Patrick Stewart, known for iconic roles including Captain Picard in Star Trek and Charles Xavier in X-Men, has died at age 86.
A statement posted on Stewart’s Instagram page says that the actor passed at home on Wednesday, “following a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia.”
The statement says: “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,” the statement read. “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.”
After getting his start at the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he spent over 40 years performing, Stewart became a household name in America when he took on the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation, a role he continued playing in Star Trek films and the series Star Trek: Picard on Paramount+.
In the X-Men franchise, Stewart played Professor Xavier, acting alongside his close friend Ian McKellen as Magneto. He will appear in the same role in Avengers: Doomsday, which premieres in December.
Throughout his career, Stewart regularly went back to his Shakespearean roots. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he posted daily videos reading each of Shakespeare’s sonnets. That led to the release of an audiobook, Patrick Stewart Performs the Complete Sonnets of William Shakespeare: With Original Commentary by Patrick Stewart, in April 2026. The audiobook includes recordings of all 154 sonnets, along with personal reflections.
“Like me, Jean-Luc has lived an unusual life that has taken him far beyond the bounds of normal human experience,” Stewart wrote in his 2023 memoir, Making It So. “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.”
