Cheryl Gates McFadden, usually credited as Gates McFadden, is an American
actress and choreographer. She is best known for playing Dr. Beverly Crusher in
the Star Trek: The Next Generation television series and in the four
subsequent films. Early life
McFadden was born in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. She attended Brandeis University
graduating cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in theatre arts. After graduating
from Brandeis, she moved to Paris and studied theatre with actor Jacques
Lecoq. She is of Lithuanian descent on her mother's side.
Career = Early works=
Before Star Trek: The Next Generation, McFadden often worked for Jim Henson
productions, including the films The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, The Muppets
Take Manhattan, and uncredited work on Dreamchild. 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. However,
she was credited as "Cheryl McFadden" in the Troma movie When Nature Calls and in
the Season 3 episode of The Cosby Show, "Cliff's 50th Birthday". She appeared in
The Hunt for Red October as Jack Ryan's wife Caroline, though most of her scenes
were cut in post-production. = Star Trek: The Next Generation=
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. At the end of the first season, McFadden
was fired and replaced by actress Diana Muldaur as the Enterprise's Chief
Medical Officer. Muldaur's character, Dr. Katherine Pulaski, didn't make it to
the third season. Roddenberry described Muldaur as "a most talented actress",
and said that the decision "to let her go was made solely because the hoped-for
chemistry between her and the rest of the starship cast did not develop."
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, which she subsequently retained through the
remainder of the series. Highlights for her character included "The High
Ground", where Dr. Crusher is kidnapped by terrorists; "Remember Me", in which
she becomes trapped in an alternate reality where her loved ones start to
disappear; "The Host", which features a romance between the Doctor and a man
with a big secret; "Suspicions", in which Dr. Crusher risks her career to
solve the murder of a scientist; "Descent" where Crusher takes command of
the Enterprise when the rest of the senior staff are participating in a
search for Data; "Sub Rosa", where Dr. Crusher becomes the next victim of her
grandmother's seductive "ghost"; and "Attached", where Picard and Crusher
become telepathically linked as prisoners and learn their true feeling
for one another. McFadden reprised her role for all four TNG movies and also
provided her voice for PC games Star Trek: A Final Unity and Star Trek
Generations. McFadden also directed the TNG episode "Genesis" and choreographed
the dance routine in "Data's Day". = After The Next Generation=
The 1990 comedy Taking Care of Business starred James Belushi, co-starring
McFadden and another TNG actor, John de Lancie. In 1992, she appeared alongside
fellow cast members Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner and Colm
Meaney in a production of Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, which was performed in
four cities. She also starred in the 1995 television series Marker with
Richard Grieco and appeared in the made-for-television movie Crowned and
Dangerous with Yasmine Bleeth in 1997. Additional television work was the role
of Allison Rourke, Paul Buchman's boss, in four episodes of the sitcom Mad About
You. In the spring of 2006, McFadden appeared in a series of television
commercials for Microsoft. She has taught at several universities.
As of August 2010, she was listed as an adjunct faculty member in the School of
Theater at the University of Southern California. She has been Artistic
Director of Ensemble Studio Theatre of Los Angeles since January 2009. During
her tenure she spearheaded the building of the Atwater Village Theatre
Collective, a new two-theater space in Los Angeles.
McFadden has lent her voice as narrator in several audio books. In 2010, she was
the narrator of "Confessor". Personal life
McFadden is married to John Talbot and has one son, James, born in 1991. Her
pregnancy was not written into the fourth season of TNG; instead, her
character wore a laboratory coat over her uniform. Next Generation co-star
Brent Spiner is her son's godfather. Filmography
= Film= The Muppets Take Manhattan
Rustlers' Rhapsody When Nature Calls
Labyrinth – The Hunt for Red October
Taking Care of Business Beyond the Groove film TV.
Star Trek Generations Star Trek: First Contact
Crowned and Dangerous Star Trek: Insurrection
Star Trek Nemesis Dirty
Make the Yuletide Gay = Television=
The Wizard episode El Dorado The Cosby Show episode Cliff's 50th
Birthday Star Trek: The Next Generation
L.A. Law episode Steal It Again, Sam Dream On episode The Book, the Thief,
Her Boss and His Lover Party of Five episode Something Out of
Nothing Mystery Dance pilot
Marker Mad About You 4 episodes
The Practice episode Checkmates The Division episode "Hero"
The Handler episode "Wedding Party" Family Guy episode Not All Dogs Go to
Heaven Franklin & Bash four episodes
References External links
Gates McFadden at the Internet Movie Database
Gates McFadden at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
Gates McFadden at the TCM Movie Database Gates McFadden at AllMovie
Gates McFadden at Rotten Tomatoes Gates McFadden at TVGuide.com