British actor Patrick Stewart, who played Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek and Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men films, has died at 86. He died on Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles, according to a statement on his social media accounts.
The statement said his death followed a “brief and poignant journey” with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia.
“His sonorous voice and singular talent will forever be synonymous with indelible performances in every genre,” the statement said.
Ian McKellen, his X-Men co-star and close friend, said Stewart “wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love.”
McKellen, 87, recalled meeting Stewart in London when the Star Trek offer came. He warned his friend that he could get lost in Hollywood and should think of his stage career. “Well, he took the risk and thank goodness for us all that he did,” McKellen said.
Hugh Jackman, who played Wolverine, remembered Stewart as “one of the greats of stage and screen” and “a tremendous friend and man.”
Marvel Studios also paid tribute on Thursday. “For more than 25 years, he brought a gravitas and profundity to the role, earning fans across the globe,” the studio said.
William Shatner, who played Captain Kirk in the original Star Trek, said Stewart brought “intelligence, grace and a deep sense of humanity to everything he did.” He also posted: “What a heartbreaking week it has been.” Walter Koenig, who played Chekov in the original series, died only days earlier.
Stewart was 47 when he first played Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation. He moved to America for the role in 1987. The Los Angeles Times wrote him off at the time as an “unknown British Shakespearean actor.”
The show became a hit and led to several films. He last played Picard in 2023. He first appeared as Professor Xavier, the founder and mentor of the X-Men, in 2000.
Stewart was born on July 13, 1940 in Mirfield, a small town in West Yorkshire. He was the youngest of three brothers in a working-class family. His father often beat his mother, and Stewart later worked with Refuge, a charity that deals with domestic abuse.
He left school at 15 and began studying at Bristol Old Vic Drama School in 1957. He made his professional debut two years later. He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966 and stayed until 1982.
He kept returning to the stage between filming and won two Olivier awards. The Royal Shakespeare Company called him “a colossus of both stage and screen and one of the finest classical Shakespearean actors of his generation.”
Stewart received four Emmy nominations but never won one. He did win a spoken word Grammy for narrating Prokofiev: Peter And The Wolf. He was knighted in 2010.
He married three times. His wives were Sheila Falconer, with whom he had two children, Star Trek producer Wendy Neuss, and American singer Sunny Ozell.
Stewart is due to make his final film appearance as Professor Xavier in Avengers: Doomsday, which is set for release in December.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL Entertainment. Image: IOL Entertainment. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Entertainment desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Rirhandzu Baloyi writes about entertainment for Tzaneen Voice. Rirhandzu covers South African music, film, TV, streaming, awards and celebrity news, from amapiano and local soapies to Showmax and Netflix releases. Stories stick to what happened, who was involved and when fans can watch or listen.