Denise Crosby
Encyclopedia
Denise Michelle Crosby is an American actress
best known for portraying Security Chief Tasha Yar
on Star Trek: The Next Generation
. She is also known for her numerous film and television roles, for starring in and producing the film Trekkies, and for being the granddaughter of Bing Crosby
.
. Her paternal grandfather was actor/singer/comedian Bing Crosby
. She attended LeConte Junior High School with actress Rita Wilson
(wife of Tom Hanks
). Her choice of career solidified at an early age and was influenced by the involvement of other family members in show business.
. She has appeared as Dr. Gretchen Kelly in three episodes of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
, and as a sheriff on The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.
episode "No Man's Land". In the early 1990s, she played the role of the mayor in the short-lived series Key West
. She also appeared in two episodes of the cable television series Red Shoe Diaries
, playing a different character in each episode. Crosby had a small recurring role in Aaron Spelling
's prime time drama, Models Inc, a spin-off from Melrose Place. She was a guest star on the eighth season of The X-Files
for two episodes, in which she plays a doctor who took examinations of Agent Scully's baby. In 1991, she was a guest star in a first season The Flash episode as Dr. Rebecca Frost. In 2006, she was a guest star in Dexter
as Dexter's first victim. Crosby had a recurring role in Southland
as Detective Dan "Sal" Salinger's wife.
One of her very first film appearances was in the 1982 Nick Nolte
/Eddie Murphy
film 48 Hrs.
In 1986, she played a robotics engineer, Nora Hunter, in the science fiction movie Eliminators
, the leading role in the film Dolly Dearest
in 1992, appeared in Stephen King's Pet Sematary
and Quentin Tarantino
's Jackie Brown
. She starred in the 2002 western
horror film Legend of the Phantom Rider. Crosby starred in the Tobe Hooper
horror film Mortuary
. She also appeared in the 1998 movie Deep Impact
starring Elijah Wood
.
for the much publicized return of Star Trek
to television in the syndicated series Star Trek: The Next Generation
. She had been chosen to play Counsellor Deanna Troi
before Gene Roddenberry
switched the roles that she and Marina Sirtis
had initially been given. Initially one of the top-billed characters and featured prominently in episodes such as "The Naked Now" and "Code of Honor", the role of Tasha gradually moved into the background as other members of the ensemble cast became a greater focus of the series. It has been reported that Crosby grew disillusioned with her role because of its "Uhura
-like" status: "I was struggling with not being able to do much with the character. I had all these ideas and couldn't do them. I was just stage dressing." Ultimately, Crosby decided to leave the show. Her character was unceremoniously killed by the alien creature Armus during the episode "Skin of Evil." She had appeared in 22 episodes when she left.
In later years, Crosby had second thoughts about leaving the show, and approached the TNG production team with the idea of reprising her role of Tasha Yar. This came to be in season three's "Yesterday's Enterprise
" in which an alternate timeline is created after the USS Enterprise-C
, the predecessor to TNG's USS Enterprise-D
, comes forward 22 years in time. Yar joined the Enterprise-C before it returned to its own time. During the documentary Trekkies, Crosby commented that her Tasha Yar character had to die in order to get "the best episodes."
Crosby also guest starred in several other TNG episodes, "Redemption" as Romulan Commander Sela
, the half-human, half-Romulan
daughter of Tasha Yar, who had been taken prisoner in the past while on-board the Enterprise-C. Crosby later reprised the role in the Star Trek: Armada
video game.
Tasha Yar was also featured in the final episode of the series entitled "All Good Things..." in which Captain Picard
is moving back and forth through time, and encounters Tasha during the events just prior to the pilot episode.
Crosby produced and narrated the 1997 documentary Trekkies, followed by the 2003 sequel, Trekkies 2
. Both films star Crosby, who conducts interviews with devotees of Star Trek, more commonly known as "Trekkies."
magazine were republished in the May 1988 issue. In the pictorial, Crosby was featured as a new-wave model, with the additional angle of being the granddaughter of the legendary Bing Crosby.
Crosby appeared in Chris Isaak
's first music video, "Dancin'". In 1986, she appeared in a music video for Black Sabbath
's "No Stranger to Love".
In January and February 2010, Crosby performed alongside Gale Harold
and ex-model Claudia Mason in Tennessee Williams' Orpheus Descending
at Theater/Theatre in Los Angeles. The production and cast received mostly positive reviews in the Los Angeles Times
stating, "Harold, ideally cast, beautifully ignites with Crosby, whose unconventional interpretation is an affecting revelation."
