Gates McFadden | |
|---|---|
 McFadden atGalaxyCon Richmond in 2023 | |
| Born | Cheryl Gates McFadden (1949-03-02)March 2, 1949 (age 76) Akron, Ohio, U.S. |
| Other names | Cheryl McFadden (choreography work) |
| Education | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1980–present |
| Notable credit(s) | Dr.Beverly Crusher inStar Trek: The Next Generation, the foursubsequent films, andStar Trek: Picard |
| Children | 1 |
Cheryl Gates McFadden (born March 2, 1949)[1][2] is an American actress and choreographer. She is usually credited asCheryl McFadden when working as a choreographer andGates McFadden when working as an actress. She playedDr. Beverly Crusher in the television seriesStar Trek: The Next Generation, its foursubsequent films, the sequel seriesStar Trek: Picard,[3][4] andStar Trek: Prodigy.
McFadden was born inAkron, Ohio, and grew up in the nearby suburb ofSilver Lake.[5][6] She graduated high school fromOld Trail School in 1966.[7] She attendedBrandeis University, graduating with aBachelor of Arts (cum laude) in the theatre arts, before moving to Paris, where she studied theatre with actorJacques Lecoq at hisschool of physical theatre. McFadden is of Lithuanian descent on her mother's side.[8]
In the 1970s, McFadden spent time teaching in post-secondary theater and dance departments, including those of theUniversity of Pittsburgh,Harvard University, andGeorge Washington University.[9][10] During this period she formed a theatrical company, The New York Theatre Commotion, and in 1975 toured an all-female clown act, "Commedia Dell Pinky".[9]
McFadden worked atThe Jim Henson Company[11][12] as the director of choreography and puppet movement forLabyrinth,The Muppets Take Manhattan, and uncredited work onDreamchild. 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 theTroma movieWhen Nature Calls (1985) and in the season-three episode ofThe Cosby Show, "Cliff's 50th Birthday".
In 1987, McFadden was cast as Dr. Beverly Crusher onStar Trek: The Next Generation. The Crusher character was slated to be CaptainJean-Luc Picard's love interest; another important aspect of the character was being a widow balancing motherhood and a career. McFadden clashed withMaurice Hurley, head writer andshowrunner, about the characterization of Dr. Crusher; she later stated, "I definitely pissed off Hurley. Because I kept saying 'Why is it that I've raised this genius kid...and yet every time there's anything serious it's only the male characters who talk to him?'"[13] She was also highly critical of the episode "Angel One", labeling it sexist. At Hurley's demand, McFadden's contract was not renewed at the end of the season.[14] In her place,Diana Muldaur joined the production as theEnterprise's new chief medical officer, Dr.Katherine Pulaski, for the second season.
Series creatorGene Roddenberry admitted that the Dr. Pulaski character did not develop a chemistry with the other characters, so McFadden was approached to return as Dr. Crusher for the third season.[15] She was hesitant, but after a phone call from co-starPatrick Stewart, and numerous fan letters, McFadden was persuaded to return to the role, which she then played through the remainder of the series.[16]
Highlights for her character included "The High Ground", where she is kidnapped by terrorists; "Remember Me", where she becomes trapped in a warp bubble created by her son, Wesley, plunging her into an alternate reality where everyone begins to vanish; "The Host", which features a romance between the doctor and an alien composed of twosymbiotic organisms; "Suspicions", in which she risks her career to solve the murder of a scientist; "Descent" where Crusher takes command of theEnterprise; "Sub Rosa", where she becomes the victim of a seductive "ghost"; and "Attached", where Picard and Crusher become telepathically linked as prisoners and learn their true feelings for one another.
McFadden reprised her role for all fourTNG movies and also provided her voice for PC gamesStar Trek: A Final Unity andStar Trek Generations. McFadden directed the seventh season episode "Genesis" (her only directing credit) in which an infection causes the crew to de-evolve into primitive forms of life, and choreographed the dance routine in the fourth season's "Data's Day".
McFadden co-starred in the 1990 comedyTaking Care of Business withJames Belushi, and fellowNext Generation alumnusJohn de Lancie (Q). That same year she appeared inThe Hunt for Red October asJack Ryan's wife, Catherine. In 1992, she appeared alongside fellow cast members Patrick Stewart,Jonathan Frakes,Brent Spiner, andColm Meaney in a production ofEvery Good Boy Deserves Favour, which was performed in four cities. She also starred in the 1995 television seriesMarker withRichard Grieco and appeared in the made-for-television movieCrowned and Dangerous withYasmine Bleeth in 1997. Additional television work was the role of Allison Rourke, Paul Buchman's boss, in four episodes of the sitcomMad About You. In the spring of 2006, McFadden appeared in a series of television commercials forMicrosoft.
