Star Trek, X-Men legend Sir Patrick Stewart dies

British actor Patrick Stewart, a highly successful Shakespearean stage performer who later became an international star after portraying telepathic Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men film franchise and intellectual Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the Star Trek television franchise, has died at the age of 86, according to a statement, AFP and Reuters report.

The British star, who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2010 for his contributions to the performing arts, died on Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.

"It is with great sadness that we announce that Sir Patrick Stewart passed away yesterday following a short and emotional battle with Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia," the statement shared on his official social media accounts said.

Patrick Stewart began his acting career at the age of 18 and earned recognition on the theatre stage as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, starting in the 1960s.

However, he only became truly famous after being cast in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation at the age of 47. The show aired between 1987 and 1994 as a continuation of the original Star Trek series from the 1960s. Stewart continued acting well into his eighties.

"Make it so!" was a phrase frequently used by his character, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, when giving orders to his subordinates. Another one of Picard's signature expressions was "Engage!"

It was a role that Patrick Stewart had initially hesitated to accept. His lifelong friend, Shakespearean actor Ian McKellen, had advised him to turn down Star Trek and remain in theatre.

Nevertheless, Patrick Stewart accepted the role, becoming not only a fan favourite but also an indispensable figure in one of the most successful science-fiction franchises.

He portrayed Captain Picard in 176 episodes across seven seasons, as well as in several Star Trek films and the television series Star Trek: Picard, which premiered on a streaming platform in 2020, when the British actor was already 79 years old.

"As the seven seasons of TNG (The Next Generation) went by, the boundary between Jean-Luc Picard and Patrick Stewart became increasingly blurred, until it became impossible to tell where he ended and I began. So many of my beliefs and feelings were incorporated into that television series," Patrick Stewart told The Guardian in 2022.

Patrick Stewart was also initially reluctant to accept the role of Professor X, the wheelchair-using mutant, in the X-Men film franchise, based on the popular Marvel Comics character.

"I said: 'Look, I know this isn't science fiction, but fantasy, and I've never done that kind of thing before.' But they convinced me it wouldn't be the same as Star Trek, so I accepted. And once again, it turned out that I was wrong," the British star told The Guardian.

He thus became a key figure in another hugely successful franchise, beginning with the first X-Men film, released in 2000, followed by several other cinematic productions.

Acting became a safe space

Patrick Stewart was born on July 13, 1940, in the English town of Mirfield, in the county of Yorkshire.

He grew up in poverty. His father, as Stewart later recalled, returned from the Second World War suffering from alcoholism and post-traumatic stress disorder and was physically abusive towards his mother. The actor spoke about how he would often intervene between his parents, trying to protect his mother.

During his childhood, acting became a "safe space" for him after a teacher introduced him to Shakespeare's works, particularly the play The Merchant of Venice, during a lesson when he was 12 years old.

He began losing his hair at the age of 17 and was already bald by 19. Although he initially felt embarrassed about it, he eventually learned to accept his appearance.

The Star Trek series, created by Gene Roddenberry, presented a hopeful vision of the future in which humanity ventures into space aboard spacecraft capable of travelling faster than the speed of light and encounters alien civilisations.

The enduring popularity of the original series and the success of its spin-off films inspired Gene Roddenberry to create a new continuation, The Next Generation.

The character of Picard was the opposite of Captain James T. Kirk, portrayed by William Shatner in the original series. Kirk was a daring adventurer who sometimes unintentionally came across as comical.

Picard, on the other hand, was designed as a more intellectual and disciplined figure, although at times he could appear rigid, lacking a sense of humour or overly self-important.

Patrick Stewart recalled that, at first, he was perhaps a little too serious with his fellow cast members.

"I called a meeting with the main members of the cast and told them that, in my opinion, we weren't disciplined enough, that we shouldn't fool around so much on set and that we should take everything more seriously," Patrick Stewart told The New Yorker in 2023.

"One of my colleagues replied: 'Come on, Patrick, we have to have a little fun, too.' At that point, I hit the chair and said: 'We're not here to have fun' – something they never let me forget. They taught me an enormous amount about how to relax and become more easy-going," Patrick Stewart added.

The British star also felt that the series evolved over time. He was critical of his own portrayal of Picard during the first two seasons.

"I felt that he lacked intimacy. He was a very authoritative character, but he didn't have many other qualities," Stewart said, adding that his performance improved in the later seasons.

Perhaps the most successful performance by the entire cast came in the series finale, which was divided into two parts and featured a journey through time.

The British actor became Sir Patrick Stewart in 2010, when he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.

He told journalists at the time that his role models had been British actors Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud and Alec Guinness, all of whom had also been knighted.

"To be in this company is the greatest thing that has happened to me professionally," he said.

Patrick Stewart was married three times and had two children. His third marriage was to American musician Sunny Ozell in 2013.

Photo: Patrick Stewart/Facebook