Sir Patrick Stewart, Star Trek and X-Men Icon, Dead at 86

Patrick Stewart, the classically trained actor who became a genre legend on Star Trek: The Next Generation and the X-Men movies, has died. Stewart’s family announced his death from Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia this afternoon. Stewart was 86.

Born in Yorkshire on July 13, 1940, Patrick Stewart grew up in poverty, and endured physical abuse at the hands of his father. He befriended fellow future actor Brian Blessed in school, and both earned grants to attend the prestigious Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Stewart soon became a member of the Royal Theatre Company, and began making appearances in British TV productions, including I, Claudius and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. He began losing his hair in his teenage years, and seldom wore a hairpiece, which largely limited him to supporting roles. He did play memorable roles in a number of films in the 1980s, including John Boorman‘s Excalibur, David Lynch‘s Dune, and Tobe Hooper‘s Lifeforce.

Stewart’s life changed dramatically in 1987 when he was offered the lead role in Star Trek: The Next Generation, the first live-action Star Trek series in over 20 years; Stewart was unfamiliar with the series, and largely disdainful of science fiction, but over the objections of his longtime friend and colleague Ian McKellen, he took the role, expecting the series to be cancelled within the year. Instead, the series became an enormous hit, and Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard became one of the most iconic characters in science fiction. Stewart would play the role for seven seasons of the series, then reprise it in four big-screen movies.

Stewart found his way into another mega-franchise when he was cast as the telepathic Professor Charles Xavier in 2000’s X-Men, starring alongside longtime friend McKellen; he would reprise the character in six sequels. In recent years, he returned to both iconic characters, playing Picard in three seasons of the streaming original series Star Trek: Picard and cameoing as Xavier in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. He is also slated to play Xavier in Avengers: Doomsday, which will be released this December.

Stewart’s booming voice made him an in-demand voice actor. He lent his stentorian tones to The Pagemaster, The Prince of Egypt, and the English dub of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. He also recurred as CIA director Avery Bullock on American Dad. Throughout his career, he continued to perform on stage, which was always his first and greatest love.

Stewart was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2010 for his service to drama. Stewart died in Los Angeles after a brief battle with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia; he is survived by his wife Sunny and his two children, Daniel and Sophia. Collider extends our sympathies to Stewart’s friends, family, colleagues, and fans.

Star Trek: The Next Generation