Neuwirth

Long before she became famous as Dr. Lilith Sternin, the dour and sharp-tongued colleague, wife and ex-wife to Dr. Frazier Crane on classic sitcoms Cheers and Frazier, Bebe Newirth had already run up a storied and acclaimed career on Broadway.  And so it was that she too was a “celebrity fan” of Star Trek, and was thrilled to play the scene-stealing role of broadminded Malcorian nurse Lanel in the TNG Season 4 episode “First Contact” (not to be confused with the movie of the same name.)

Born in Princeton, N.J. in 1958, Neuwirth won Broadway’s Tony Award in 1986 for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for a revival of Sweet Charity, and then swept that category for the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award for her portrayal of Velma Kelly in a 1996 revival of Chicago.