Star Trek veteran Patrick Stewart dies at 86
The actor, known for Captain Picard and Professor X, passed away in Los Angeles following a diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease and Lewy Body Dementia.
By Marco Alvarez ·
Sir Patrick Stewart died at 86 on Wednesday. He was best known for commanding the USS Enterprise in Star Trek: The Next Generation and portraying Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men films.
A post on his social media accounts confirmed he died at home in Los Angeles. The message described his final months as a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer's Disease and Lewy Body Dementia.
Stewart built his early career in theater rather than television. He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966 and made his Broadway debut in 1970 with A Midsummer Night's Dream. He grew up in Yorkshire, England, where he recalled a harsh childhood marked by an alcoholic and abusive father. He found comfort in school and Shakespeare. In a 2023 interview with NPR, he described the feeling of standing on an empty stage. He said it was everything, though it took time to reach that place.
He considered turning down the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard. His agent assured him the new Star Trek series would likely fail after one season. Stewart took the job expecting a short commitment. He wanted to earn money and gain fame before returning to theater. His friend and colleague Ian McKellen advised against the move. McKellen told him to stay on stage because he was a good stage actor.
Star Trek: The Next Generation ran for seven seasons from 1987 to 1994. Fans embraced Stewart’s portrayal of Picard, a character defined by cool leadership and a preference for Earl Grey tea. The show’s success limited Stewart’s opportunities in Shakespeare. He played only a few leading men in those plays during that period. He redirected his energy into a one-man stage production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, where he performed more than 40 roles.
By the early 2000s, Stewart returned to the stage while also voicing characters in animated films. In 2000, he joined the X-Men franchise as Professor Xavier. He will appear in the role one last time in the upcoming film Avengers: Doomsday.
Stewart thought he had finished playing Picard after the original series ended. Writers and producers, including Michael Chabon, pitched him a new project. The show, titled Picard, began streaming on Paramount+ in 2020. The series focused on the psychological damage that led Picard to leave Starfleet. Chabon told NPR that writing lines for Stewart to speak was an incredible experience.
Stewart’s final performance in the franchise depicted a weary but joyful character trapped in the past. Throughout his career, he remained focused on theater and character work. He passed away in Los Angeles, leaving behind a legacy defined by his work in both the Star Trek and X-Men universes.
