19 Facts About Gates McFadden

1.

Cheryl Gates McFadden was born on March 2,1949 and is an American actress and choreographer.

2.

Gates McFadden is usually credited as Cheryl McFadden when working as a choreographer and Gates McFadden when working as an actress.

3.

Gates McFadden played Dr Beverly Crusher in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, its four subsequent films and the sequel series Star Trek: Picard.

4.

Gates McFadden attended Brandeis University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in the theatre arts, before moving to Paris, where she studied theatre with actor Jacques Lecoq at his school of physical theatre.

5.

Gates McFadden worked at The Jim Henson Company as the director of choreography and puppet movement for Labyrinth, The Muppets Take Manhattan, and uncredited work on Dreamchild.

6.

In 1987, Gates McFadden was cast as Dr Beverly Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

7.

Series creator Gene Roddenberry admitted that the Dr Pulaski character did not develop a chemistry with the other characters, so Gates McFadden was approached to return as Dr Crusher for the third season.

8.

Gates McFadden was hesitant, but after a phone call from co-star Patrick Stewart, and numerous fan letters, McFadden was persuaded to return to the role, which she then played through the remainder of the series.

9.

Gates McFadden reprised her role for all four TNG movies and provided her voice for PC games Star Trek: A Final Unity and Star Trek Generations.

10.

Gates McFadden directed the seventh season episode "Genesis" 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".

11.

Gates McFadden co-starred in the 1990 comedy Taking Care of Business starring James Belushi, and fellow Next Generation alumnus John de Lancie.

12.

Gates McFadden 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.

13.

Gates McFadden has taught at several universities.

14.

Gates McFadden has lent her voice as narrator in several audio books.

15.

Gates McFadden was one of the last members of the TNG main cast to regularly attend fan conventions, due to a stalking incident early in her Star Trek career.

16.

In 2017, Gates McFadden was pleased that a recent documentary about the making of Labyrinth led her to connect with fans of her work with Jim Henson.

17.

Gates McFadden narrated the multi-part documentary series The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek, which aired on the cable channel History in 2021.

18.

Gates McFadden has since reprised the role of Crusher on Star Trek: Prodigy and Star Trek: Picard's third season as well as in the video game Star Trek Online.

19.

Gates McFadden's pregnancy was not written into the fourth season of TNG; instead, her character wore a laboratory coat over her uniform to conceal it.