Patrick Stewart had a lifelong love for dogs, and in his later years, he and his wife Sunny fostered several rescue dogs — particularly pit bulls, after he fell in love with a neighbour’s pibble Sadie.
He campaigned with the ASPCA against dog fighting and “made it so” Jean-Luc Picard’s dog was a rescued pit bull in Star Trek: Picard, saying they were “the sweetest, most empathic, most sensitive creatures that I’ve ever known”. In 2021 the ASPCA awarded him its Pit Bull Advocate and Protector award; today the organisation has remembered him as “our longtime friend and devoted animal advocate”.
“We are deeply grateful for Patrick’s friendship, compassion and the meaningful impact he made for animals throughout his life. His dedication to giving a voice to vulnerable animals will continue to inspire us and so many others.”
Click here top enjoy this video of him swimming with his foster Ginger.
Probably the best thing you will watch today!
A classic from the Guardian’s archives!
Actors on their favourite anecdotes of Patrick Stewart to mark his 80th birthday, six years go. Among them: Ian McKellen on when he married Stewart to Sunny, “his mischievous, utterly reliable wife.”
Related: ‘He’s so strapping and virile’: Patrick Stewart at 80 – by Shatner, McKellen, Tennant and more
There’s also David Tennant, who says that Stewart is “everything you’d imagine: generous, a real actors’ actor, loves being in a troupe of players and everything about the life of the theatre”.
Read the full piece to find out about Patrick wearing silk stockings on a horse, or how his recitation of Wordsworth made some weep!
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The actor and Stewart’s “Lady Jane” and “Robin Hood: Men in Tights” co-star, Cary Elwes, says:
My heart is seriously heavy today. We have lost the marvelous #PatrickStewart. I first met Patrick on the set of Lady Jane back in 1984 and fell in love with him immediately. Not only was amiable and kind with a great sense of humor, he was incredible to work with. His command of the screen with his sheer presence and that unmistakable voice was a sight to behold. Almost a decade later when Mel and I were discussing who should play King Richard in Men in Tights, I told him it has to be Patrick. Fortunately for us he accepted and once again shared his joy and talent with us all. My now shattered heart goes out to Sunny, his children, friends and fans, of which I will always be one. Good night, sweet Prince.
Marina Sirtis, who played Deanna in Star Trek: The Next Generation, told the Guardian:
It is impossible for me to imagine the world without Patrick in it. It was the privilege of a lifetime to work with him, and having him as a friend was one of the greatest blessings of my life. My heart goes out to Sunny and the rest of his family.
English actor Malcolm McDowell, writes:
I’ve known Patrick since we were both members of the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1965. He was always a massive talent but had to come to the United States to make his talent appreciated by a larger audience. He was wonderful as Picard, which always slightly amused him. But it also granted him the freedom to do work that he wanted to do. Most memorably would be his Macbeth. He will be missed by all his colleagues and fans around the world. It was a pleasure to have known and worked with him. RIP
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Actor Kyle MacLachlan has also paid tribute, writing on Instagram:
My friend, we shared some memorable times…from the deserts of Arrakis to the mysterious jungles of Thailand and onto the New York stage.
I already miss you. You will always be my Gurney Halleck and I, your young pup. ❤️🩹🖖
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Actor Rebecca Romijn, who played Mystique in the X-Men series, paid tribute on her Instagram with a video message and wrote:
What a gift to have been your friend.❤️ Rest in peace, dear Patrick.
Sesame Street posted a clip of Sir Patrick Stewart giving a spoof version of Hamlet’s ‘to be or not to be’ soliloquy, addressed to the letter B.
The show wrote:
Sesame Workshop mourns the loss of Sir Patrick Stewart. Thank you for being our friend and for sharing your brilliance, joy, and kindness with the world. 💛💚
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Anson Mount, who played Captain Pike in the TV series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, wrote:
I am mid-flight right now and I have just received the news that Sir Patrick Stewart has left us. Modern technology is both an impressive and an extremely cold thing. Internet databases have already begun referring to him in the past tense. “Sir Patrick Stewart was…” and such a surreal sight hangs heavy on my heart. Patrick was a friend. Not a close one, mind you, but it was a friendship, an “acquaintanceship” perhaps, that spanned more than half my life.
