Tributes are still arriving from across film, television and theatre for Sir Patrick Stewart, the Yorkshire-born actor who became one of the most recognisable faces on screen playing Star Trek’s Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men films. He died at his home in Los Angeles on Wednesday, October 28, aged 86.
His family said he died “in the loving care of his wife” after what they called “a brief and poignant journey”. He had been living with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia. The news was made public on Thursday. As of Saturday, October 31 (PKT), London’s theatre industry was preparing to mark his death with a tribute in the West End next week.
Tributes from co-stars
Sir Ian McKellen, his friend since their early days as young actors and his on-screen rival Magneto in the X-Men series, described him as the “most respected and beloved” actor of his generation. McKellen said Stewart was defined by his Yorkshire upbringing and the “stern honesty” with which he spoke his mind.
William Shatner, the original captain of the USS Enterprise, praised the “intelligence, grace” and humanity Stewart brought to all of his work. Hugh Jackman, who played Wolverine alongside him, called him “a tremendous friend and man”. Dame Judi Dench spoke of her shock and sadness, remembering a performer who never gave less than total commitment on stage.
The Royal Shakespeare Company, where he made his name as a classical actor, called him a “colossus” of theatre and film. Prime Minister Andy Burnham, through his spokesman, said Stewart “never forgot his working-class Yorkshire roots”.
From Mirfield to the Enterprise
Stewart was born in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, on July 13, 1940. His childhood home was unhappy; his father, a former soldier, was violent towards his mother. An English teacher at his secondary school introduced him to Shakespeare and pushed him to perform, and Stewart later said he owed “literally everything” to that encouragement.
He left school at 15, worked briefly in local journalism and spent his spare hours in amateur theatre before training at the Bristol Old Vic. He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966 and spent years in major classical roles, while also appearing on British television in series such as I, Claudius and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
By his own account, the first half of his career was solid but not spectacular. That changed in 1987, when he was cast as Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation. McKellen had advised him against taking the part. Stewart accepted it anyway, expecting the show to fail quickly. It ran until 1994, led to four feature films and returned in 2020 as Star Trek: Picard.
A second franchise and a return to the stage
From 2000 he played Professor X, the mentor of the X-Men, opposite McKellen. The two later shared the stage in Waiting for Godot in London and on Broadway, where they also alternated it with Harold Pinter’s No Man’s Land.
Hollywood never pulled him away from theatre for long. His one-man version of A Christmas Carol, in which he played dozens of characters on a bare stage, won him an Olivier award. His 2007 Macbeth drew some of the strongest reviews of his career. He was knighted in 2010 for services to drama.
He also showed a gift for comedy, sending up his own reputation in Ricky Gervais’s Extras and lending his voice to animated series including Family Guy and American Dad!.
Campaigning beyond acting
Stewart spoke openly about his father’s violence and spent much of his later life campaigning against domestic abuse. He became an ambassador for the charity Refuge in 2007. Its board chair, Hetti Barkworth-Nanton, said he helped to break down “taboos” around abuse.
His death has also drawn attention to dementia. Michelle Dyson, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Society, said his death was “a heartbreaking reminder” of the toll dementia takes on families worldwide.
What comes next
For two minutes on November 3, West End venues will lower their lights in his memory, according to the trade bodies that represent London and UK theatres. His final screen appearance, as Professor X in Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday, is due for release this Christmas, the BBC reported.
Stewart is survived by his wife, the singer-songwriter Sunny Ozell, and by Daniel and Sophie, his two children with his first wife. He once said that for huge numbers of people he would always be Jean-Luc Picard, “and that’s fine”. For millions of viewers around the world, that will be true. His colleagues, though, are making sure the Shakespearean actor behind the captain is remembered too.
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