Patrick Stewart once spoke of his deep regret over becoming estranged from his two children, admitting that his acting career had taken priority over fatherhood.
The Star Trek actor described his relationship with son Daniel and daughter Sophie as “practically non-existent” in a 2023 interview with the Irish Independent. The pair are his children with his first wife, Sheila Falconer.
Stewart said the distance between them had caused him “significant grief”, adding that he had not expected their relationship to deteriorate in that way.
“I always put my acting work first, before my family,” he said, acknowledging the part his professional ambitions had played in the breakdown of the bond.
He had previously expressed regret over not being a better father when Daniel and Sophie were young. Stewart said he believed they had forgiven him and hoped to make up for lost time through his four grandchildren.
Stewart and Falconer married in 1966 and divorced in 1990. Their son Daniel became an actor, while Sophie has largely remained out of the spotlight.
Stewart died on Wednesday at the age of 86 following a battle with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia.
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, but his relationship with his children remained one of his most painful personal regrets.
