Andrea Elson
Andrea Hope Elson (born March 6, 1969) is an American former actress. Beginning her professional career as a child actress and model, Elson is perhaps best known for her television roles; as Alice Tyler on the CBS science-fiction adventure series "Whiz Kids" and as Lynn Tanner on the NBC comedy series "ALF", which garnered the teenage actress two Youth in Film Award nominations in 1986 and 1989. Early life. Elson was born in New York City on March 6, 1969. She grew up in New York City with her parents and an older sister named Samantha (born  circa 1966). While Elson was still a child, the family moved to San Diego, California for a period of four years before returning to Westchester County, New York. Career. Elson began her professional career as a child actress and model, appearing in a number of commercials and print advertorials. She also appeared in several community theatre productions as a child while living in San Diego. In 1983, after relocating with her family to Los Angeles, Elson made her television debut at the age of 14 with a co-starring role on the CBS mystery-adventure series, "Whiz Kids". On the  series, Elson portrayed Alice Tyler, co-starring alongside Matthew Laborteaux, Todd Porter and Jeffrey Jacquet as a group of teenage detectives who solve crimes and bring perpetrators to justice with the help of a talking computer. Although "Whiz Kids" lasted only one season, Elson's role as Alice established the 14-year-old and her teenage co-stars as prominent fixtures in the various teen magazines of the era, including "16 magazine", "Bop" and "Teen Beat", among others. The role also led to Elson and the rest of the teenage "Whiz Kids" cast to make a crossover appearance on the  1983 episode of "Simon & Simon" entitled "Fly the Alibi Skies". In 1986, Elson landed a co-starring role on the NBC science-fiction situation comedy "ALF". On the series, Elson portrayed Lynn Tanner, the teenage daughter in a typical middle-class suburban family who adopt a friendly extraterrestrial, performed by puppeteer Paul Fusco. The series lasted four seasons and Elson's portrayal earned the teenage actress two Youth in Film Award nominations, before the series' cancellation in 1990. After the cancellation of "ALF", Elson continued to appear in a variety of television roles, guest starring on numerous popular television series  of the time, including "Who's the Boss?", "Parker Lewis Can't Lose", "ABC Afterschool Special", "Married... with Children", "Mad About You", "Step by Step" and "The Young and the Restless", as well as appearing in the television films "Class Cruise" and "Frankenstein: The College Years". As of 2008, Elson is working as a yoga instructor.