Michu Meszaros, the actor who played Alf in the hit ’80s sitcom of the same name, has reportedly died. He was 76. TMZ said on Monday, June 13, that Meszaros’ longtime manager, Dennis Varga, confirmed the news.
The 2-foot-9 Hungarian performer was hospitalized last week after he was found unconscious in his bathroom, according to the site. He suffered from health problems following a stroke eight years ago.
Meszaros was also known for being a member of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus as the former “World’s Smallest Man” in the 1970s. The show’s producers, Irvin and Kenneth Feld, tracked him down in Hungary in 1973 and brought him to the circus.
The actor, who landed the role on NBC’s Alf in 1986, was close friends with the late Michael Jackson. Meszaros was reportedly a regular at the King of Pop’s iconic Neverland Ranch during the singer’s brief marriage to Lisa Marie Presley. Jackson and Meszaros also starred in two Pepsi commercials together.
In the 1980s, the city of Hawthorne, California, named its shortest street “Michu Lane” after the TV star.
Meszaros’ last onscreen appearance was as Augusto in the 1993 horror film Warlock: The Armageddon.
