Respected and beloved: Tributes pour in for Patrick Stewart’s stage and screen legacy

Tributes from fellow actors

Sir Ian McKellen, Stewart’s X-Men co-star, remembered him as open-hearted and dependable. McKellen said that quality made him someone to admire and love. William Shatner said Stewart brought intelligence, grace and humanity to his roles. George Takei said his work inspired a new generation to imagine a better future for humanity.

Hugh Jackman called Stewart a tremendous friend and man, and said stage and screen had lost one of their greats. Ricky Gervais, whose BBC programme Extras featured Stewart, described him as a legend.

A career across stage and screen

Stewart played Picard in more than 170 Star Trek television episodes from 1987 to 1994, and appeared as the character in four feature films. He returned to the role in Star Trek: Picard in 2020.

His screen work also included Safe House, Robin Hood: Men in Tights and the original Dune. He continued acting on television throughout his career. The Royal Shakespeare Company remembered him as a major presence on stage and screen, and among his generation’s finest classical Shakespearean actors.

Yorkshire roots and recognition

Stewart was born in Mirfield in 1940. His interest in drama began at school, where he encountered Shakespeare, and his first public performance was in a church production of Cinderella.

McKellen recalled meeting Stewart as a young actor in the Royal Shakespeare Company and said he had been cautious about Stewart taking the Star Trek role. He also said Stewart retained his Yorkshire origins after making the United States his adopted home.

McKellen described Stewart’s appointment as chancellor of Huddersfield University as his proudest achievement. Stewart was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2010 and said he owed everything to the English teacher who encouraged him to perform.

Family and community remember him

A statement from Stewart’s family said he died on Wednesday in his wife’s care. The family said they would remember the peaceful ease and reflection on his face.

Dame Harriet Walter, who first met Stewart during his theatre years more than 40 years ago, compared his passing to the fall of a huge tree. Huddersfield Town, the English Football League club he supported throughout his life, called him a titan of his craft.