Patrick Stewart, the legendary actor who gave life to Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Professor Charles Xavier, and plenty of other roles has died. He was 86. He passed away at his home in Los Angeles following a bout with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia. His representatives confirmed the news with a statement on his social media accounts.
“He has been held in the warm embrace of family and friends, surrounded by live music, prayer, tears, laughter and the kind of profound emotion that only he could inspire after a lifetime of devotion to us all,” Bush Novak wrote. “We will forever cherish the peaceful ease and reflection on his face, an enduring reminder of his invincible grace.”
Stewart was immediately recognizable in every role he was in, giving a gravitas and professional attitude to every role. His most famous role is that of Captain Picard from Star Trek: The Next Generation. That role came almost as an accident when he was lecturing at UCLA and asked to audition by producer Robert Justman. There was an even happier accident when the wig that Gene Roddenberry wanted him to wear didn’t look quite right. So we ended up with the Picard that led the U.S.S. Enterprise on the show.
That show premiered in September 1987 and introduced the British actor to mulitple generations of Star Trek fans and nerds around the world.
After The Next Generation ended in 1994, Stewart was given the opportunity to play another highlight character in Professor Charles Xavier in X-Men. He appeared as the character first in X-Men and his final appearance will be in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday.
He was born on July 13th, 1940 in Yorkshire, England. He was the youngest boy in his family. His US film debut was in the classic John Boorman film Excalibur. He also appeared in David Lynch’s version of Dune.
He saw the ultimate honor of a British person to be knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2010.
Join us in celebrating Patrick Stewart’s life and career.
Our thoughts go out to his family and friends in this trying time.
RIP.
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