, 1978, in Los Angeles, California. Reportedly, his father, sister, and uncle were all actors, with his grandmother serving as his agent. His first acting credit was on the small screen in The A-Team episode “Hot Styles.” That same year, he appeared in T.J. Hooker in the episode “The Confession.”
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1985 was dedicated to Punky Brewster and Amazing Stories. After that, his television career was entirely dedicated to ALF. His television work was interspersed with two film credits: 1986’s Jumpin’ Jack Flash and 1993’s Once Upon a Forest, which would be Gregory’s final on-screen credit.
Behind closed doors
His biggest gig would be ALF / © Alien Productions/courtesy Everett Collection
While Gregory secured a place in the cultural landscape of America with his work on ALF, emotionally, things were less positive. His older sister, Rebecca Hertzberg-Pfaffinger, told TMZ that Gregory suffered from bipolar disorder, depression, and a sleep disorder that deprived him of rest for days at a time.
The actor suffered from depression, bipolar disorder, and sleep disorder / Instagram
This may have contributed to his passing. Those closest to Gregory believe he had been visiting the Chase Bank in Peoria, Arizona, to deposit checks on June 12. Then, he fell asleep in his car. On June 12, temperatures reached 109 degrees, pointing to heatstroke as the cause of death, though the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office reports that their ruling on his formal cause of death is still pending.
After ending his acting career, Gregory graduated from school and briefly served in the U.S. Navy, eventually becoming an aerographer’s mate. In 2005, he received an honorable medical discharge. After he completed his military service, Gregory got married in 2006.
Rest in peace, Benji Gregory.