Patrick Stewart, Star Trek and X-Men Actor, Dies at 86

Patrick Stewart, the British actor best known as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and as Professor Charles Xavier in the “X-Men” films, has died at the age of 86, according to a statement shared by his spokesperson.

Stewart died at his home in Los Angeles on Wednesday night, Oct. 28, after what the statement called a “brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia.” The statement said he died in the care of his wife, Sunny Ozell. Both conditions are progressive brain disorders, CNN reported.

From the stage to the Enterprise

Stewart was born on July 13, 1940, in Mirfield, in Yorkshire, England. Reuters reported that he was raised in poverty and that acting became a safe place for him after a teacher introduced him to Shakespeare when he was 12. He became an actor at 18 and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he worked from its 1966 season until 1982, according to CNN.

He was 47 when he was hired to play Picard, the captain of the starship USS Enterprise in “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” which ran from 1987 to 1994. Reuters reported that he played the part in 176 episodes across seven seasons, in several “Star Trek” films, and again in the streaming series “Star Trek: Picard,” which began in 2020 when he was 79. Picard’s line “Make it so” became one of the show’s best-known phrases.

Stewart had debated taking the part. Reuters reported that his friend Ian McKellen advised him to stay in theater rather than take the television role. McKellen later officiated Stewart’s marriage to Ozell, an American singer and songwriter, in 2013, according to CNN.

A second film franchise, and tributes

Stewart found a second large screen audience as Professor X, the founder of the X-Men, starting with the first “X-Men” film in 2000. Reuters reported that he first resisted the part, telling the Guardian he thought it would not be like “Star Trek,” and then took it after being persuaded otherwise. CNN reported that he was set to return as Professor X in the coming film “Avengers: Doomsday.”

Queen Elizabeth II knighted Stewart in 2010 for his contributions to drama. He told reporters at the time that being in the company of actors Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, and Alec Guinness, who had also been knighted, was the grandest thing that had happened to him in his career, Reuters reported.

William Shatner, who played Captain James T. Kirk in the original “Star Trek” series, called Stewart “a friend, a colleague, and a magnificent actor” in a post on X, according to CNN. Marvel said Stewart was “a singular talent, a generous collaborator, and a true gentleman.” CNN also reported that Stewart earned three Olivier Awards, the latest in 2009 for playing Claudius in “Hamlet,” and that he voiced a character on the animated series “American Dad” for more than 20 years.

Stewart was married three times and had two children, Reuters reported. His first marriage, in 1966, was to actress Sheila Falconer, with whom he had a daughter and a son, according to CNN. His second marriage was to producer Wendy Neuss in 2000.

Reporting based on coverage by Reuters and CNN.