Cheryl Gates McFadden is an American actress and choreographer and is best known for playing Dr. Beverly Crusher in the Star Trek: The Next Generation television series and four successive films. More recently, McFadden has taught theater at a number of universities including the University of Southern California.

McFadden also starred in the film adaptation of Tom Clancy’s classic novel, The Hunt Red October, as Dr. Caroline Ryan. Before Star Trek: The Next Generation, McFadden choreographed for Jim Henson productions, such as The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, and The Muppets Take Manhattan. She has appeared in a number of television series, notably The Cosby Show, Mad About You, The Practice, and Family Guy.