Tributes have been paid to Sir Patrick Stewart after the acclaimed actor died aged 86 at his home in Los Angeles following a brief battle with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia.
A statement shared on Stewart’s social media accounts said he died on Wednesday “in the loving care of his beloved wife Sunny”.
The actor’s career spanned seven decades, taking him from the Royal Shakespeare Company to international success in film and television. He was best known for playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men films.
Ian McKellen remembers ‘a man to rely on’
Sir Ian McKellen, Stewart’s friend and colleague of 50 years, said the actor’s Yorkshire roots could be heard in “his accented voice and in the stern honesty with which he told you what he thought and felt”.
McKellen, who played Magneto opposite Stewart’s Professor X, said: “He wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love.”
He recalled meeting Stewart as an ambitious young actor at the Royal Shakespeare Company before later encountering him in central London, when Stewart told him he had been offered a leading role in Star Trek.
McKellen said he had questioned whether Stewart wanted to risk losing his UK stage career in Hollywood. He added that Stewart’s decision had benefited “not just his devoted Trekkies, but film and theatre audiences” who watched him become an international star.
He also said Stewart’s final performance would be seen in Avengers: Doomsday, which is due for release in mid-December.
Stars pay tribute to Patrick Stewart
Australian actor Hugh Jackman described Stewart as “one of the greats of stage and screen” and “a tremendous friend and man”.
“I learned so much from him. I will miss you, Patrick Stewart, all of my days,” Jackman said.
William Shatner, who played Captain James Kirk in Star Trek, said the news was “heartbreaking”. He described Stewart as “a friend, a colleague and a magnificent actor” whose work brought “intelligence, grace, and a deep sense of humanity” to the screen and stage.
“Captain Picard stood for the best of us and so did the man who played him,” Shatner said.
Seth MacFarlane, who worked with Stewart on Family Guy, American Dad! and Ted, said he had grown up as a fan before being given the “privilege” of working with him.
MacFarlane said Stewart was an actor who could elevate any dialogue, adding that he was “as humble as they come”. He recalled Stewart telling him that he walked on to every new set feeling like “the biggest novice there”.
“We have lost a legendary actor today, and for many of us, a good friend. He will be deeply missed by the entire planet,” MacFarlane said.
British actress Minnie Driver said Stewart had always given “the best advice”, adding: “I’m just bereft. All love to your family, and you, in my heart forever.”
Although Stewart became internationally recognised for his screen roles, much of his career was spent on stage. He performed parts including Claudius and Macbeth, appeared in a one-man version of A Christmas Carol and worked with McKellen in West End and Broadway productions of Harold Pinter’s No Man’s Land and Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot.
