Denise Michelle Crosby was born on November 24, 1957, in Hollywood, California. She graduated from Hollywood High School in 1975 and attended Cabrillo College in Santa Cruz, where she enrolled in the Drama Department.
As a member of the extensive Crosby family dynasty, Denise is the daughter of entertainer Dennis Crosby and has appeared in film and television since the early 1980s. Her breakthrough came with a photo spread in a 1979 issue of Playboy magazine and a role in the soap opera Days of Our Lives in 1980.
Denise had small roles in films like 48 Hrs. (1982),Trail of the Pink Panther (1982),and Curse of the Pink Panther (1983),but it wasn't until the mid-1980s that her career started to pick up. She appeared in a variety of films and made-for-TV movies, including Stark (1985),Malice in Wonderland (1985),Desert Hearts (1985),Eliminators (1986),and Miracle Mile (1988).
In 1987, Denise landed the role of Lieutenant Tasha Yar in Star Trek: The Next Generation, although it wasn't a huge role, it allowed her to build a sizable fan base that still exists today. She left the series in 1988 due to the diminishing size of her role, but returned as a guest star in the early 1990s.
Denise also appeared in the horror genre, playing a mother who discovers her young daughter's doll is evil in the Child's Play (1988) clone Dolly Dearest (1991). The 1990s brought few opportunities to Denise, but she worked consistently, appearing in a television series in 1993, and making numerous guest appearances, including a couple of episodes of the raunchy cable series Red Shoe Diaries (1992).
In the early 2000s, Denise appeared in a television series, and made guest appearances on The X-Files (1993),JAG (1995),The Agency (2001),Threat Matrix (2003),Eyes (2005),and Dexter (2006). She acted in the award-winning short film The Bus Stops Here (2003),had a leading role in the western/horror indie film Legend of the Phantom Rider (2002),and has recently appeared in a horror film by legendary genre director Tobe Hooper, Mortuary (2005).
Denise continues to appear on television and in film, and is best known for her "Star Trek" days. She often appears at conventions and was appearing opposite her husband Ken Sylk in the drama film Ripple Effect (2007).
