Gates McFadden

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Gates McFadden
Gates McFadden 3.jpg
Gates McFadden in May 2004
Born Cheryl Gates McFadden
(1949-03-02) March 2, 1949 (age 75)
Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, United States
Alma mater Brandeis University
Occupation Actress and choreographer
Years active 1984–present
Known for Star Trek: The Next Generation
Spouse(s) John Talbot (?-present) (1 child)
Children James McFadden Talbot (b. 1991)

Cheryl Gates McFadden (born March 2, 1949),[1] 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.

Early life

McFadden was born in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. She attended Brandeis University graduating with Latin honors with a Bachelor of Arts in theatre arts. After graduating from Brandeis, she moved to Paris and studied theatre with actor Jacques Lecoq. She is of Lithuanian descent on her mother's side.[2]

Career

Early works

Before Star Trek: The Next Generation, McFadden often worked for Jim Henson productions, including the films The Dark Crystal (as choreographer), Labyrinth (as Director of Choreography and Puppet Movement), The Muppets Take Manhattan (choreographer and a brief on-screen appearance), and uncredited work on Dreamchild (again supervising choreography and puppet movement). 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 the Troma movie When Nature Calls (1985) and in the Season 3 episode of The Cosby Show, "Cliff's 50th Birthday". She appeared in The Hunt for Red October as Jack Ryan's wife Caroline, though most of her scenes were cut in post-production.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Season One

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.

At the end of the first season, McFadden was fired[3] and replaced by actress Diana Muldaur as the Enterprise's Chief Medical Officer. Muldaur's character, Dr. Katherine Pulaski, didn't make it to the third season. Roddenberry described Muldaur as "a most talented actress", and said that the decision "to let her go was made solely because the hoped-for chemistry between her and the rest of the starship cast did not develop."

Season Three through Seven

McFadden was approached to return for the third season.[4] At first she was hesitant, but after a phone call from co-star Patrick Stewart, McFadden was persuaded to reprise her role, which she subsequently retained through the remainder of the series.[5] Highlights for her character included "The High Ground", where Dr. Crusher is kidnapped by terrorists; "Remember Me", in which she becomes trapped in an alternate reality where her loved ones start to disappear; "The Host", which features a romance between the Doctor and a man with a big secret; "Suspicions", in which Dr. Crusher risks her career to solve the murder of a scientist; "Descent" where Crusher takes command of the Enterprise when the rest of the senior staff are participating in a search for Data; "Sub Rosa", where Dr. Crusher becomes the next victim of her grandmother's 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 four TNG movies and also provided her voice for PC games Star Trek: A Final Unity and Star Trek Generations. Also, McFadden directed the TNG episode "Genesis" (her only directing credit to date) in which an infection causes the crew to de-evolve into primitive forms of life, and choreographed the dance routine in "Data's Day".

After The Next Generation

The 1990 comedy Taking Care of Business starred James Belushi, co-starring McFadden and another TNG actor, John de Lancie (Q). In 1992, she appeared alongside fellow cast members Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner and Colm Meaney in a production of Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, which was performed in four cities. She also 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. Additional television work was the role of Allison Rourke, Paul Buchman's boss, in four episodes of the sitcom Mad About You. In the spring of 2006, McFadden appeared in a series of television commercials for Microsoft.

She has taught at several universities (AADA, Brandeis, Harvard, Purdue, Temple, the Stella Academy in Hamburg, and the University of Pittsburgh).[6] As of August 2010, she was listed as an adjunct faculty member in the School of Theater at the University of Southern California.[7] She has been Artistic Director of Ensemble Studio Theatre of Los Angeles since January 2009.[8] During her tenure she spearheaded the building of the Atwater Village Theatre Collective (AVT), a new two-theater space in Los Angeles.[9][10]

McFadden has lent her voice as narrator in several audio books. In 2010, she was the narrator of "Confessor" (METAtropolis: CASCADIA).[11][12]

Personal life

McFadden is married to John Talbot and has one son, James, born in 1991.[13] Her pregnancy was not written into the fourth season of TNG; instead, her character wore a laboratory coat over her uniform. Next Generation co-star Brent Spiner is her son's godfather.[14]

Filmography

McFadden in 2014

Film

Television

References

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External links

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