Sir Patrick Stewart Dies at 86

Sir Patrick Stewart, the actor who played Captain Jean-Luc Picard in “Star Trek” and Professor Charles Xavier in the “X-Men” films, has died at 86, his spokesperson said on Thursday.

Stewart died on Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles, with his wife Sunny at his side, following what spokesperson Kelly Bush Novak called “a brief and poignant journey” with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia. She said he spent his final days with family and friends, surrounded by live music and prayer.

Born in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966 and remained a core member until 1982. He made his Broadway debut in 1971 in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and earned a Tony nomination in 2008 for “Macbeth.” He won Laurence Olivier Awards in 1979 for “Antony and Cleopatra” and in 2009 for playing Claudius in “Hamlet,” and was knighted in 2010.

He played Picard for seven seasons of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” from 1987 to 1994, in several films, and in “Star Trek: Picard” from 2020 to 2023. He first played Professor X in “X-Men” in 2000 and appeared in multiple sequels, including “Logan.” He featured in a trailer for “Avengers: Doomsday,” due in December, which would have been his eighth outing in the role. He voiced the CIA director Avery Bullock on “American Dad” from its 2005 debut until this year, and voiced characters on “Family Guy” from 2005 to 2018. His latest work included voice acting in “The Sheep Detectives” and the Prime Video series “Bait,” both in 2026.

Away from acting, he advocated for human rights, domestic violence survivors, refugees, veterans’ mental health and animal welfare. Ian McKellen, his “X-Men” co-star, said Stewart’s proudest accomplishment was becoming Chancellor of Huddersfield University. McKellen called him “the most respected and beloved actor of his generation on either side of the Atlantic,” and recalled advising him against taking the “Star Trek” role.

Hugh Jackman wrote that “we lost one of the greats of stage and screen.” William Shatner said Picard “stood for the best of us, and so did the man who played him.” Marvel Studios said it was “deeply saddened,” and Kevin Feige recalled Stewart as brilliant, warm and generous. The Royal Shakespeare Company called him “a colossus of both stage and screen.”