Who played the character Dr. Beverly Crusher on TNG?

Gates McFadden played Dr. Beverly Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Crusher served as the chief medical officer of the USS Enterprise-D and later the Enterprise-E.

McFadden joined the original TNG cast in 1987 and appeared in every season except the second. During that season, the series replaced Crusher with Dr. Katherine Pulaski, played by Diana Muldaur. Crusher returned for season three and remained part of the regular cast through the end of TNG.

The role was not McFadden’s only connection to filmmaking and performance. She had worked as a choreographer and puppet-movement specialist for The Jim Henson Company, contributing to productions including Labyrinth and The Muppets Take Manhattan. She was also credited as Cheryl McFadden for some choreography work.

Denise Crosby played Tasha Yar, Majel Barrett played several Star Trek characters including Nurse Chapel and computer voices, and Diana Muldaur played Pulaski. Those names are common quiz distractors, but McFadden is the canonical performer for Beverly Crusher.