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| Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean Luc Picard in Star Trek - The Next Generation. |
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Patrick Stewart, actor known for iconic roles of Jean-Luc Picard and Professor X, dies at 86
NBC News
October 29, 2026
Beloved actor Patrick Stewart has died following a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia, his official social media pages announced. He was 86.
“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,” a statement shared on Instagram said Thursday.
The 86-year-old star — whose storied career includes the iconic roles of Professor X in the “X-Men” film series and Jean-Luc Picard in the “Star Trek” franchise — had spent quality time with loved ones before his passing.
“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,” the statement said. “We will forever cherish the peaceful ease and reflection of his invincible grace.”
Sir Patrick Stewart, born 13 July 1940 in Mirfield in the West Riding of Yorkshire, was an English actor. With a career spanning over 60 years on stage and screen, he received various accolades, including two Laurence Olivier Awards and a Grammy Award, as well as nominations for a Tony Award, three Golden Globes, four Emmy Awards, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for services to drama in 2010.
In 1966, Stewart became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). He made his Broadway theatre debut in 1971 in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. In 1979, he received the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in Antony and Cleopatra in the West End. His first television role was in Coronation Street in 1967. His first major screen roles were in the television series Fall of Eagles (1974), I, Claudius (1976) and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979). In 2008 he reprised his role as King Claudius in Hamlet and received his second Laurence Olivier Award and his first Tony Award nomination for respectively the West End and Broadway theatre productions.
Stewart gained international stardom for his leading role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994), a role he reprised in a series of films and Star Trek: Picard (2020–2023). He starred as Captain Ahab in the USA Network television miniseries Moby Dick (1998), Ebenezer Scrooge in the TNT fantasy television film A Christmas Carol (1999), and King Henry II in the Showtime drama television film The Lion in Winter (2003). He was Primetime Emmy Award-nominated for his comedic roles in the NBC sitcoms Frasier (2003) and BBC comedy series Extras (2005). He also starred as the lead of the Starz comedy series Blunt Talk (2015–2016). He voiced CIA executive Avery Bullock on American Dad! (2005–2026).
On film, he gained further stardom portraying Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men film series from 2000 to 2017, reprising the role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He also acted in Hedda (1975), Excalibur (1981), Dune (1984), L.A. Story (1991), Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993), Jeffrey (1995) and The Kid Who Would Be King (2019). He also voiced roles in The Plague Dogs (1982), The Prince of Egypt (1998), Bambi II (2006), TMNT (2007), The Emoji Movie (2017), and The Sheep Detectives (2026).
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