5 reasons Patrick Stewart won hearts beyond ‘Star Trek’ and ‘X-Men’

With his commanding voice, Shakespearean pedigree and unmistakable presence, Patrick Stewart seemed almost born to play figures of authority.

Yet the British actor, who has died at age 86, was beloved for much more than Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Professor Charles Xavier.

Away from the screen, he was an animal advocate, humanitarian, champion of education and, despite all that gravitas, someone wonderfully willing to make a fool of himself.

Here are just five reasons Stewart won hearts far beyond his most famous roles.

1. He became a champion for pit bulls

Stewart’s affection for pit bulls began after he and his wife, singer Sunny Ozell, fostered a rescue named Ginger in 2017.

He went on to foster several more and became a prominent advocate against dog fighting and negative stereotypes surrounding the breed.

In 2021, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals honoured him with its Pit Bull Advocate & Protector Award.

Stewart even pushed for Picard to have a pit bull companion in “Star Trek: Picard”, using one of his best-known characters to help present the often-misunderstood dogs in a gentler light.

2. He turned painful childhood experiences into advocacy

Stewart grew up witnessing his father physically abuse his mother – an experience he later spoke about publicly.

Rather than keeping that part of his life hidden, he used it to draw attention to domestic violence. He became a patron of British charity Refuge and supported campaigns by Amnesty International.

He also championed Combat Stress, which assists military veterans with mental-health difficulties, after coming to understand that his father’s behaviour may have been shaped by trauma following World War II.

3. He took education seriously despite leaving school at 15

Stewart’s own formal education ended early, but one teacher’s encouragement helped awaken his love of Shakespeare and acting.

Decades later, he became chancellor of the University of Huddersfield near his Yorkshire hometown, serving from 2004 to 2015.

It was no ceremonial appointment: Stewart regularly attended graduations, worked with drama students and spoke passionately about giving young people access to higher education.

He remained connected to the university afterwards as emeritus chancellor.

4. He was never afraid to send himself up

For a man famous for playing solemn leaders, Stewart possessed a gloriously mischievous sense of humour.

He voiced the outrageous CIA deputy director Avery Bullock in “American Dad!”, played an exaggerated and decidedly inappropriate version of himself in “Extras”, and later starred in the comedy “Blunt Talk”.

His offscreen humour was just as eccentric: in one particularly memorable Halloween photo, Stewart posed in a bathtub dressed as a lobster, cementing his reputation as one of social media’s most unexpectedly entertaining stars.

Stewart once explained that comedy clicked when he realised he did not have to act funny: playing something completely seriously could make it even funnier.

5. He once donned cowboy gear and sang country songs – for a good cause

If lobsters weren’t enough, Stewart’s willingness to abandon dignity was again showcased in 2016, when one of Britain’s great Shakespearean actors dressed in cowboy gear and crooned country songs.

Stewart created the spoof “Patrick Stewart’s Cowboy Classics”, complete with an intentionally ridiculous infomercial presenting him as “England’s premier cowboy singer”.

But the joke had a serious purpose: proceeds from the five-song sampler went to the International Rescue Committee, which supports refugees and people affected by humanitarian crises.

It was vintage Stewart – serious about helping others, but never so serious about himself that he couldn’t put on a cowboy hat and chaps and have some fun.

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