Patrick Stewart, star of ‘Star Trek’, dies at 86

• British actor Patrick Stewart, who became a Hollywood star through roles in the ‘Star Trek’ and ‘X-Men’ franchises, passed away in Los Angeles on October 29. He was 86.

• Stewart was born on July 13, 1940 in the small West Yorkshire town of Mirfield.

• He studied at Bristol Old Vic Drama School beginning in 1957, making his professional acting debut two years later.

• He rocketed into the pop culture history books as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ and Professor Charles Xavier in multiple ‘X-Men’ and related Marvel films.

• Stewart was 47 when he was cast as Picard in ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’, the first live-action television spinoff of the trailblazing sci-fi series from the late 1960s.

• He effectively filled the boots of William Shatner’s Captain Kirk from the original show, and the role became Stewart's path to fame and fortune.

• Stewart was first introduced as the character Xavier in the original ‘X-Men’ trilogy, appearing in three films from 2000 to 2006. 

• He later returned in four more movies before Professor X’s death in 2017’s ‘Logan’. 

• He reappeared in ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ in 2022.

• Stewart is to make his final on-screen film appearance as Professor Xavier in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’, set for release in December.

• He was awarded a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II in 2010 for his contributions to drama.