He described his acquaintance with Stewart via Shakespeare scholar and family friend Ann Cook Calhoun, adding:
Patrick had presence, generosity and good grace to spare, and along with an incredible intellect, he brought those qualities not only to Jean Luc, but into a lived integrity that made him an exemplar for lost, young actors looking for a way. I’ll always love him for it. I’m just sorry that was our one and only moment on stage together. Even our turn together in “Dr Strange” was pieced together in post. Why? Because he was shooting Star Trek: Picard” and they couldn’t get him off the set. Jean Luc was if not his first love, his deepest. Oh well.
Perhaps in the next play, in the next theater, he’ll hold a small, nameless roll for me and I will carry that spear with delight. Bravo, Patrick. I will miss you dearly. Until next time… Engage.
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Pete Buttigieg, former US transportation secretary, wrote that “our culture is so much richer because of Sir Patrick Stewart’s life and work”.
He said:
They say you should never meet your heroes, but as one of millions who grew up admiring Patrick Stewart, it was a joy to get to know him and discover that his kindness and decency were just as great as his enormous, generational talent. There will not be another like him, and with the sad news of his passing, our thoughts are with his wife Sunny, his family, and his many friends. Our culture is so much richer because of Sir Patrick Stewart’s life and work.
Comedian Ricky Gervais said Patrick Stewart was very patient with him when he appeared on his TV series Extras, writing online:
RIP Patrick Stewart. What an actor. I still can’t believe he agreed to do this scene. And he didn’t even mind when I ruined every take. Legend.
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Formula One posted a video of Patrick Stewart on its social media, showing him doing a “shoey” – drinking champagne out of a shoe – with Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo.
F1 wrote:
Remembering this unforgettable moment with a true legend, whose talent and presence reached far beyond the stars ✨ Rest In Peace, Sir Patrick Stewart ❤️
'He will be deeply missed by the entire planet,' says co-star Seth MacFarlane
Actor Seth MacFarlane, who worked with Stewart on American Dad!, Family Guy and Ted, has paid tribute to “a legendary actor and a good friend”. Stewart, he said in a post on X, was “as humble as they come” and “will be deeply missed by the entire planet”.
Patrick was one of those icons who we somehow all took for granted would always be with us. I grew up as a fan, and was later gifted the privilege of becoming a colleague and friend, working with him for many years on “American Dad!”, “Family Guy”, and “Ted”. He was that rare actor who could take any bit of dialogue and elevate it, making a good writer sound great, and a great writer sound masterful. He was also as humble as they come. I remember exchanging emails with him a number of years ago when he was beginning day 1 of a new film. He commented to me that he always walked onto a new set feeling like the biggest novice there. My stunned reaction was the same as anyone’s would be. I said, “Patrick, if you feel that way, the rest of us are screwed.” We have lost a legendary actor today, and for many of us, a good friend. He will be deeply missed by the entire planet.
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Patrick Stewart – a life in pictures
Our picture editors have put together a gallery of Patrick Stewart’s life here:
Related: Patrick Stewart – a life in pictures
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Patrick Stewart was married three times: to theater choreographer Sheila Falconer, from 1966 until 1990 and with whom he had two children, fellow actors Daniel and Sophie; to Star Trek producer Wendy Neuss from 2000 until 2003; and to jazz musician Sunny Ozell from 2013 until his death. His friend and occasional collaborator Ian McKellan, with whom Stewart starred in two Broadway productions with in 2013, officiated his final wedding after a rehearsal.
“I think I’ve been in denial about my life for a very long time,” he said to the Guardian in a 2023 interview.
I never really took on board how successful I had become. Even today I sometimes think, ‘You’re a lucky son of a bitch, Patrick,’ when something unexpected or good happens to me.