) from 1983 to 1990. She appeared in a few of Blake Edwards's films, including 10
, Skin Deep
, Trail of the Pink Panther
, and Curse of the Pink Panther
. Crosby is currently married to Ken Sylk. They have a son, August William Sylk.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
best known for portraying Security Chief Tasha Yar
Tasha Yar
Lieutenant Natasha "Tasha" Yar, played by Denise Crosby, is a character in Star Trek: The Next Generation. In the fictional series, the character served as chief of security aboard the USS Enterprise-D for the first season....
on Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
. She is also known for her numerous film and television roles, for starring in and producing the film Trekkies, and for being the granddaughter of Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
.
Early life
Crosby was born in Hollywood, California, the daughter of Marilyn Scott and actor Dennis CrosbyDennis Crosby
Dennis Michael Crosby was an occasional American actor, the son of singer and actor Bing Crosby, and twin brother of Phillip Crosby. He was the father of actress Denise Crosby.-Life and career:...
. Her paternal grandfather was actor/singer/comedian Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
. She attended LeConte Junior High School with actress Rita Wilson
Rita Wilson
-Early life:Wilson was born Margarita Ibrahimoff in Los Angeles, California.Her father, a Bulgarian who worked at a racetrack, was born in Greece. Before immigrating to the US, he had lived in Bulgaria and Turkey....
(wife of Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
). Her choice of career solidified at an early age and was influenced by the involvement of other family members in show business.
Career
Crosby's first high-profile role was as Lisa Davis on the soap opera Days of our LivesDays of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
. She has appeared as Dr. Gretchen Kelly in three episodes of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman was a live-action American television series based on the Superman comic books...
, and as a sheriff on The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.
The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.
The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., often referred to as just Brisco or Brisco County,The series is referred to as just Brisco or by Brisco County by the creator and executive producer Carlton Cuse, actors involved with the show, and by many critics. Some examples include:* Cuse, Carlton, DVD extra...
episode "No Man's Land". In the early 1990s, she played the role of the mayor in the short-lived series Key West
Key West (TV series)
Key West was a short-lived 1993 hour long comedy-drama television series set in Key West, Florida. Thirteen episodes aired on Fox between January and June 1993. It was created by David Beaird and Allan Marcil...
. She also appeared in two episodes of the cable television series Red Shoe Diaries
Red Shoe Diaries
Red Shoe Diaries is an erotic drama series that aired on the American cable television network Showtime from 1992 to 1997 and distributed by Playboy Entertainment overseas...
, playing a different character in each episode. Crosby had a small recurring role in Aaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling was an American film and television producer. As of 2009, Spelling's eponymous production company Spelling Television holds the record as the most prolific television writer, with 218 producer and executive producer credits...
's prime time drama, Models Inc, a spin-off from Melrose Place. She was a guest star on the eighth season of The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
for two episodes, in which she plays a doctor who took examinations of Agent Scully's baby. In 1991, she was a guest star in a first season The Flash episode as Dr. Rebecca Frost. In 2006, she was a guest star in Dexter
Dexter (TV series)
Dexter is an American television drama series, which debuted on Showtime on October 1, 2006. The sixth season premiered on October 2, 2011. The series centers on Dexter Morgan , a bloodstain pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department who moonlights as a serial killer...
as Dexter's first victim. Crosby had a recurring role in Southland
Southland (TV series)
Southland is an American drama series created by writer Ann Biderman and produced by Warner Bros. Television. It premiered on NBC on April 9, 2009...
as Detective Dan "Sal" Salinger's wife.
One of her very first film appearances was in the 1982 Nick Nolte
Nick Nolte
Nicholas King "Nick" Nolte is an American actor whose career has spanned over five decades, peaking in the 1990s when his commercial success made him one of the most popular celebrities of that decade.-Early life:...
/Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy
Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
film 48 Hrs.
48 Hrs.
48 Hrs. is a 1982 American action comedy film directed by Walter Hill, starring Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy as a cop and convict, respectively, who team up to catch a cop-killer. The title refers to the amount of time they have to solve the crime. This was Eddie Murphy's film debut , and Joel...
In 1986, she played a robotics engineer, Nora Hunter, in the science fiction movie Eliminators
Eliminators
Eliminators is a 1986 film directed by Peter Manoogian. The plot concernes a "Mandroid" constructed by an evil scientist from the body of a downed pilot, who teams up with the scientist responsible for android technology, her pet robot Spot, a riverboat guide, and a martial arts warrior...
, the leading role in the film Dolly Dearest
Dolly Dearest
Dolly Dearest is a 1992 direct-to-video horror film starring Denise Crosby and Rip Torn.-Synopsis:American Elliot Wade becomes the new owner of the "Dolly Dearest" factory in Mexico...
in 1992, appeared in Stephen King's Pet Sematary
Pet Sematary (film)
Pet Sematary is a 1989 horror film adaptation of Stephen King's novel of the same name. Directed by Mary Lambert and written by King, the film features Dale Midkiff as Louis Creed, Denise Crosby as Rachel Creed, Blaze Berdahl as Ellie Creed, Miko Hughes as Gage Creed, and Fred Gwynne as Jud Crandall...
and Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
's Jackie Brown
Jackie Brown (film)
Jackie Brown is a 1997 American crime drama film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It is an adaptation of the novel Rum Punch by American novelist Elmore Leonard and pays homage to 1970s blaxploitation films....
