Sir Patrick Stewart, the British actor best known as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek and Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men films, has died at the age of 86.
His family announced on Thursday, 29 October 2026, that Stewart died at his home in Los Angeles on Wednesday, 28 October, in the loving care of his wife Sunny, following what the family’s statement called ‘a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia.’
Stewart was born on 13 July 1940 in Mirfield, Yorkshire, and rose from a childhood in poverty to acclaim on stage as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company from the 1960s. He was hired at the age of 47 to play Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation, which ran from 1987 to 1994; he played the role in 176 episodes over seven seasons, in several Star Trek films, and again in the streaming series Star Trek: Picard, which began in 2020.
He went on to play Professor X in the X-Men films, beginning with the first film in 2000. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2010 for his contributions to drama.
Source: Reuters
