Patrick Stewart, Star Trek and X-Men actor, dies aged 86

Sir Patrick Stewart, the British actor best known for portraying Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Professor Charles Xavier, has died at 86.

Stewart died in Los Angeles on 28 October following “a brief and poignant journey” with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia, spokesperson Kelly Bush Novak told Associated Press. 

His career spanned more than six decades across theatre, television and film, taking him from Shakespearean stages to the centre of the Star Trek and X-Men franchises.

The captain who led a new generation

Stewart became an international television star as Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation, which ran from 1987 to 1994.

He reprised the role in four feature films before returning for Star Trek: Picard, which aired from 2020 to 2023. The character became the defining television role of a career that had already included appearances in I, Claudius and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. 

A second major franchise followed when Stewart played Professor Charles Xavier in 2000’s X-Men. He returned to the character across subsequent films, including Logan, bringing his stage-trained authority to another role built around leadership and moral conviction.

A career rooted in theatre

Before his international screen success, Stewart established himself with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Theatre remained central to his working life, with performances ranging from Shakespeare to a one-man adaptation of A Christmas Carol.

He also appeared alongside longtime friend Ian McKellen in productions of Waiting for Godot and No Man’s Land. His performance in Macbeth earned him a Tony nomination in 2008, and he was knighted in 2010.

Away from performing, Stewart supported domestic abuse survivors and served as an ambassador for the International Rescue Committee.

He is survived by his wife, singer-songwriter Sunny Ozell, and his children, Sophia and Daniel.