She has taught at several universities (American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Brandeis, Harvard, Purdue, Temple, the Stella Academy in Hamburg, and the University of Pittsburgh).[17] As of August 2010, she was listed as an adjunct faculty member in the School of Theater at theUniversity of Southern California.[18] She was the artistic director of the Ensemble Studio Theatre/Los Angeles from January 2009[19] to October 2014.[20] During her tenure, she spearheaded the building of the Atwater Village Theatre Collective, a new two-theater space in Los Angeles.[21][22]
McFadden has lent her voice as narrator in several audio books. In 2010, she was the narrator of "Confessor" (METAtropolis: Cascadia).[23][24]
McFadden was initially nervous to attendfan conventions, due to a stalking issue early in her teaching career prior to her Star Trek tenure. However her concerns have not come to pass and she has since found conventions to be a positive experience.[25]
McFadden narrated the multi-part documentary seriesThe Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek, which aired on the cable channelHistory in 2021. She was also one of theexecutive producers.[26]
In 2021 McFadden launchedGates McFadden InvestiGates: Who Do You Think You Are?, a podcast forBrian Volk-Weiss's Nacelle Company, interviewing close friends and former co-stars.[27][28][29]
She has since reprised the role of Crusher onStar Trek: Prodigy andStar Trek: Picard's third season as well as in the video gameStar Trek Online.[30][31]
McFadden became a mother in 1991. Her pregnancy was not written into the fourth season ofTNG; instead, her character wore alaboratory coat over her uniform to conceal it.Next Generation co-starBrent Spiner is her son's godfather.[32]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | The Muppets Take Manhattan | Mr. Price's Secretary | |
| 1985 | Rustlers' Rhapsody | Choreographer[33] | |
| Dreamchild | Choreographer | ||
| When Nature Calls | Gena | "Gena's Story" trailer | |
| 1986 | Labyrinth | Choreographer | |
| 1990 | The Hunt for Red October | Catherine Ryan | |
| Taking Care of Business | Diane | ||
| 1994 | Star Trek Generations | Dr. Beverly Crusher | |
| 1996 | Star Trek: First Contact | ||
| 1998 | Star Trek: Insurrection | ||
| 2002 | Star Trek: Nemesis | ||
| 2005 | Dirty | Wife | |
| 2009 | Make the Yuletide Gay | Martha Stanford |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | The Wizard | Darcy | Episode: "El Dorado" |
| 1987 | The Cosby Show | — | Episode: "Cliff's 50th Birthday" |
| 1987–1994 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | Dr. Beverly Crusher | 153 episodes |
| 1990 | Beyond the Groove | Secretary | Unknown episode |
| 1992 | L.A. Law | Uta Keller | Episode: "Steal It Again, Sam" |
| 1993 | Dream On | Ina Dreikoff | Episode: "The Book, the Thief, Her Boss and His Lover" |
| 1994 | Party of Five | Greer Erikson | Episode: "Something Out of Nothing" |
| 1995 | Marker | Kimba | 13 episodes |
| 1995–1996 | Mad About You | Allison Rourke | 4 episodes |
| 1997 | Crowned and Dangerous | Patrice Baxter | TV film |
| 2000 | The Practice | Judge Emily Harrison | Episode: "Checkmates" |
| 2001 | The Division | Mrs. Petersen | Episode: "Hero" |
| 2004 | The Handler | Siobhan | Episode: "Wedding Party" |
| 2009 | Family Guy | Herself (voice) | Episode: "Not All Dogs Go to Heaven" |
| 2011–2013 | Franklin & Bash | Judge Mallory Jacobs | 4 episodes |
| 2016 | Scary Endings | The 911 Operator (voice) | TV short |
| 2017 | A Neighbor's Deception | Dr. Constance Abrams | TV film |
| NCIS | Mrs. Belmont | Episode: "Skeleton Crew" | |
| 2022-2024 | Star Trek: Prodigy | Dr. Beverly Crusher (voice) | 3 episodes |
| 2023 | Star Trek: Picard | Dr. Beverly Crusher | 10 episodes |
| 2024 | Masters of the Universe: Revelation | Queen Marlena (voice) | 4 episodes |
| X-Men '97 | Mother Askani (voice) | Episode: "Tolerance is Extinction: Part 3" |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Star Trek: Very Short Treks | Dr. Beverly Crusher (voice) | Episode: "Worst Contact" |
Stage appearances
Stage work
...Cheryl McFadden, 12, of 3084 Merkle [sic] dr...
Berman on TNG [19:30 – 1:17:15]: Gates McFadden fired at end of first season because head writer Maurice Hurley "he had a real bone to pick" with Gates and didn't like her acting, Berman brought Gates back for third season after Hurley left.
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