Patrick Stewart, Star Trek and Shakespeare actor, dies at 86

Patrick Stewart, the British actor who commanded the starship Enterprise as Jean-Luc Picard while maintaining a decades-long career on the classical stage, has died at 86. He died at home Wednesday after what his spokesperson called “a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia.”

A post on Stewart’s social media pages said he died in Los Angeles, according to NPR. His wife, singer-songwriter Sunny Ozell, was at his side, spokesperson Kelly Bush Novak told CBS News.

Stewart played Captain Picard on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” for seven seasons, from 1987 to 1994, and in four films. He returned to the role decades later in the three-season series “Star Trek: Picard.” To another generation of moviegoers, he was Professor Charles Xavier, the X-Men leader he portrayed in more than half a dozen films.

His path to those roles began in Yorkshire. Born Patrick Hewes Stewart in Mirfield in 1940, he grew up in a household troubled by his father’s drinking and abuse, according to NPR and the BBC. A teacher introduced him to Shakespeare, and Stewart found a home in acting. “To stand in the middle of an empty stage in an empty theater and feel that I was at home was everything,” he told NPR in 2023. “But it took a while for me to get there.”

Stewart joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in the 1960s and made his Broadway debut in a 1970 production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” He eventually appeared in more than 60 Royal Shakespeare Company productions. His stage work also included a one-man version of “A Christmas Carol,” in which he played more than 40 characters, and performances alongside his friend and “X-Men” co-star Ian McKellen in “Waiting for Godot.”

McKellen had warned Stewart against taking the “Star Trek” job, Stewart recalled to NPR. Stewart himself thought the show would be short-lived. Instead, Picard’s cool-headed leadership and phrases including “Engage!” and “Make it so!” became defining parts of his career. Stewart later said the role made it harder to find other screen work. “Everybody knew he was Picard and couldn’t possibly be anybody else,” he told the Times, according to the BBC.

His honors included three Olivier Awards, a Tony nomination and a 1995 Grammy Award for a children’s spoken-word album. Queen Elizabeth II appointed him an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2001 and knighted him for services to drama in 2010. He published the memoir “Making It So” in 2023.

Stewart continued working into 2026. CBS News reported that he recorded a commentary on all 154 of Shakespeare’s sonnets and had a voice role in the animated comedy “The Sheep Detectives.” He also reprised Charles Xavier for the forthcoming “Avengers: Doomsday,” due in December 2026.

Stewart had two children, Daniel and Sophia, with his first wife, Sheila Falconer. He later married producer Wendy Neuss, then Ozell in 2013. Novak described him as an advocate for causes including domestic abuse prevention, veterans’ rights and animal rights.

“His sonorous voice and singular talent will forever be synonymous with indelible performances in every genre,” Novak said.