Gates McFadden
Biography
Gates McFadden is an American actress and choreographer who played Dr. Beverly Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Born in Akron, Ohio, and raised in nearby Silver Lake, she studied theater at Brandeis University and trained with Jacques Lecoq in Paris. She taught theater and dance at several universities and worked for the Jim Henson Company as director of choreography and puppet movement on Labyrinth, The Muppets Take Manhattan, and Dreamchild. Cast as Crusher in 1987, she left after the first season and returned for the third through the final season. She reprised the role for the four Next Generation films and later for Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Prodigy. Her other credits include Taking Care of Business (1990) and The Hunt for Red October, and she directed the Next Generation episode Genesis. In 2024, the Next Generation cast received a Saturn Award for lifetime achievement.
77years old
Turns 78 on March 2in 140 days
- Born Akron
- Star sign: PiscesThe sign runs February 19 to March 20
- Cheryl Gates McFadden (birth name)
Movie Career
- Films
- 11
- Career span
- 28 years1986 to 2014
Genres
- Action36%, 4 films
- Adventure36%, 4 films
- Documentary36%, 4 films
- Sci-Fi36%, 4 films
- Comedy18%, 2 films
Photos
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A role that slipped away
Gates McFadden clashed with Maurice Hurley, the head writer and showrunner, about how Dr. Crusher was characterized. Hurley demanded that her contract not be renewed when the season ended.
A change of course
At The Jim Henson Company, Gates McFadden served as director of choreography and puppet movement. Her credits there include Labyrinth, The Muppets Take Manhattan, and uncredited work on Dreamchild.
A change of course
In 1975, McFadden took an all-female clown act called "Commedia Dell Pinky" on tour, and around that time she also founded a theatrical company, The New York Theatre Commotion.
About the name
To keep her acting work separate from her choreography, McFadden is usually credited as Gates McFadden when acting and Cheryl McFadden when choreographing. Still, the Troma movie When Nature Calls and a season-three episode of The Cosby Show both listed her as Cheryl McFadden.
Gates McFadden movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Jonathan Frakes directed two of these films. Two actors appear in seven of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Patrick Stewart's page
Jonathan Frakes's page
Marina Sirtis's page
Michael Dorn's page
Brent Spiner's page
LeVar Burton's page
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.