Gates McFadden
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- March 2, 1949 (age 77)
- Birthplace
- Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, USA
Biography
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.
Known For
Photos
Filmography
Make-Up Man: The Michael Westmore Documentary
Movie · as Self
The Sixty Year Mission: How Star Trek Changed Television and the World
Movie · as Self
The Center Seat II: 60 Years of Star Trek
TV · as Narrator · 5 eps
X-Men '97
TV · as Mother Askani (voice) · 3 eps
Masters of the Universe: Revolution
TV · as Queen Marlena (voice) · 4 eps
Star Trek: Picard - The IMAX Live Series Finale Event
Movie · as Dr. Beverly Crusher
Star Trek: very Short Treks
TV · as Dr. Crusher (voice) · 1 ep
The Shuttlepod Show
TV · as Self · 1 ep
The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek
TV · as Self / Narrator · 4 eps
Star Trek: Prodigy
TV · as Dr. Beverly Crusher (voice) · 1 ep
Hexengeddon: Witches vs. the World
Movie · as Madame Hexxina
Star Trek: Picard
TV · as Dr. Beverly Crusher · 10 eps
That Guy... Who Was In That Thing 3: Trek Stars
Movie · as Self & Narrator
The Ready Room
TV · as Self · 2 eps
A Neighbor's Deception
Movie · as Dr. Constance Abrams
50 Years of Star Trek
Movie · as Self
Mattresside
Movie · as Nurse
Chaos on the Bridge
Movie · as Self
Star Trek: The Next Generation - All Good Things...
Movie · as Dr. Beverly Crusher
Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Best of Both Worlds
Movie · as Dr. Beverly Crusher (archive footage)
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Redemption
Movie · as Dr. Beverly Crusher
The Captains Close Up
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Reunification - 25 Years After Star Trek: The Next Generation
Movie · as Self
Franklin & Bash
TV · as Judge Mallory Jacobs · 4 eps
Make the Yuletide Gay
Movie · as Martha Stanford
Dirty
Movie · as Wife
NCIS
TV · as Mrs. Belmont · 1 ep
Star Trek: Nemesis
Movie · as Dr. Beverly Crusher
The Division
TV · as Mrs. Petersen · 1 ep
Family Guy
TV · as Gates McFadden (voice) · 1 ep
Star Trek: Insurrection
Movie · as Doctor Beverly Crusher
Crowned and Dangerous
Movie · as Patrice Baxter
The Practice
TV · as Judge Emily Harrison · 1 ep
Star Trek: First Contact
Movie · as Commander Beverly Crusher
Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond
Movie · as Self
Marker
TV · as Kimba · 13 eps
Star Trek: Generations
Movie · as Dr. Beverly Crusher
Journey's End - The Saga of Star Trek: The Next Generation
Movie · as Self
Party of Five
TV · as Greer Erikson · 1 ep
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Behind the Scenes
Movie · as Beverly Crusher
Star Trek: Federation Science
Movie · as Self
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Chain of Command
Movie · as Dr. Beverly Crusher
Mad About You
TV · as Allison Rourke · 4 eps
Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Special
Movie · as Self
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Unification
Movie · as Dr. Beverly Crusher
Taking Care of Business
Movie · as Diane Connors
The Hunt for Red October
Movie · as Caroline Ryan
Dream On
TV · as Ina Dreikoff · 1 ep
Star Trek: The Next Generation
TV · as Beverly Crusher · 154 eps
Inside the Labyrinth
Movie · as Self
The Wizard
TV · 1 ep
The Muppets Take Manhattan
Movie · as Mr. Price's Secretary
The Cosby Show
TV · 1 ep
Saturday Night Live
TV · as Woman in audience kissed by Bill Murray (uncredited) · 1 ep