Patrick Stewart, the gentlemanly British actor best known for his role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in “Star Trek” and later as the erudite mutant mentor Professor X in “X-Men,” has died at the age of 86, according to his spokesperson Kelly Bush Novak.
Stewart died in his Los Angeles home Wednesday night, after a “short and poignant journey with Alzheimer’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia,” read a statement shared by Novak.
“We will forever cherish the peaceful ease and reflection on his face, an enduring reminder of his invisible grace,” it said.
Stewart was most famed for his role in the hugely popular science fiction series “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” which ran from 1987 to 1994 and charted the adventures of the crew of the Starship Enterprise as it battled against evil forces in the galaxy. The franchise yielded several spin-off movies. Stewart’s most recent outing as Picard was in the “Star Trek: Picard” television series, which ran from 2020 to 2023.
Stewart continued working into his 80s. He will appear in the highly anticipated “Avengers: Doomsday,” where he resumed his role of Professor X, the telepathic paralyzed founder of the X-Men. Marvel expressed its condolences at his death, remembering him as a “singular talent, a generous collaborator, and a true gentleman.”
Stewart was born in 1940 in the Yorkshire town of Mirfield, in northern England, to a textile worker mother and soldier father. A talented actor from a young age, Stewart began performing in local youth theater groups as a child. His professional career would go on to span more than six decades.
Before becoming a stage actor, Stewart tried his hand at other jobs — working for a short time as a journalist, and later as a furniture salesman. But his passion was in the arts.
He joined the highly regarded Royal Shakespeare Company for its 1966 season and remained with it until 1982, during which time he played leading roles in many plays including “A Midsummer Night’s Dream, “The Merchant of Venice” and “The Winter’s Tale,” quickly developing a reputation as a critically acclaimed and deeply respected Shakespearean stage actor.
But Stewart found fame away from the stage when “Star Trek” took off in a perhaps unexpected way. Stewart said he was originally confused why the showrunners would cast “a middle-aged bald English Shakespearean actor” as the star of the series, the commanding officer of the starship USS Enterprise. The role of Picard — a thoughtful, deeply intellectual spaceship captain navigating moral quandaries and new technologies in the 24th century — catapulted the actor to new fame. (CNN News)
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