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Stewart 'inspired a generation of star-gazers', says Star Trek's George Takei
George Takei, who played Hikaru Sulu in the Star Trek franchise, has also paid tribute to Stewart, whom he wrote on Instagram “inspired a generation of star-gazers”.
Fans across the world mourn the passing of a true and irreplaceable legend. As Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Patrick Stewart took the starship Enterprise to places it had never gone before, and he inspired a whole next generation of star-gazers who looked longingly ahead to a brighter future for all humanity. Our hearts are heavy, indeed. Rest in the heavens, Captain.
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Journalist Mehdi Hasan shared this on X, acknowledging some of Stewart’s political stances, as well as his impactful acting career.
Rest in power. Very few actors have had such a big impact on my life from an early age - first as Captain Picard and then as Professor Xavier. What a loss. What an actor. Also, a loud critic of Trump and Brexit and a proud socialist.
Stewart was indeed a lifelong socialist, which he credited to his father. He told the Independent in 2009 that he was “an absolute fundamental, emotional socialist” and a lifelong Labour supporter.
He was also vocal in his opposition to Brexit. At the London premiere of Star Trek: Picard in January 2020, Stewart described Brexit as “the saddest, grimmest thing” to have happened to him in his political life.
He also revealed that he had ditched plans to try and gain US citizenship in order to vote against Donald Trump. Speaking on the Star Trek-themed white carpet outside the event in Leicester Square, he said, referring to then-prime minister Boris Johnson:
I think we have our own Trump in our country here today, so I am going to be using my vote to try and get rid of him.
Actor Leonie Mellinger said she was “incredibly fortunate” to have worked alongside Stewart in her “very first theatre job” at the Royal Shakespeare Company.
She wrote on Instagram:
I am deeply saddened by the passing of Sir Patrick Stewart.
I was incredibly fortunate to have worked with him at [the Royal Shakespeare Company] in my very first theatre job as a young actress. He played my father in both Titus Andronicus and The Winter’s Tale, an experience I will always treasure.
To be a young actor, finding your feet in the theatre, and to share the stage with someone of such extraordinary talent and generosity was a real privilege. Those early experiences stay with you throughout your life, and I feel so grateful that he was part of mine.
She added: “Rest in peace, Patrick. Thank you for the memories, the theatre, and the privilege of having shared a stage with you. You will be so greatly missed. ❤️”
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Actor Bryan Batt, who starred with Stewart in the 90s romantic comedy Jeffrey, said he was heartbroken at the news of his passing.
Batt wrote in a tribute on Instagram:
He was one of the most talented, kindest, and generous actors I’ve ever had the honor of working with. I was lucky to play his lover in the film of Paul Rudnick’s Jeffrey.
He added that the role was his first film appearance, leaving him “a bit anxious”.
“Patrick took me under his wing and guided me along, teaching me so much. A wonderful giving actor and true gentleman of the theatre. Flights of angels sing thee to thy rest,” Batt said.
Patrick Stewart, the classically trained stage actor who scaled the Shakespearean canon, played everyone from Claudius to Macbeth. He also often performed a one-man rendition of A Christmas Carol and did West End and Broadway runs of Harold Pinter’s No Man’s Land and Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot in repertoire with buddy Ian McKellen.
Stewart achieved some of the best reviews of his career when he finally tackled Macbeth for the first time. The production, under the direction of Rupert Goold, debuted in May 2007 at England’s Chichester Festival Theatre, switched to London’s West End and then moved to the Brooklyn Academy of Music before transferring to Broadway in 2008.
Stewart’s performance earned him his sole Tony Award nomination. The Times of London said his Macbeth was “an enthralling creation of frailty, appetite, egotism and grim humor.” The Daily Telegraph said he had turned in “a truly great performance” and The New York Times said it was “a must-see.”
“Nearly 50 years I’ve waited,” Stewart told the Associated Press in 2008.
I learned it when I was 14. I memorized all the soliloquies just because I thought they were great. And they stuck, so I didn’t have to learn those bits of the play, which is a blessing, because learning lines has now become the one curse of this job.
