Sir Patrick Stewart, the legendary Shakespearian actor best known for his portrayal of Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation and Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men movies, has died age 86. According to a statement posted to social media, he passed after “a brief and poignant journey” with Alzheimer’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia.
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Patrick Stewart, 1940 – 2026
Stewart was born in Mirfield, Yorkshire, England in 1940. After a troubled childhood, he found his way to journalism and then to the stage, earning a scholarship to Bristol Old Vic Theater School at age 18 and becoming a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company at age 26.
After making the leap from stage to screen in movies like Excalibur (1981) and David Lynch’s Dune (1984), Stewart was catapulted into the wider public consciousness thanks to his role as Picard on The Next Generation, which debuted in 1987. The series ran for seven seasons, and Stewart reprised the role for four big screen outings, as well as for the 2020 sequel series, Star Trek: Picard.
In addition to Picard, Stewart is perhaps equally well-known for playing the Marvel Comics character Professor X. Beginning with 2000’s X-Men, Stewart played the role in 9 movies, including the forthcoming December 2026 feature Avengers: Doomsday.
Stewart is, of course, also known for his Shakespearian roles, including King Claudius in the RSC’s 2010 production of Hamlet, and he played plenty of other significant literary roles, including Captain Ahab in the 1998 Moby Dick miniseries. But he will also be remembered for his sense of humor, as displayed by his 2006 guest starring role in the HBO series Extras, or his long-running voice over role as Avery Bullock on Seth MacFarlene’s American Dad!
In 2023, Stewart published his memoir, Making It So, and he was an outspoken advocate for ending violence against women and a supporter of the LGBTQ+ community. He is survived by his third wife, Sunny Ozell, and two children from his first marriage to Sheila Falconer.
