Sir Patrick Stewart Dies at 86: Star Trek and X-Men Actor Remembered
Former U.S. President Joe Biden is facing a worsening health situation after his son Hunter Biden said the cancer has spread to his bones and described the disease as "very painful" and "very debilitating."
Sir Patrick Stewart, the British actor who played Professor X in the X-Men films and Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek, has died at the age of 86. A statement on his official Instagram account, shared on 29 October, said he died the day before at his home in Los Angeles, following a “brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia.”
What made Patrick Stewart such a recognisable figure across generations?
His ability to move between classical theatre and major science fiction franchises set him apart, and his career spanned six decades. While many fans knew him as Professor X, others associated him with Captain Picard, the thoughtful commander of the USS Enterprise in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Stewart joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966, building his reputation through performances in numerous stage productions. His breakthrough with international television audiences came in 1987, when he began playing Picard in The Next Generation, a role he continued until the series ended in 1994. He later returned to the character in several films and in the television series Star Trek: Picard.
His role as Professor Charles Xavier.
His association with the X-Men franchise began with the 2000 film X-Men, in which he played Professor Xavier, a powerful telepath who advocated peaceful relations between humans and mutants. He returned to the role in several instalments, including X2: X-Men United, X-Men: The Last Stand and Logan, and he is also set to appear in the upcoming film Avengers: Doomsday, due for release on 18 December.
Beyond his screen work, Stewart won Olivier Awards for his theatre performances and was knighted in 2010 for his services to drama. His career also included comedy, voice acting and many television appearances.
Tributes came from across the entertainment industry. Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige praised the “grace, intelligence and humanity” he brought to Professor Xavier, and his close friend and X-Men co-star Sir Ian McKellen said Stewart “wore his heart on his sleeve.”
From Shakespearean theatre to two of the biggest science fiction franchises in entertainment, Stewart’s performances secured him a lasting place in film and television history.
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