A seven-decade career spanning Shakespeare to sci-fi
With his authoritative baritone voice and commanding visage, Patrick Stewart was already a staple of the British stage by the late 1980s when, at 47, he was cast as a graying Capt Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: the Next Generation, the first live-action spin-off of the groundbreaking 1960s TV series. Over seven seasons aboard the Starship Enterprise, Stewart’s even-keeled performance and steely directives – “engage!” and “make it so” – turned him into a global star.
He reprised his role in four feature film spin-offs – Star Trek Generations (1994), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) – as well as the TV series Star Trek: Picard, which ran from 2020 until 2023.
His other most well-known role was playing Prof Charles Xavier in the X-Men series. The actor had found work hard to obtain after feeling typecast as a result of his Star Trek role but had been intrigued by working with director Bryan Singer for 2000’s X-Men.
He went on to play the role in seven films and will be seen reprising the role in this December’s Avengers: Doomsday.
His other film roles included gay comedy Jeffrey, romantic thriller Conspiracy Theory, violent horror Green Room and voice roles in Ted, Gnomeo & Juliet and, most recently, The Sheep Detectives.
Born on 13 July 1940 in the small industrial village of Mirfield, England, Stewart was the youngest of three sons born to Alfred Stewart, a British military veteran turned semiskilled laborer, and Gladys Stewart, a weaver at a textile factory. His childhood, in a small house with no running hot water, was marred by alcoholism and domestic violence, a situation he later described, in an article for the Guardian from 2009, as “barely tolerable”.
He found respite in acting, first in school – he was 12 when an English teacher assigned him the part of Shylock in Shakespeare’s the Merchant of Venice – and then local drama groups. “I managed to find my own refuge in acting,” he wrote.
The stage was a far safer place for me than anything I had to live through at home – it offered escape. I could be someone else, in another place, in another time.
After graduating from secondary school at 15, he worked as a local reporter and furniture salesman before a local arts council provided the funding to attend the prestigious Bristol Old Vic Theater School, where he enrolled in 1957, at 17. Having shed his Yorkshire accent, he took his first professional theater role two years later, and in 1966 joined the Royal Shakespeare Company.
During his 16 years with the company, Stewart developed a reputation as one of the finest thespians of his era and a representative of Shakespeare to new audiences; it was while conducting master classes on Shakespeare in LA, at the invitation of a friend, that he first caught the eye of a TV casting director for Star Trek.
Stewart made his Broadway debut in 1971 in Peter Brook’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and appeared again 20 years later in a solo production of A Christmas Carol. The holiday season show, which he revived in 1992, 1994 and 2001, received a Drama Desk award.
Over the course of his career, Stewart embodied many of Shakespeare’s signature roles, including Macbeth, Othello, Prospero, Shylock and Mark Antony. He was the recipient of two Laurence Olivier awards – in 1979, for Antony and Cleopatra, and in 2009 for Hamlet – as well as a Grammy in 1996 for a spoken word children’s album Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf. He was also nominated for a Tony and four Emmys.
His final major stage role was in 2016, when he appeared as Hirst in Harold Pinter’s No Man’s Land at London’s Wyndham Theatre. In 2023, he released his memoir called Making It So.
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In the UK, Huddersfield Town football club paid tribute to Patrick Stewart, PA Media reports. Stewart, who was born in Mirfield, Yorkshire, was a lifelong supporter of the club.
In a message posted on X, the Terriers said: “All at Huddersfield Town are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of lifelong supporter Sir Patrick Stewart.
“Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones at this sad time. A titan of his craft and a legend and hero to millions worldwide, his legacy will live on.
“Fiercely proud of his Yorkshire roots, Sir Patrick was a Terrier in every sense, and we’re proud to have counted him as one of our own. Once a Terrier, always a Terrier”.
'A tremendous friend and man': Hugh Jackman pays tribute to Patrick Stewart
Hugh Jackman, who starred alongside Patrick Stewart in several X-Men movies, has paid tribute to his friend and co-star.