. She starred in the 2002 western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
horror film Legend of the Phantom Rider. Crosby starred in the Tobe Hooper
Tobe Hooper
Tobe Hooper is an American film director and screenwriter, best known for his work in the horror film genre. His works include the cult classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre , along with its first sequel, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 ; the three-time Emmy-nominated Stephen King film adaptation...
horror film Mortuary
Mortuary (film)
Mortuary is a 2005 horror-thriller film directed by Tobe Hooper. It stars Dan Byrd, Alexandra Adi, and Denise Crosby.-Plot:After the loss of their father, the Doyle family, Leslie, Jonathan, and Jamie, move to the Fowler Mortuary in hope of starting a new life. The three find the mortuary to be in...
. She also appeared in the 1998 movie Deep Impact
Deep Impact (film)
Deep Impact is a 1998 science-fiction disaster-drama film released by Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks in the United States on May 8, 1998. The film was directed by Mimi Leder and stars Robert Duvall, Elijah Wood, Téa Leoni, and Morgan Freeman...
starring Elijah Wood
Elijah Wood
Elijah Jordan Wood is an American actor. He made his film debut with a minor part in Back to the Future Part II , then landed a succession of larger roles that made him a critically acclaimed child actor by age 9. He is best known for his high-profile role as Frodo Baggins in Peter Jackson's...
.
Star Trek
In 1987, Crosby was cast in the role of Tasha YarTasha Yar
Lieutenant Natasha "Tasha" Yar, played by Denise Crosby, is a character in Star Trek: The Next Generation. In the fictional series, the character served as chief of security aboard the USS Enterprise-D for the first season....
for the much publicized return of Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
to television in the syndicated series Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
. She had been chosen to play Counsellor Deanna Troi
Deanna Troi
Commander Deanna Troi is a main character in the science-fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and related TV series and films, portrayed by actress Marina Sirtis. Troi is half-human, half-Betazoid and has the psionic ability to sense emotions. She serves as the ship's counselor...
before Gene Roddenberry
Gene Roddenberry
Eugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry was an American television screenwriter, producer and futurist, best known for creating the American science fiction series Star Trek. Born in El Paso, Texas, Roddenberry grew up in Los Angeles, California where his father worked as a police officer...
switched the roles that she and Marina Sirtis
Marina Sirtis
Marina Sirtis is a British-American actress of Greek descent. She played the role of the human/Betazoid Commander Deanna Troi, ship's counselor, on the television and film series Star Trek: The Next Generation.-Life:...
had initially been given. Initially one of the top-billed characters and featured prominently in episodes such as "The Naked Now" and "Code of Honor", the role of Tasha gradually moved into the background as other members of the ensemble cast became a greater focus of the series. It has been reported that Crosby grew disillusioned with her role because of its "Uhura
Uhura
Nyota Uhura is a character in Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Animated Series, the first six Star Trek films, and the 2009 film Star Trek...
-like" status: "I was struggling with not being able to do much with the character. I had all these ideas and couldn't do them. I was just stage dressing." Ultimately, Crosby decided to leave the show. Her character was unceremoniously killed by the alien creature Armus during the episode "Skin of Evil." She had appeared in 22 episodes when she left.
In later years, Crosby had second thoughts about leaving the show, and approached the TNG production team with the idea of reprising her role of Tasha Yar. This came to be in season three's "Yesterday's Enterprise
Yesterday's Enterprise
"Yesterday's Enterprise" is the fifteenth episode of the third season of the science fiction television show Star Trek: The Next Generation. The episode first aired in syndication the week of February 19, 1990...
" in which an alternate timeline is created after the USS Enterprise-C
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-C)
The USS Enterprise is a fictional starship that appears in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Yesterday's Enterprise". This Ambassador-class starship, under the command of Captain Rachel Garrett , is the fourth Federation starship to carry the name Enterprise...
, the predecessor to TNG's USS Enterprise-D
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)
The USS Enterprise is a 24th century starship in the Star Trek fictional universe and the principal setting of the Star Trek: The Next Generation television series...
, comes forward 22 years in time. Yar joined the Enterprise-C before it returned to its own time. During the documentary Trekkies, Crosby commented that her Tasha Yar character had to die in order to get "the best episodes."
