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I stumbled across this screenshot which apparently comes from the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode 'Suspicions':

side view of a woman with shoulder-length red hair, wearing a blue uniform

It was described as Beverly Crusher, but the more I look at it, the more something doesn't seem right.

I can't quite say what is wrong. Who is this? I don't remember another red-haired female Starfleet officer in the episode, so it has to be Crusher right? Is it a body double for Gates McFadden? The person bears quite the resemblance to Crusher but it's just not quite dead on to me, but I keep going back and forth. The person does seem familiar though for other reasons, but I can't quite place it.

Jenayah
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Avatar_sully
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    Definitely Beverly Crusher, whether or not it is Gates McFadden idk – Tdmut Sep 18 '15 at 00:25
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    It very well could be Wesley. – Major Stackings Sep 18 '15 at 04:46
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    It's totally Beverly Crusher. -- This is going to be the new "The Dress" for nerds -- is it "blue" or "black"? – BrainSlugs83 Sep 18 '15 at 12:46
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    Good ol' Lyta Alexander. – Omegacron Sep 18 '15 at 17:31
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    My bounty message seems to have gone away, so for posterity's sake: all there was to go on was a frame with just a glancing side view but I got what I needed from user Praxis within minutes. Then he/she responded to my throwaway comment about the face seeming familiar by updating the answer with all kinds of interesting info about Patricia Tallman's roles in star trek and sci-fi. I don't really need or want all the reputation I got from asking this question, so I've donated part of what I've earned in thanks for this impressive answer! – Avatar_sully Sep 23 '15 at 00:42

1 Answers1

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This is Beverly Crusher, but played by Gates McFadden's body double, Patricia Tallman.

the two actresses side-by-side, both have red hair and a blue uniform; they look very much alike

Here she is on the set of the film Star Trek: Generations, again doubling for McFadden:

Ms. Tallman seen from above, smiling, while wearing a heavy jacket, on a filming set. Crewmember in the background

This is another instance where you can see Tallman's face in the finished product. In the corresponding scene from the film, Data is conversing with Crusher played by McFadden, but it is Crusher played by Tallman who actually gets pushed into the water. You can see Tallman's face when the camera turns to Crusher being unhappy in the water.

If Tallman seems familiar to you, it could be because:

  • she guest starred many times in all of the TNG-era Star Trek series, playing a multitude of characters
  • she played telepath Lyta Alexander on Babylon 5

Tallman was also the body double for Nana Visitor (Kira Nerys in DS9) and Terry Farrell (Jadzia Dax, also in DS9).

Here she is guest starring as various other characters on Star Trek:

woman in a door frame, short red hair, yellow and black uniform woman pointing a gun at the camera, looking angry, she visibly means business woman with long hair staring at the camera, wearing thick shoulder pads. Two men in the background angry-looking woman with a black bowlcut, cranial ridges and pointy ears surprised woman wearing a blue and yellow uniform, her hair is tied same woman holding a device emitting light and wearing an emblem on her chest woman with long red hair wearing a yellow uniform

Finally, here she is as Lyta Alexander on Babylon 5:

credits line for a red-haired woman reading "Patricia TALLMAN as Lyra Alexander"

Tallman is also a professional stuntwoman, and her stunt work appears in many films and television series, including Jurassic Park (1993), TNG, DS9, Voyager, and Babylon 5.

You can read more about her and her contributions to Star Trek here.

Jenayah
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Praxis
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    Oh wow, I did used to watch B5! That must be where I've seen her. At least I'm not going crazy, so thanks! – Avatar_sully Sep 18 '15 at 00:43
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    wow - i knew Patricia Tallman played a crewman once, but never realised how many other roles she had in ST, or that she was a body double for Gates McFadden – HorusKol Sep 18 '15 at 04:12
  • Is "being a body double" a specific job in Hollywood? – Gaius Sep 18 '15 at 07:04
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    Not only in Hollywood: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_double – Raidri Sep 18 '15 at 07:16
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    Makes me think of Spaceballs... – Oliphaunt Sep 18 '15 at 08:47
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    Just as she had been a body double for 3 different people, that suggests to me that "doubling" is a special skill in and of itself – Gaius Sep 18 '15 at 09:05
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    Can add that she's also a stunt-woman - among other things, for "Jurassic Park" (the first original). I think she did the stunts for "Lex" (the 11 y/o girl). The scene where Lex falls through a grate in an air-duct and hangs dangling, I believe is one of them. The stunt-woman (I think this was Patricia Tallman), accidentally looked up so her face showed - but they superimposed in the face of the girl later, so it looked real good. She was also married to the actor who played "Kosh" in B5 for a while... – Baard Kopperud Sep 18 '15 at 09:27
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    @BaardKopperud Wait, Kosh was actually played by someone? – Mr Lister Sep 18 '15 at 13:06
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    @MrLister: Two people: Ardwight Chamberlain (voice) and Jeffrey Willerth (puppeteer), who was also a producer on the show. It was Willerth she was married to for a while (they're now divorced). Afterward apparently she was with Strac, but they broke up in 2013. – T.J. Crowder Sep 18 '15 at 14:02
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    @Gaius stunt doubles are common in Hollywood since it's an additional skill that many actor/actresses can't/won't do. – Dan Is Fiddling By Firelight Sep 18 '15 at 14:57
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    @T.J.Crowder : J. Michael Straczynski or "JMS", the creator of Babylon 5 (just to clarify for others). ;-) – Praxis Sep 18 '15 at 15:10
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    Must suck, however, to be around Trek for so long playing separate roles and never landing a full gig – user001 Sep 18 '15 at 16:31
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    She had a guest spot in an episode of Castle, playing the murdered psychic in S03E02. http://castle.wikia.com/wiki/Vivian_Marchand. She had a bit of non-corpsified screen time. One of the few stunt performers who also acts in non-stunt roles. – Peter Cordes Sep 18 '15 at 22:10
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    @user001 It seems like she did land a full gig, doubling three characters at one time plus various supporting characters. – Xantec Sep 18 '15 at 22:16
  • A full time role maybe but not a full cast member is what I meant – user001 Sep 19 '15 at 11:20
  • @user001 Not everybody wants to be an actor. Not everybody is suited to be an actor. Not everybody has the physicality to be a stunt performer - even The Rock has a stunt double (actually his cousin or some other relative, IIRC). – T.J.L. Jun 10 '20 at 20:48
  • In that last Star Trek one she looks like she's Catherine Tate's body double. – Acccumulation Nov 02 '20 at 03:21