Sir Patrick Stewart, best known to many fans for his roles as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men movies, has died. An official statement posted to Stewart’s social media channels confirmed the news, revealing that Stewart died yesterday, Wednesday, October 28, in Los Angeles “following a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia.”
“He has been held in the warm embrace of family and friends, surrounded by live music, prayer, tears, laughter, and the kind of profound emotion that only he could inspire after a lifetime of devotion to us all,” the statement reads. “We will forever cherish the peaceful ease and reflection on his face, an enduring reminder of his invincible grace.” They ask that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Johns Hopkins Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Fund.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to:
Johns Hopkins Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Fund https://t.co/luC5CdcWDy
Alzheimer’s Foundation of America Caregiver Resources https://t.co/zvNptfyuNd
Photo Credit: Tommy Garcia pic.twitter.com/XNncEVq56X
Born on July 13, 1940, in Mirfield in the West Riding of Yorkshire, Patrick Stewart began his acting career in 1959 with a production of Cyrano de Bergerac, later joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966 and staying with them through to 1982. Stewart’s association with theatre and Shakespeare in particular would be the driving force for much of his acting career before he jumped to television, with the announcement of his casting in Star Trek: The Next Generation even earning him the distinction of “unknown British Shakespearean actor” by the Los Angeles Times.
Taking on the lead role of the first new Star Trek show in decades, and also assuming the position of the Captain of the Enterprise, was no small feat, especially since it meant essentially filling the shoes of William Shatner’s Captain Kirk. With Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Stewart not only found a role that made him a household name but a character that he could infuse with his own personal interests and really make his own, among them a love for Shakespeare. He would go on to play the role for seven seasons of The Next Generation and over 170 episodes, reprising the part in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, four feature films, and three seasons of the revival show, Star Trek: Picard.
“I find myself talking a lot about Picard and one of the things that I’ve come to understand is that as I talk a lot about Picard what I find is I’m talking about myself,” Stewart told the BBC in 2011. “There was a sort of double action that occurred. In one sense, Picard was expanding like this and at the same time he was also growing closer and closer to me as well and, in some respect, I suppose even had some influence on me. I became a better listener than I ever had been as a result of playing Jean-Luc Picard because it was one of the things that he does terrifically well.”
In the time that followed the conclusion of Star Trek: The Next Generation on TV and in film, though, Stewart quickly found himself bound to another role of a lifetime, playing Professor Charles Xavier in the live-action X-Men movie. Ahead of the film’s production, Stewart was long fan-cast in the role, with many unable to see another actor take on the part given his immense popularity in Star Trek. Stewart was flanked by his longtime friend Sir Ian McKellen in the movie, playing his polar opposite in Magneto, which became one of the elements that helped propel the Fox franchise to new heights and kickstart the 2000s superhero boom.
Stewart not only reprised his role in the X-Men feature films but lent his voice to the video games as well. He would go on to return to the role of Professor X for the two sequels to the original film, plus 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past, which allowed him to share the screen with actor James McAvoy as the younger Charles Xavier. Spinoffs to the X-Men series would also see Stewart return, with the actor appearing across all three Wolverine solo movies, including 2017’s Logan, which he noted would be his final appearance.
As Marvel fans know, though, the film rights to the X-Men being regained by Marvel Studios allowed them the chance to put Stewart on screen with other Marvel heroes, with the studio luring him back to the role of Professor X once again for 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness where he played a varient of Charles Xavier. This December’s Avengers: Doomsday will also see Stewart in the role once again. Marvel has confirmed it will be his final on-screen appearance
Though Stewart’s roles in Star Trek and X-Men have become his two signatures across his career, they’re far from the only things he did as a performer. In addition, he played the likes of Captain Ahab in a made-for-TV movie of Moby Dick, Scrooge in an adaptation of A Christmas Carol, Gurney Halleck in David Lynch’s Dune, appeared in an episode of Frasier, delivered a terrifying performance in the 2010 thriller Green Room, and even played a hilarious parody of himself in the Ricky Gervais series Extras. Across his career, Stewart won two Laurence Olivier Awards and a Grammy Award, and was nominated for a Tony, four Emmy Awards, and three Golden Globes.
Stewart was also a prolific voice actor, lending his talents to beloved movies like Disney’s Chicken Little, The Prince of Egypt, and The Pagemaster, plus shows like The Simpsons and later American Dad!, where he had a recurring role as CIA Deputy Director Avery Bullock. That series would prove to be a major piece of the modern leg in Stewart’s career, as he would continue to collaborate with Seth MacFarlane across Family Guy, Ted, and A Million Ways to Die in the West. He even appeared in video games, most famously voicing Emperor Uriel Septim VII in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
“His professional accomplishments were humbly matched by his philanthropy and activism on behalf of human rights, survivors of domestic violence, global refugees, veterans’ mental health services, and animal welfare, particularly his cherished foster pitties,” the statement from Stewart’s family concludes. “He was a Knight, Chancellor, motor sport enthusiast, and lifelong Huddersfield Football fan. He will be remembered for the dignity, compassion and humanity he brought to every role – in his art and life.”