Crosby also guest starred in several other TNG episodes, "Redemption" as Romulan Commander Sela
Sela (Star Trek)
Commander Sela is a fictional character on Star Trek: The Next Generation, the daughter of an alternate timeline version of Tasha Yar and a Romulan official. She was played by Denise Crosby, who also played Tasha Yar.-Overview:...
, the half-human, half-Romulan
Romulan
The Romulans are a fictional alien race in the Star Trek universe. First appearing in the original Star Trek series in the 1966 episode "Balance of Terror", they have since made appearances in all the main later Star Trek series: The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager...
daughter of Tasha Yar, who had been taken prisoner in the past while on-board the Enterprise-C. Crosby later reprised the role in the Star Trek: Armada
Star Trek: Armada
Star Trek: Armada is a real-time strategy game published in 2000 by Activision. The game's look and feel is based primarily on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and features a few of its main characters and ships. Playable factions include the United Federation of Planets, the Klingon Empire, the...
video game.
Tasha Yar was also featured in the final episode of the series entitled "All Good Things..." in which Captain Picard
Jean-Luc Picard
Captain Jean-Luc Picard is a Star Trek character portrayed by Patrick Stewart. He appears in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and the feature films Star Trek Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek Nemesis...
is moving back and forth through time, and encounters Tasha during the events just prior to the pilot episode.
Crosby produced and narrated the 1997 documentary Trekkies, followed by the 2003 sequel, Trekkies 2
Trekkies 2
Trekkies 2 is the sequel to the 1997 documentary film Trekkies.In 2003, a sequel to Trekkies was launched, titled Trekkies 2. This documentary film travels throughout the world, mainly in Europe, to show fans of Star Trek, commonly known as Trekkies, who do not live in the United States...
. Both films star Crosby, who conducts interviews with devotees of Star Trek, more commonly known as "Trekkies."
Post-Star Trek work
Following her appearance on Star Trek: The Next Generation, nude photos of Crosby that originally appeared in the March 1979 edition of PlayboyPlayboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
magazine were republished in the May 1988 issue. In the pictorial, Crosby was featured as a new-wave model, with the additional angle of being the granddaughter of the legendary Bing Crosby.
Crosby appeared in Chris Isaak
Chris Isaak
Christopher Joseph "Chris" Isaak is an American rock musician and occasional actor.-Early life:Isaak was born in Stockton, California, the son of Dorothy , a potato chip factory worker, and Joe Isaak, a forklift driver. Isaak's mother is Italian American, originating from Genoa...
's first music video, "Dancin'". In 1986, she appeared in a music video for Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
's "No Stranger to Love".
In January and February 2010, Crosby performed alongside Gale Harold
Gale Harold
Gale Morgan Harold III is an American actor widely known for his roles on Queer as Folk, Desperate Housewives and Hellcats.-Early life:...
and ex-model Claudia Mason in Tennessee Williams' Orpheus Descending
Orpheus Descending
Orpheus Descending is a play by Tennessee Williams. It was first presented on Broadway in 1957 where it enjoyed a brief run with only modest success. The play is basically a rewrite of an earlier play by Williams called Battle of Angels, which was written in 1940, but had been closed on its opening...
at Theater/Theatre in Los Angeles. The production and cast received mostly positive reviews in the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
stating, "Harold, ideally cast, beautifully ignites with Crosby, whose unconventional interpretation is an affecting revelation."
Personal life
Crosby was married to Geoffrey Edwards (son of director Blake EdwardsBlake Edwards
Blake Edwards was an American film director, screenwriter and producer.Edwards' career began in the 1940s as an actor, but he soon turned to writing radio scripts at Columbia Pictures...
) from 1983 to 1990. She appeared in a few of Blake Edwards's films, including 10
10 (film)
10 is a 1979 romantic comedy film directed by Blake Edwards and starring Bo Derek, Dudley Moore, and Julie Andrews. Considered a trend-setting film at the time, and one of the year's biggest box office hits, the film made superstars of Derek and Moore....
, Skin Deep
Skin Deep (1989 film)
Skin Deep is a 1989 American film starring John Ritter, written and directed by Blake Edwards.-Plot:Zachary "Zach" Hutton is a successful author who has a weakness for alcohol and beautiful women. Zach's mistress walks in on him in the process of cheating on her, followed by his estranged wife Alex...
, Trail of the Pink Panther
Trail of the Pink Panther
Trail of the Pink Panther is a 1982 comedy film starring Peter Sellers. It was the seventh film in the Pink Panther series, and the last in which Peter Sellers starred as Inspector Jacques Clouseau, although Sellers died before production began and the film thus contains no original material...
, and Curse of the Pink Panther
Curse of the Pink Panther
Curse of the Pink Panther is a 1983 comedy film, the eighth installment of the The Pink Panther series of films started by Blake Edwards in the early 1960s....
. Crosby is currently married to Ken Sylk. They have a son, August William Sylk.