Patrick Stewart is best known for his roles in the X-Men/Marvel and Star Trek franchises, but those movies are far from a full representation of his entire career. Playing Charles Xavier, aka Professor X, and Captain Jean-Luc Picard were career-defining roles for him, ones that he returned to over the course of several decades.
Picard was a role that originated on the small screen, one of many TV shows Stewart was part of in his career, but it transitioned to the big screen in 1994 with Star Trek Generations, leading to three sequels. The actor started playing Professor X in 2000, making nine appearances over 26 years, culminating with the actor’s final role in Avengers: Doomsday.
The greatness of the Star Trek and X-Men movies he appeared in is why so many of them are considered to be some of Stewart’s best movies. However, that often means overlooking some of the greatest films he was part of and the performances he gave. There is an incredible 60-year career spanning movies, TV, and stage productions worth celebrating.
Following Stewart’s death in 2026, it’s time to look beyond his iconic portrayals of Professor X and Picard and rank them based on the film’s overall quality and strength of his performance, while factoring in the size of his role. He lent his talents to a variety of genres and characters, ranging from literary classics to sci-fi and horror. While he’s often played a hero, as he did for Marvel and Star Trek, Stewart also proved to be great as a villain, too.
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Long before Denis Villeneuve brought Frank Herbert’s classic sci-fi novel to life, Stewart played a key role in David Lynch’s 1984 Dune. While the film itself has its faults, the actor is responsible for bringing Gurney Halleck to life. It’s a small part in the grand scheme of Dune, but one that Stewart nevertheless nails.
Practically a showcase for why he would become an excellent Professor X, Stewart imbues Gurney with all the wisdom and gravitas necessary to teach Paul Atreides valuable lessons and ensure the House Atreides heir is ready for battle when the time comes. Stewart is undeniably one of the brightest spots in Dune.
Stewart starred in the 2015 drama Match as Tobi, a ballet teacher at Juilliard who participates in an interview about his life with dance but becomes something much different. The drama is rather simple in its execution, keeping a small focus on Stewart’s character in what becomes a great character study.
Stewart’s performance is easily the greatest strength Match has to offer. He is commanding in every scene, making this a wonderful showcase of his full range. He breathes new life into a role done before on the stage so well that it becomes his own.
8
Robin Hood: Men In Tights
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It is hardly a stretch for Stewart to pass as a regal leader as he did in Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Mel Brooks’ hilarious adventure parody. The actor brings King Richard to life in only a handful of scenes, but it takes no time to believe him to be a conquering king who commands respect from his subjects.
Robin Hood: Men in Tights is a great spoof all around, gaining a cult following over the years after initially receiving more negative reviews. It’s a real treat in Stewart’s filmography, as he gets to go beyond his usually more serious side to embrace Brooks’ humor, which he tackles with ease.
7
The Prince Of Egypt
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Stewart added a historical/Biblical character to his resume with 1998’s The Prince of Egypt. The animated musical is an epic depiction of Moses’ life featuring an incredible soundtrack, beautiful animation, and multiple strong vocal performances. Stewart is one of the best through his work as Pharaoh Seti I.
The role is not a large one, but Stewart still leaves a huge impression with what moments he does get. He makes Seti a leader to be feared and respected, adding a great gravitas to the Egyptian figurehead.
6
A Christmas Carol
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Another instance of Stewart playing an iconic character, 1999’s A Christmas Carol allowed him to put his spin on Ebenezer Scrooge. While this is a made-for-TV film, debuting on TNT, that does not take away from how great the actor is in the role. It wasn’t a huge surprise back then, as Stewart had already proven how great he fit Charles Dickens’ caharacter by performing one-man stage performances before the film was made.
Stewart is a perfect curmudgeon throughout the movie, making Scrooge easy to dislike at first before the full effects of A Christmas Carol‘s story break through his hardened persona. It allows Stewart to have a wonderful transformation throughout the movie. The movie is a bit darker than other A Christmas Carol adaptations, but it looks great and has Stewart’s central performance to really elevate the material.
5
Nausicaä Of The Valley Of The Wind
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Acclaimed Japanese director and Studio Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki delivered an excellent post-apocalyptic animated movie in 1984 with Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. With its incredible story, Miyazaki’s direction, stunning animation, and resonating themes, its an amazing example of what is possible through animation no matter whether you’re watching it in the original Japanese language or a dub.
The latter is how Stewart is connected to Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, as he stepped into the role of Lord Yupa for Disney’s 2005 English dub. The actor brings his powerful voice to the warrior character, helping guide the film’s young protagonist. It’s a different part from Professor X and Picard, but the leadership and protective qualities he brought to both roles translated effortlessly here.
4
The Kid Who Would Be King
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As one of Britain’s greatest actors, it is only fair that Stewart got to play one of the country’s most well-known mythological characters, too. He got that opportunity by becoming Merlin for 2019’s family adventure fantasy movie, The Kid Who Would Be King. The movie is fantastic, taking an age-old tale and modernizing it with lots of action and humor.
Stewart, unsurprisingly, proves to be a great Merlin. He brings the old wizard’s timeless quality to life rather well, making viewers truly believe how much he cares for the young protagonist, Alex. It’s also just a lot of fun to see him let loose with Merlin’s magical abilities when the film allows it.
3
The Sheep Detectives
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One of Stewart’s last movie roles came in the incredibly charming family mystery, The Sheep Detectives. The movie revolves around a group of sheep trying to solve the murder of their shepherd, with Stewart voicing an elderly ram named Sir Richfield.
The entire voice cast of The Sheep Detectives and its few human characters make the humor shine, with Stewart having more than a few hilarious moments. But he was cast to do more than just crack a few jokes, as Sir Richfield is one of the wisest members of the flock, which is where the actor’s voice really shines.
2
Green Room
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Green Room stands out among Stewart’s movies as one of the most different and best. Jeremy Saulnier’s 2015 action horror thriller follows a band who are put in danger by neo-Nazis. Green Room features a thrilling and dark story that is quite terrifying, intense, and mean. Stewart is a big reason why, as he becomes the leader of the neo-Nazi skinheads in a transformative performance.
As unusual as it is to see Stewart play someone evil, Green Room shows how despicable he could be when given the chance. He makes Darcy Banker a chilling, powerful figure while maintaining a mostly calm presence. There’s really not much else like it in Stewart’s career, which is what makes it so special. Stewart was even scared of his Green Book role because of how effective it was.
1
Hamlet
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For as much as Professor X and Picard defined Stewart’s career, so too did Shakespearean adaptations. He starred in several stage productions of his works, allowing him to play Macbeth, King Lear, and more. This even led to the BBC recording a production of a 2008 stage performance of Hamlet, where Stewart plays King Claudius and King Hamlet, which was released as a TV movie in 2009.
Patrick Stewart delivers an all-time villain and Shakespearean performance in the production, which primarily revolves around David Tennant’s Prince Hamlet. The production as a whole is extravagantly done, with the single-camera filming technique allowing Hamlet to go beyond a simple stage recording.
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