Willie Tanner

Max Wright as Willie

William "Willie" Francis Tanner is the father of the Tanner family, performed by Max Wright, and a social worker at the Social Services Department of Los Angeles County. Willie is a shortwave radio enthusiast, and it was a result of his shortwave radio signals that ALF followed them and crashed into his home. Willie also avidly collects scale model train sets. He was born in Decatur, Illinois, (although he claims to be from Ohio when the support group comes to the Tanner house) and he attended Claremont High School, then later graduated from UCLA. Willie also claims to have gone to Amherst. Willie has a bachelor's and master's, although it is unknown which degree was attained from which school. Willie majored in social science. When Willie uses his Shortwave Radio to call somebody, he uses the callsign "K726 XAA".

He was arrested by the FBI after ALF made telephone calls to the President. Like his wife, Kate, he was a flower child during the 1960s.

Willie's mother wore a wig, something that made Willie sad to discover when he was six years old. Willie had a grandfather that taught him to walk away from his bully Clarence instead of trying to fight him. The same grandfather apparently talked to corn chips.

Willie dated Kate's sister (which ALF refers to as "the hideous one") for a while before dating Kate.

Trivia

• He speaks to ALF more frequently than the rest of the Tanner family.