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.
Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek Generations, Star Trek Nemesis, Star Trek: Insurrection, The Hunt for Red October, The Muppets Take Manhattan, Make the Yuletide Gay, When Nature Calls, Crowned and Dangerous, Taking Care of Business, Dirty
On auditioning for Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987): I walked in and was told they had three parts, and I could play any part I wanted. "Okay", I asked, "Which one is the funniest?" Beverly Crusher. I swear to God. Seriously! So I go, "Okay, fine", and I look at the scene and it's a scene from "The Naked Now" and that's funny because she's kind of drunk and I thought, "This is funny." So that's about the only funny scene in seven seasons! (Star Trek Magazine, April 2006)
2
Theater really is my first love. I love the stage, performing for an audience. Some of my favorite credits would have to be the Shakespeare work I did in New York and "To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday". I also loved working with Jim Henson on The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) and Labyrinth (1986). I've also loved Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987). (1994)
3
On the boat scene in Star Trek: Generations (1994): Shooting the boat sequences, I think, is probably something all of us have a story to tell about. I can tell you that the boat was supposed to be pitching back and forth, so we all had to really pitch back and forth... for days. At times, it was very funny and we were all having a good laugh, and at other times, it wasn't at all funny and it could be quite tiring. But it's a terrific scene. (1994)
4
It's wonderful that the show was so imaginative and creative. I'm glad to be a part of it. I get many kids telling me that they would like a mom like Beverly Crusher, and they feel I can solve their problems. It's not an easy world to grow up in. It's tough. And it's nice to think we are doing our bit to help. I always wish I had more to do, but I got my moments and direction [the seventh season episode] Star Trek: The Next Generation: Genesis (1994) was, without question, the high point of my years with the show, really the culmination of my Star Trek experience. (1994)
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Fact
1
She is of Lithuanian ancestry on her mother's side.