Rome, 29 Oct. (LaPresse/AP) – The world of film and theatre is in mourning: Patrick Stewart, known to the general public for his portrayal of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ and Professor X in the ‘X-Men’ film franchise, has died aged 86. Stewart passed away on Wednesday in Los Angeles after battling – as explained by his spokeswoman Kelly Bush Novak – a “short and poignant” struggle with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia. As well as being a cinema and television icon, Stewart was above all a highly successful stage actor, having played characters such as Macbeth, as well as appearing in a one-man production of ‘A Christmas Carol’. He also performed in London’s West End and on Broadway in Harold Pinter’s ‘No Man’s Land’ and Samuel Beckett’s ‘Waiting for Godot’, alternating performances and sharing the stage with his friend Ian McKellen. Raised in Mirfield, Yorkshire, in a working-class area of the North of England, the future Picard joined an amateur theatre company at the age of 12 and, as a teenager, enjoyed learning Shakespeare’s plays by heart. In June 2010, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. Stewart also served as an ambassador for the International Rescue Committee, a humanitarian organisation that supports people affected by crises and conflicts. Stewart first appeared as Professor Xavier in the original X-Men trilogy, starring in three films between 2000 and 2006. He went on to reprise the role in a further four films, until the character’s death in the 2017 film ‘Logan – The Wolverine’. In 2022, he reappeared in ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’.
Patrick Stewart has died: he played Picard in ‘Star Trek’ and Professor X in ‘X-Men’
Rome, 29 Oct. (LaPresse/AP) – The world of film and theatre is in mourning: Patrick Stewart, known to the general public for his portrayal of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ and Professor X in the ‘X-Men’ film franchise, has died aged 86. Stewart passed away on Wednesday in Los Angeles after battling – as explained by his spokeswoman Kelly Bush Novak – a “short and poignant” struggle with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia. As well as being a cinema and television icon, Stewart was above all a highly successful stage actor, having played characters such as Macbeth, as well as appearing in a one-man production of ‘A Christmas Carol’. He also performed in London’s West End and on Broadway in Harold Pinter’s ‘No Man’s Land’ and Samuel Beckett’s ‘Waiting for Godot’, alternating performances and sharing the stage with his friend Ian McKellen. Raised in Mirfield, Yorkshire, in a working-class area of the North of England, the future Picard joined an amateur theatre company at the age of 12 and, as a teenager, enjoyed learning Shakespeare’s plays by heart. In June 2010, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. Stewart also served as an ambassador for the International Rescue Committee, a humanitarian organisation that supports people affected by crises and conflicts. Stewart first appeared as Professor Xavier in the original X-Men trilogy, starring in three films between 2000 and 2006. He went on to reprise the role in a further four films, until the character’s death in the 2017 film ‘Logan – The Wolverine’. In 2022, he reappeared in ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’.