Patrick Stweart, the UK actor who achieved fame on stage and the silver screen and whose credits included the Star Trek and X-Men films, has die
Patrick Stweart, the UK actor who achieved fame on stage and the silver screen and whose credits included the Star Trek and X-Men films, has died. He was 86.
A excerpt from a statement posted to Stewart’s Instagram account read: “We announce with great sorrow the passing of Sir Patrick Stewart yesterday [October 28] at his home in Los Angeles, in the loving care of his beloved wife Sunny, following a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia.”
The statement added, “His sonorous voice and singular talent will forever be synonymous with indelible performances in every genre. He explored the human condition in all its poetic complexity and brought hope not only to the far reaches of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but into science fiction’s most iconic final frontier aboard the Starship Enterprise.”
Stewart was born in Mirfield in what is now West Yorkshire on July 13, 1940, to a textile worker and an Army sergeant major.
He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in the 1960s and first appeared on Broadway in a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 1971. He won the Laurence Olivier Award for supporting role in Antony And Cleopatra in London’s West End in 1979, and would win his second in 2009 for portraying Claudius in Hamlet, a role that garnered a Tony Award nomination for the Broadway version.
Stewart’s first screen roles came in the 1970s and included films I, Claudius, and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. His most celebrated work came when Stewart landed the role of the Starship Enterprise captain Jean-Luc Picard in the Star Trek: The Next Generation series that ran from 1987 to 1994. Stewart reprised the role in four features.
The innate decency of Picard appealed to Stewart, who appreciated the same sense of integrity in Charles Xavier aka Professor X, the leader of the X-Men franchise that saw him star from 2000 to 2017 in the core franchise and spin-offs like Logan, for which he earned a Critics Choice Awards supporting actor nomination.
Notable film credits included John Boorman’s celebrated 1981 fantasy epic Excalibur and Jeremy Saulnier’s 2015 psychological thriller Green Room, in which he played against type as the leader of a white supremacist group. His last credit was for voice work in Working Title’s whodunnit The Sheep Detectives, which opened this year. Stewart reprised his role as Xavier in Marvel Studios’ upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, which is scheduled to open on December 18.
He was married three times, most recently to the musician Sunny Ozell. He is survived by Ozell and his children Daniel and Sophia from his marriage to choreographer Sheila Falconer.
Stewart was knighted in 2010.
Tributes
William Shatner, who first played Captain Kirk in the original television series Star Trek:
“What a heartbreaking week it has been. Sir Patrick Stewart was a friend, a colleague, and a magnificent actor. From the stage to the bridge of the Enterprise, he brought intelligence, grace, and a deep sense of humanity to everything he did. Captain Picard stood for the best of us, and so did the man who played him. I was filled with affection and admiration for him and his work.”
Ian McKellen, who acted with Stewart in the X-Men films and on stage in Waiting For Godot and No Man’s Land:
“Before everything else, Patrick was defined by being born and bred in Yorkshire, the proud county in the north of England which he loved to the end. You could hear it in his accented voice and in the stern honesty with which he told you what he thought and felt. Yorkshiremen have no truck with half-truths or avoidance of big issues. He wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love.”
Hugh Jackman from the X-Men franchise:
“We lost one of the greats of stage and screen today. And, in my book, a tremendous friend and man. I learned so much from him. I will miss you, Patrick Stewart, all of my days.”
Rebecca Romijn from the X-Men franchise:
“I just heard the very sad news about the passing of my dear friend Patrick Stewart. I feel so grateful to have known him for the last 25 years, and to have been in his orbit for the last 25 years, both as a fellow mutant and as a fellow member of Starfleet.”
Famke Janssen from the X-Men and Star Trek franchises:
“Patrick was a legend. One of the greats. I had the pleasure and honour of working with him over several decades. First as Kamala opposite him as Captain Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation and later on as Jean Grey with Patrick embodying Professor X in the X-Men movies. You will be missed, Patrick, but never forgotten.”
The Royal Shakespeare Company:
“We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of RSC Honorary Associate Artist, Sir Patrick Stewart; a colossus of both stage and screen and one of the finest classical Shakespearean actors of his generation.”
Trevor Roth, COO of Star Trek: The Final Frontier executive producers Roddenberry Entertainment:
”To say that we are heartbroken is an understatement. When Patrick Stewart entered the franchise he had a tough job ahead of him. It was not only his talent but his moral fortitude that allowed audiences to embrace a novel generation of captain — one that chose diplomacy over aggression and showed that standing up for others is always the right choice. Today we have lost not only a captain on screen, but a leader in life. Our hearts go out to his family, friends, and fans throughout the world.”
