Patrick Stewart, “Star Trek” and “X-Men” star, dies at 86

English actor Patrick Stewart, who became world-famous as the star of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and the “X-Men” movies, died on Thursday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 86. Kelly Bush Novak, his longtime spokesperson, announced that he died from Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia, which is marked by features of Parkinson’s disease.

“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,” Bush Novak wrote. “We will forever cherish the peaceful ease and reflection on his face, an enduring reminder of his invincible grace.”

Stewart’s distinctive baritone voice and striking bald head made him one of the most familiar actors to American audiences, but until the late 1980s, he was virtually unknown in the U.S. Before his casting as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard on “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” he had spent decades as a classical theater performer in Britain, especially in the works of Shakespeare. He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966, where he met fellow actor Ian McKellen, who would become a longtime friend and collaborator.

Over the course of his career, he received four Emmy nominations for his television work, as well as two Laurence Olivier Awards and a Tony nomination for his role in “Macbeth.” In 1996, he won a Grammy for best spoken word album for children for “Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf.” He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2010.

Later in his career, Stewart reprised his role as Picard in various “Star Trek” films and a recent spinoff series. His role as professor Charles Xavier in the “X-Men” film series from 2000 to 2017 helped propel his career to new heights and usher in a new era of superhero films. He is set to appear as Xavier in “Avengers: Doomsday,” which will be his final on-screen film appearance.

“I think I’ve been in denial about my life for a very long time,” Stewart told The Guardian in 2023. “I never really took on board how successful I had become. Even today I sometimes think, ‘You’re a lucky son of a b**ch, Patrick,’ when something unexpected or good happens to me.”

Stewart was born on July 13, 1940, in Mirfield, England, a small town in West Yorkshire. He is survived by his wife Sunny Ozell, an American singer, whom he married in 2013; his son, Daniel, also an actor; and his daughter, Sophie.