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.

Filmography

• The Center Seat II: 60 Years of Star Trek — Narrator
• Masters of the Universe: Revolution — Queen Marlena (voice)
• X-Men '97 — Mother Askani (voice)
• 2023Star Trek: Picard - The IMAX Live Series Finale Event — Dr. Beverly Crusher
• Star Trek: very Short Treks — Dr. Crusher (voice)
• Star Trek: Prodigy — Dr. Beverly Crusher (voice)
• The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek — Self / Narrator, Executive Producer
• 2020Hexengeddon: Witches vs. the World — Madame Hexxina
• Star Trek: Picard — Dr. Beverly Crusher
• 2017A Neighbor's Deception — Dr. Constance Abrams
• 2015Mattresside — Nurse
• 2014Star Trek: The Next Generation - All Good Things... — Dr. Beverly Crusher
• 2014Star Trek: The Next Generation - Chain of Command — Dr. Beverly Crusher
• 2013Star Trek: The Next Generation - Redemption — Dr. Beverly Crusher
• 2013Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Best of Both Worlds — Dr. Beverly Crusher (archive footage)
• 2013Star Trek: The Next Generation - Unification — Dr. Beverly Crusher
• Franklin & Bash — Judge Mallory Jacobs
• 2009Make the Yuletide Gay — Martha Stanford
• 2005Dirty — Wife
• NCIS — Mrs. Belmont
• 2002Star Trek: Nemesis — Dr. Beverly Crusher
• The Division — Mrs. Petersen
• Family Guy — Gates McFadden (voice)
• 1998Star Trek: Insurrection — Doctor Beverly Crusher
• 1997Crowned and Dangerous — Patrice Baxter
• The Practice — Judge Emily Harrison
• 1996Star Trek: First Contact — Commander Beverly Crusher
• Marker — Kimba
• Party of Five — Greer Erikson
• 1994Star Trek: Generations — Dr. Beverly Crusher
• 1993Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Behind the Scenes — Beverly Crusher
• Mad About You — Allison Rourke
• 1992Star Trek: Federation Science
• Dream On — Ina Dreikoff
• 1990Taking Care of Business — Diane Connors
• 1990The Hunt for Red October — Caroline Ryan
• Star Trek: The Next Generation — Beverly Crusher, Director
• The Wizard
• The Cosby Show
• 1984The Muppets Take Manhattan — Mr. Price's Secretary
• Saturday Night Live — Woman in audience kissed by Bill Murray (uncredited)

Appearances as themselves (13)

• 2026The Sixty Year Mission: How Star Trek Changed Television and the World — Self
• The Shuttlepod Show — Self
• 2019That Guy... Who Was In That Thing 3: Trek Stars — Self & Narrator
• The Ready Room — Self
• 201650 Years of Star Trek — Self
• 2014Chaos on the Bridge — Self
• The Captains Close Up — Self
• 2012Reunification - 25 Years After Star Trek: The Next Generation — Self
• 1996Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond — Self
• 1994Journey's End - The Saga of Star Trek: The Next Generation — Self
• 1991Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Special — Self
• 1986Inside the Labyrinth — Self
• Make-Up Man: The Michael Westmore Documentary — Self