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Patrick Stewart, the classically trained histrion who added Shakespearean gravitas to the “Star Trek” and “X-Men” franchises, has died. He was 86.
Stewart died Wednesday successful Los Angeles, pursuing “a little and poignant journey” with Alzheimer's illness and Lewy Body Dementia, spokesperson Kelly Bush Novak said. Stewart’s diagnoses had not been antecedently disclosed.
“We mislaid 1 of the greats of signifier and surface today,” Hugh Jackman, a predominant Stewart co-star successful the “X-Men” universe, said connected societal media. “And, successful my book, a tremendous person and man. I learned truthful overmuch from him. I volition miss you, Patrick Stewart, each of my days.”
While champion known arsenic Professor Charles Xavier and Captain Jean-Luc Picard from the “X-Men” and “Star Trek: The Next Generation” bid and films, respectively, Stewart spent much of his vocation onstage than successful the X-Mansion oregon connected the USS Enterprise.
Besides playing everyone from Claudius to Macbeth, helium often performed a one-man rendition of “A Christmas Carol” and did West End and Broadway runs of Harold Pinter's “No Man's Land” and Samuel Beckett's “Waiting for Godot” successful repertory with buddy Ian McKellen.
“He wore his bosom connected his sleeve, which made him a antheral to trust on, to respect and successful my case, love,” McKellen posted connected societal media.
He won 3 Olivier Awards, including 1 for playing Claudius successful “Hamlet” other David Tennant. And helium had a Grammy — successful 1996 for champion spoken connection medium for his signaling of “Peter and the Wolf.”
He achieved immoderate of the champion reviews of his vocation erstwhile helium yet tackled Macbeth for the archetypal time. The production, nether the absorption of Rupert Goold, debuted successful May 2007 astatine England’s Chichester Festival Theatre, switched to London’s West End and past moved to the Brooklyn Academy of Music earlier transferring to Broadway successful 2008.
Stewart’s show earned him his sole Tony Award nomination. The Times of London said his Macbeth was “an enthralling instauration of frailty, appetite, egotism and grim humor.” The Daily Telegraph said helium had turned successful “a genuinely large performance” and The New York Times said it was “a must-see.”
“Nearly 50 years I’ve waited,” Stewart told The Associated Press successful 2008. “I learned it erstwhile I was 14. I memorized each the soliloquies conscionable due to the fact that I thought they were great. And they stuck, truthful I didn’t person to larn those bits of the play, which is simply a blessing, due to the fact that learning lines has present go the 1 curse of this job.”
Starship commandant grew up without a toilet
Raised successful Mirfield successful Yorkshire, a working-class country of bluish England, the aboriginal 24th-century commandant of a starship grew up without a bath successful his house.
Stewart joined an amateur play radical astatine 12 and memorized Shakespeare for amusive arsenic a teen. He won a assistance to the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, launching a vocation arsenic a quality actor.
He had been bald since helium was 19 — alopecia runs successful his family.
His father, a erstwhile regimental sergeant large successful the British Army, was prone to outbursts of “repeated unit against my mother,” arsenic Stewart wrote successful a paper piece. “Violence is ever a prime a antheral makes and helium unsocial is liable for it.”
In his memoir, “Making It So,” Stewart wrote astir however helium and his older member Trevor braced for the nights erstwhile their dada came location drunk and angry, and attacked their mother. “Sometimes it was with an unfastened hand, different times a closed fist. Always helium aimed for her head.”
The lad would aboriginal go a patron for Refuge, an enactment that provides structure for home maltreatment victims.
Loving Shakespeare proved fruitful arsenic Capt. Picard
“The signifier would beryllium to beryllium a harmless space, a refuge from existent beingness successful which I could inhabit different person, surviving successful different spot and time,” helium would write.
Stewart was accepted into the Royal Shakespeare Company and stayed for 14 years, playing everything from Mark Antony to Henry IV to Shylock to Oberon. “People who were not successful the institution would accidental to me, ‘Give it a break. Why don’t you spell determination else?’ And I would say, ‘To bash what?‘” helium told the AP. “Telly?”