Posting a picture of the two of them off-stage and one where they share a hug, Jackman wrote:
We lost one of the greats of stage and screen today. And, in my book, a tremendous friend and man. I learned so much from him. I will miss, Patrick Stewart, all of my days.
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'He stood for the best of us': William Shatner honours Patrick Stewart
Stewart’s Star Trek franchise colleague William Shatner has shared this heartfelt tribute on X. His character, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, “stood for the best of us and so did the man who played him,” Shatner said.
What a heartbreaking week it has been. Sir Patrick Stewart was a friend, a colleague, and a magnificent actor. From the stage to the bridge of the Enterprise, he brought intelligence, grace, and a deep sense of humanity to everything he did. Captain Picard stood for the best of us, and so did the man who played him. I was filled with affection and admiration for him and his work.
My heart goes out to Sunny and his family. He will be deeply missed.
'A singular talent': Marvel Studios pays tribute to Stewart
In a statement shared on X, Marvel Studios has paid tribute to Stewart, who “defined the character” of Professor Charles Xavier – or Professor X – in the X-Men franchise “for generations of fans”.
All of us at Marvel Studios are deeply saddened by the passing of Sir Patrick Stewart. Sir Patrick brought Professor Charles Xavier to life with extraordinary grace, intelligence, and humanity, defining the character for generations of fans, from “X-Men” to “Logan” to “Avengers: Doomsday.” He was a singular talent, a generous collaborator, and a true gentleman. Our hearts go out to his wife Sunny, his children, his friends, and the countless fans around the world whose lives he touched with his art.
The caption on the post announcing Stewart’s death says that, “in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to: Johns Hopkins Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Fund [and/or] Alzheimer’s Foundation of America Caregiver Resources.”
This statement was shared around 40 minutes ago on Patrick Stewart’s social media accounts announcing the legendary actor’s death.
We announce with great sorrow the passing of Sir Patrick Stewart yesterday at his home in Los Angeles, in the loving care of his beloved wife Sunny, following a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia.
He has been held in the warm embrace of family and friends, surrounded by live music, prayers, tears, laughter and the kind of profound emotion that only he could inspire after a lifetime of devotion to all of us.
We will forever cherish the peaceful ease and reflection on his face, an enduring reminder of his invincible grace.
The statement goes on:
A son of Mirfield in the West Riding of Yorkshire, he travelled from the Royal Shakespeare Company to an equally acclaimed career spanning six decades on Broadway, the silver screen and television.
His sonorous voice and singular talent will forever be synonymous with indelible performances in every genre. He explored the human condition in all its poetic complexity and brought hope not only to the far reaches of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but into science fiction’s most iconic final frontier aboard the Starship Enterprise.
His professional accomplishments were humbly matched by his philanthropy and activism on behalf of human rights, survivors of domestic violence, global refugees, veterans’ mental health services, and animal welfare, particularly his cherished foster pitties. He was a Knight, Chancellor, motor sport enthusiast, and lifelong Huddersfield Football fan. He will be remembered for the dignity, compassion and humanity he brought to every role – in his art and life.
The statement finishes with a quote from Stewart’s memoir, Making It So:
Like me, Jean-Luc has lived an unusual life that has taken him far beyond the bounds of normal human experience. But he is also someone who has remained true to his earthbound roots, for they are what gave him his identity. In the end, he feels the call of home, as do I.
Patrick Stewart, titan of stage and screen, dies aged 86
Patrick Stewart, the acclaimed British stage and screen actor renowned for both Shakespeare and sci-fi, has died. He was 86.
The Star Trek: the Next Generation and X-Men star died on Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles after “a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia”, said Kelly Bush Novak, his longtime spokesperson, to the Hollywood Reporter.
“He has been held in the warm embrace of family and friends, surrounded by live music, prayer, tears, laughter and the kind of profound emotion that only he could inspire after a lifetime of devotion to us all,” she wrote. “We will forever cherish the peaceful ease and reflection on his face, an enduring reminder of his invincible grace.”
