Image Source: Consequence.net
Sir Patrick Stewart, a Shakespearean actor best known for playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Professor Charles Xavier, passed away at his Los Angeles home on Wednesday, October 28, after battling Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia. His spokesperson Kelly Busk Novak wrote in the announcement, “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.”
Stewart was born in Mirfield, Yorkshire, England, on July 30, 1940, to parents Alfred and Gladys Stewart. His father was a war veteran and, due to his PTSD, acted abusively toward his wife. For Stewart, the stage was a safe place and a chance to escape difficulties at home. He began work at the age of 15 at a local newspaper but quickly found it wasn’t for him. He spent his free time with drama groups and at age 26, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company. His fame grew quickly in Britain as he took on numerous roles in film and television, but overseas he was still relatively unknown.
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That all changed when he auditioned for Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987. The producer Robert Justman saw him in a UCLA lecture and invited him to audition, much to creator Gene Roddenberry’s chagrin. The series lasted longer than expected, and soon, Americans were no longer calling him that unknown British actor. Later in life, he would join a team of Marvel superheroes in Fox’s X-Men and many of its sequels. He reprised the role in the MCU in Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness and the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, directed by the Russo brothers. They were quick to share their support when they heard the news: “We've been lucky enough to work with some of our childhood heroes, and Sir Patrick Stewart will always be one of them. A legendary actor with an unmistakable presence and an unmatched integrity. Thank you for entertaining all of us, sir. And for teaching us humanity, both on and off the screen.”
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Source(s): The Hollywood Reporter, Variety
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