Denise Crosby

Statuesque talent Denise Crosby rose to fame in the mid-1980s as the formidable Tasha Yar on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (syndicated 1987-1994) before departing the series to embark on a prolific career as a guest star on countless television series. The granddaughter of iconic performer Bing Crosby, she began her on-screen career in the late 1970s, working steadily in largely decorative roles for directors like her future father-in-law, Blake Edwards, and Walter Hill. "Trek" provided her with a first taste of stardom thanks to the franchise's devoted fanbase, but Crosby chafed at the gradual diminishment of her role, which began as a major character before devolving into a glorified background part. She left the series in 1988, but defied critical predictions of her immediate obsolescence by finding regular work in features like "Pet Sematary" (1991) and "Jackie Brown" (1998) and episodic television. She also embraced her "Trek" legacy by producing "Trekkies" (1997) and "Trekkies 2" (2007), a pair of affectionately tongue-in-cheek documentaries about the wildly diverse and offbeat fauna within the "Trek" fan community. Such projects, as well as frequent appearances at "Trek" conventions and participation in related video games and fan-made projects, kept her in good standing with the franchise's devotees while she continued to work steadily in series, most notably in recurring roles on "Southland" (NBC/TNT, 2009-2013) and "Ray Donovan" (Showtime, 2013- ). Crosby's connection to the "Trek" universe, as well as her inherent versatility as an actress, was among the many reasons for her enduring popularity.