Photo: Collected
Patrick Stewart, the British actor who won equal acclaim for Shakespeare on stage and science fiction on screen, has died. He was 86.
His longtime spokesperson Kelly Bush Novak said the actor, known for ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ and ‘X-Men’, died at his home in Los Angeles on Wednesday. Towards the end, he had fought a brief and moving battle with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia.
With his rich, deep voice and striking looks, Stewart had become one of the established faces of the British stage by the late 1980s. At 47, he landed the role of the slightly greying Captain Jean-Luc Picard in ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’, the first live-action spin-off of the groundbreaking 1960s television series. His restrained performance as commander of the starship Enterprise, and his firm orders, ‘Engage!’ or ‘Make it so’, made him a global star over seven seasons.
Stewart returned to the same role in four feature film spin-offs: ‘Star Trek Generations’ (1994), ‘Star Trek: First Contact’ (1996), ‘Star Trek: Insurrection’ (1998) and ‘Star Trek: Nemesis’ (2002). He also appeared in the television series ‘Star Trek: Picard’, which ran from 2020 to 2023.
Ian McKellen, his longtime friend, Shakespearean co-actor and ‘X-Men’ co-star, described him as ‘the most respected and beloved actor of his generation on both sides of the Atlantic’.
On social media, McKellen wrote, ‘Before anything else, Patrick was proud to have been born and raised in Yorkshire, the proud county of northern England, which he loved deeply to the last day of his life. You could hear it in his regional accent and in the way he expressed his thoughts and feelings clearly and honestly. Yorkshire people do not tolerate half-truths or dodging big problems. He always expressed his feelings openly, and that made him a man you could rely on, respect and, in my case, love.’
William Shatner, his ‘Star Trek’ co-star, also paid tribute on social media. He wrote, ‘From the stage to the bridge of the Enterprise, he brought intelligence, grace and a deep sense of humanity to all his work. Captain Picard represented the best of us, and so did the man who played him. My heart is full of deep love and respect for him and for his work.’
George Takei, who played Hikaru Sulu in the original series, remembered Stewart on Bluesky, writing, ‘He inspired a new generation looking up at the stars, who dream of a bright future for all of humanity. Our hearts are truly heavy. Rest in peace, Captain.’
Professor Charles Xavier in the ‘X-Men’ series was also one of his most popular roles. Although he struggled somewhat to find work after Star Trek because he had been typecast, he was keen to work with director Bryan Singer on the 2000 film ‘X-Men’.
Stewart went on to play the role in seven films. He will be seen in the part again in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’, due for release in December this year.
Hugh Jackman, another of his ‘X-Men’ co-stars, wrote on Instagram, ‘Today we lost one of the greatest artists of stage and screen. And to me he was a wonderful friend and an extraordinary man. I learned so much from him. Patrick Stewart, I will miss you dearly for the rest of my life.’
Stewart was born on 13 July 1940 in Mirfield, a small industrial village in England. His father, Alfred Stewart, was a former British Army officer who later worked as a semi-skilled labourer; his mother, Gladys Stewart, was a weaver at a textile mill. Stewart was the youngest of three brothers. He spent his childhood in a small house with no hot water. Those days were harrowing because of his father’s drinking and violence in the family. In a 2009 essay for The Guardian, he described the period as ‘almost unbearable’.
He found refuge in acting, beginning at school. At 12, his English teacher gave him the role of Shylock in Shakespeare’s ‘The Merchant of Venice’; he later joined a local drama group. He wrote, ‘I found a safe haven for myself in acting. The stage was a far safer place for me than the situations I had to go through at home; it gave me a way to escape from real life. I was getting the chance to become someone else, in another place, at another time.’
After leaving secondary school at 15, he worked for a while as a local reporter and as a furniture salesman. Then, with financial support from the local arts council, he got the chance to study at the prestigious Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, enrolling there in 1957 at the age of 17.
He dropped his Yorkshire accent; two years later he acted in his first professional stage play, and in 1966 he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company. In his 16 years there he became known as one of the finest stage actors of his time and a means of bringing Shakespeare to new audiences. He was spotted by a ‘Star Trek’ television casting director while giving a Shakespeare masterclass in Los Angeles at a friend’s invitation.
Over his long career, Stewart played many of Shakespeare’s timeless characters, among them Macbeth, Othello, Prospero, Shylock and Mark Antony. He won the prestigious Laurence Olivier Award twice: in 1979 for ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ and in 2009 for ‘Hamlet’. He also won a Grammy in 1996 for the children’s spoken-word album ‘Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf’. He was also nominated for a Tony Award and four Emmys.
His last major stage role was in 2016, as Hirst in Harold Pinter’s ‘No Man’s Land’ at Wyndham’s Theatre in London. His autobiography ‘Making It So’ was published in 2023.
Stewart was a devoted fan of Huddersfield Town Football Club from childhood; he was seen cheering the team on from the stands as recently as 2024. A post on the club’s official Facebook page called him ‘a giant of his craft and a legend and hero to millions around the world’.
Stewart married three times. His first wife was theatre choreographer Sheila Falconer (1966 to 1990); they had two children, fellow actor Daniel and Sophie. His second wife was ‘Star Trek’ producer Wendy Neuss (2000 to 2003). From 2013 until his death, he was married to jazz singer Sunny Ozell. That last wedding, in 2013, was officiated after a rehearsal by his friend and colleague Ian McKellen; the two acted together in two Broadway productions that year.
In a 2023 interview with The Guardian, he said, ‘I think for a long time I was in denial about the reality of my own life. I never realised how successful I had become.’
Background
Yahoo Entertainment, citing the spokesperson’s statement, reported that Stewart died on Wednesday, 28 October. According to a PBS NewsHour report, his Alzheimer’s and Lewy body dementia had not been made public before.
Sources
Original report: Bangladesh Pratidin
Background sources: Yahoo Entertainment, 29 October 2026; PBS NewsHour, 29 October 2026
