Gates McFadden
Cheryl Gates McFadden (born March 2, 1949) is an American actress and choreographer. She is best known for portraying the character of Dr. Beverly Crusher in the television and film series Star Trek: The Next Generation. She attended Brandeis University earning B.A Cum Laude in Theater Arts. After graduating from Brandeis, she moved to Paris and studied theater with actor Jacques LeCoq. Before Star Trek: The Next Generation, she was mostly known as a choreographer, often working on Jim Henson productions including the films The Dark Crystal, for which she was a choreographer, Labyrinth, for which she served as Director of Choreography and Puppet Movement, and The Muppets Take Manhattan, in which she has a brief on-screen appearance. As a way of distinguishing her acting work from her choreography, she is usually credited as "Gates McFadden" as an actress and "Cheryl McFadden" as a choreographer. She appeared briefly in the Woody Allen film Stardust Memories, and in The Hunt for Red October as Jack Ryan's wife Cathy, though most of her scenes were cut in post-production. In 1987, McFadden was cast as Dr. Beverly Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation. The Crusher character was slated to be Captain Jean-Luc Picard's love interest, and this aspect of the character is what attracted McFadden to the role. Another important aspect of the character was being a widow balancing motherhood and a career. McFadden left after the first season, in part because series executive producer Gene Roddenberry was never enthusiastic about casting McFadden in the first place. Roddenberry also wanted to give the role of ship's doctor to actress Diana Muldaur, with whom he had worked on the original Star Trek series and other occasions. Muldaur's character, Dr. Katherine Pulaski, proved very unpopular with fans and left the show after the second season. McFadden was approached to return for the third season. At first she was hesitant, but after a phone call from co-star Patrick Stewart, McFadden was persuaded to reprise her role.
Star Trek: Generations
(Dr. Beverly Crusher)
Star Trek: Insurrection
(Doctor Beverly Crusher)
Star Trek: First Contact
(Commander Beverly Crusher)
Star Trek: Nemesis
(Dr. Beverly Crusher)
Dirty
(Wife)
Star Trek: Picard - The IMAX Live Series Finale Event
(Dr. Beverly Crusher)
Star Trek: Federation Science
Journey's End - The Saga of Star Trek: The Next Generation
(Self)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Behind the Scenes
(Beverly Crusher)
Chaos on the Bridge
(Self)
Taking Care of Business
(Diane Connors)
Mattresside
(Nurse)
50 Years of Star Trek
(Self)
Make the Yuletide Gay
(Martha Stanford)
Crowned and Dangerous
(Patrice Baxter)
The Hunt for Red October
(Caroline Ryan)
Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Special
(Self)
A Neighbor's Deception
(Dr. Constance Abrams)
Inside the Labyrinth
(Self)
The Muppets Take Manhattan
(Mr. Price's Secretary)
Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Best of Both Worlds
(Dr. Beverly Crusher (archive footage))
Reunification - 25 Years After Star Trek: The Next Generation
(Self)
That Guy... Who Was In That Thing 3: Trek Stars
(Self & Narrator)
Hexengeddon: Witches vs. the World
(Madame Hexxina)
Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond
(Self)
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Chain of Command
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Unification
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Redemption
(Doctor Beverly Crusher)
Family Guy
(Gates McFadden (voice))
Star Trek: The Next Generation
(Beverly Crusher)
The Division
(Mrs. Petersen)
The Practice
(Judge Emily Harrison)
Party of Five
(Greer Erikson)
Marker
(Kimba)
Saturday Night Live
(Self - Audience Member (uncredited))
The Shuttlepod Show
(Self)
Mad About You
(Allison Rourke)
The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek
(Self / Narrator)
Star Trek: Prodigy
(Dr. Beverly Crusher (voice))
The Wizard
The Captains Close Up
(Self)
X-Men '97
(Mother Askani (voice))
The Ready Room
(Self)
Dream On
(Ina Dreikoff)
Star Trek: Picard
(Dr. Beverly Crusher)
Star Trek: Prodigy
(Beverly Crusher (voice))
The Cosby Show
Masters of the Universe: Revolution
(Queen Marlena (voice))
Star Trek: very Short Treks
(Dr. Crusher (voice))
Franklin & Bash
(Judge Mallory Jacobs)
NCIS
(Mrs. Belmont)