Stewart yet near to look for much varied work, including the 1981 movie “Excalibur.” He had conscionable done a accumulation of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” successful 1987 erstwhile an absorbing connection came along. “I recovered myself successful Hollywood shooting a syndicated subject fabrication series, which I was assured would fail.”
It didn’t, of course. Thanks to Stewart’s affluent baritone and noble bearing, the “Star Trek” franchise ran for 7 years, 178 episodes and produced 4 diagnostic films. He was known for his slogan “Make it so.”
His adoration for Shakespeare would service him good erstwhile helium began to play Jean-Luc Picard, a 24th period starship commander.
“There is simply a formality to the mode they talk and comport themselves that punctual maine of galore Shakespearean situations I’d been successful onstage. I should play Jean Luc, I realized, arsenic if helium were a quality successful ‘Henry IV,’ which is astir brave men,” Stewart wrote successful his memoir.
Despite the Borg and Klingons, Stewart inactive managed to marque country for blank verse. He established the Paramount Shakespeare Company, a store connected Saturday and Sunday mornings for immoderate histrion interested. (Stewart revisited Picard successful the TV bid “Star Trek: Picard.”)
Stewart died conscionable a fewer days aft Walter Koenig, different “Star Trek” icon, who played Ensign Pavel Chekov connected the archetypal NBC TV amusement from 1966 to 1969.
“What a heartbreaking week it has been,” William Shatner, who played Captain James T. Kirk successful the franchise, wrote connected Instagram. “Sir Patrick Stewart was a friend, a colleague, and a magnificent actor. From the signifier to the span of the Enterprise, helium brought intelligence, grace, and a heavy consciousness of humanity to everything helium did.”
“Star Trek: The Next Generation” gave him higher visibility, which led to much work, including roles successful the films “Conspiracy Theory,” “L.A. Story” and connected Broadway, wherever helium starred successful “The Tempest,” “The Caretaker” and David Mamet’s “A Life successful the Theater.” He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II successful June 2010. Stewart was besides an ambassador for the International Rescue Committee.
A brave and commanding persona. But sexy?
In July 1992, helium and supermodel Cindy Crawford were connected the screen of TV Guide’s “Top Turn-Ons,” based connected a readers’ poll. In his memoir, Stewart wrote: “Absurd.”
Stewart was archetypal introduced arsenic the quality Xavier successful the archetypal X-Men trilogy, appearing successful 3 films from 2000 to 2006. He aboriginal returned successful 4 much movies earlier Professor X’s decease successful 2017’s “Logan.” He reappeared successful “Doctor Strange successful the Multiverse of Madness” successful 2022 and reprised the relation successful the upcoming “Avengers: Doomsday.”
He besides showed disconnected his comedic chops aboard Seth MacFarlane’s Starz amusement “Blunt Talk” for 2 bid and voiced Poop successful “The Emoji Movie.” He made appearances connected “Robot Chicken,” “Futurama” and “The Simpsons” (in 1 episode, Homer loses his hair, and Stewart tells him it’s large to beryllium bald.) One of his past credits was with Jackman successful 2026's “The Sheep Detectives.”
Later successful life, helium proved internet-savvy and recovered caller fans with his humor, posing successful a bath successful a lobster suit and triggering memes erstwhile helium posted a photograph of him picking apples. When helium was mistakenly outed arsenic cheery by a British newspaper, helium said it was a bully change. “At slightest I didn’t aftermath up to the net telling maine I was dormant again,” helium tweeted.
He joined Brooklyn songwriter and vocalist Sunny Ozell successful 2013, with the actor’s “X-Men” co-star McKellen officiating. Stewart aboriginal tweeted a photograph of the newlyweds successful a shot pit.
He is besides survived by 2 children, a daughter, Sophia, and a son, Daniel.
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AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr contributed.
English (US) ·