Patrick Stewart, Star Trek & X-Men Actor, Dead at 86

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Patrick Stewart is going towards that final frontier.

The actor—best known for starring as Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation and as Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men film franchise—died on Oct. 28 at the age of 86 following a brief battle with Alzheimer's Disease and Lewy Body Dementia, his family confirmed. 

“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,” a statement posted to Stewart’s Instagram Oct. 29 read. “We will forever cherish the peaceful ease and reflection on his face, an enduring reminder of his invincible grace.”

“His sonorous voice and singular talent will forever be synonymous with indelible performances in every genre,” they continued. “He explored the human condition in all its poetic complexity and brought hope not only to the far reaches of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but into science fiction's most iconic final frontier aboard the Starship Enterprise.”

Stewart was born on July 13, 1940 in Mirfield, West Yorkshire in England. He spent the first five years of his life being raised solely by his mother Gladys Stewart alongside older brothers Geoffrey Stewart and Trevor Stewart before his father Alfred Stewart returned from fighting in World War II in 1945. 

As Stewart recalled, his father’s presence in the home quickly shifted the dynamic between himself, his mother and his brothers.

“At weekends when he had been drinking he could get very angry,” he shared on the series Who Do You Think You Are? in 2014. “I don't ever recall being hit by him, even when at times I would intervene in rows between my mother and my father. I would put my body between them at what I thought were critical moments.”

The difficulties he faced at home were one of the reasons Stewart found himself so comfortable on the stage. That interest was first sparked after his English teacher gave him a copy of William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and encouraged him to read aloud the role of Shylock.

“Even though I couldn't understand the words or really what was going on, there was something about the sound of those words when I spoke them, the feeling of them in my mouth, that even then, I think, intuitively, a rhythmic aspect to it as well touched me,” he said on NPR's Fresh Air in 2020. “And I was hooked for life.”

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In fact, the Emmy nominee vividly remembered the first time he “walked onto a stage, telling PBS News Hour in 2023, “I realized suddenly I felt safer than I had felt in any of my childhood years. I mean literally safe. Nothing bad can happen to me on the stage.”

“I didn't really like who I was,” he said, “and I felt much more comfortable when I was somebody else.”

By the time he was 15, Stewart had left school and begun working to help support his acting career. His first professional appearance was in a 1959 performance of Cyrano de Bergerac. In 1966 he joined the famed troupe at the Royal Shakespeare Company—staying with the group until 1982—where he played roles in Hamlet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Two Gentlemen of Verona. 

During that time also starred in television series such as Fall of Eagles (1974), I, Claudius (1976) and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979). He made his big screen debut in 1975’s Hennessy and went on to star in films like Dune (1984) and Lady Jane (1986). 

But it was in 1987 when Stewart’s life changed completely after he took on the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation, the first live action spinoff of Star Trek. He would go on to play the role for seven seasons, in four films and in countless other series, including reprising the role in Star Trek: Picard from 2020 to 2023.

“I shall forever be known first and foremost, by most people, for playing Jean-Luc Picard,” he wrote in his 2023 memoir Making It So, “and delivering catchphrases like ‘Engage’ and ‘Make it so.’”

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And while he admitted there was a time when he “was uncomfortable with this reality,” especially as it “seemed incompatible with my background and reputation as a serious stage actor,” he had learned to appreciate it over the years. 

“I have grown to treasure Jean-Luc. He has come a long way from the relatively stiff character introduced back in ‘Encounter at Farpoint,” Stewart wrote. “I wish I could time-travel to 1987 and inform that scared, perpetually worried English actor what my Winter's Tale director, Ronald Eyre, told me when he wanted me to play Leontes: ‘I know that he is inside you already, Patrick. All you have to do is let him out.’” 

Following his initial success with Star Trek, Stewart found himself in another legendary role as the Marvel character Professor Charles Xavier, a character he first played in 2000’s X-Men. Still, he wasn’t 100 percent on board when the opportunity first arose. 

“No more fantasy. No more sci-fi. No more telepaths. No more actors zipped into formfitting costumes. I'm done with all that,” he wrote in his memoir. “Thanks for thinking of me, but—no, absolutely not.”

But he was soon swept into the franchise, especially as he starred opposite Ian McKellen as Magneto, with the stage legends building a friendship that would blossom over the decades. Stewart would go on to play the role of Professor Xavier in nine subsequent films. 

In 2010, Stewart was made a Knight Bachelor for his services to drama, officially making Sir Patrick Stewart. 

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In 1966 he married first wife Sheila Falconer—with whom he shared son Daniel Stewart and daughter Sophie Stewart—although they divorced in 1990. A decade later he tied the knot with producer Wendy Neuss. However, their marriage was short-lived, with them splitting in 2003.

For Stewart, the third time ultimately proved to be the charm as five years after their chance meeting during his run of Macbeth, he and singer-songwriter Sunny Ozell wed—with their 2013 ceremony officiated by McKellan.

"She was working as a waitress in a restaurant in Brooklyn," he recalled during a 2022 interview with People. "This lovely woman came over and said, 'Gentleman, on the house, what would you like for desserts?' We got talking and she told me how much she'd wanted to see Macbeth, but it had been sold out.”

He then gave her his phone number, telling her to call him for tickets.

“It was the only time in my life I've given someone my telephone number,” he said. “And she came backstage afterward and we had dinner and here we are.”

For a look back at Stewart's iconic life, keep reading.

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