SIR PATRICK STEWART (1940-2026)
Before everything else, Patrick was defined by being born and bred in Yorkshire, the proud county in the north of England which he loved to the end. You could hear it in his accented voice and in the stern honesty with which he told you what he thought and felt. Yorkshiremen have no truck with half-truths or avoidance of big issues. He wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love.
We first met as ambitious young actors with the Royal Shakespeare Company half a century ago but we weren’t in the same productions. My first strong memory was a few years later, meeting him in the street in central London when he told me about an offer to take over a leading part in 'Star Trek'. “But Patrick think of your stage career in the UK. Do you really want to risk—getting lost in Hollywood for years and years?”. Well, he took the risk and thank goodness for us all that he did for not just his devoted Trekkies but film and theatre audiences, who marvelled at his using international celebrity to star in a string of cinema successes ('X-Men' of course) and in great classical plays by Shakespeare, Ibsen, Arthur Miller, Peter Shaffer, Pinter and Beckett at Stratford-upon-Avon, in London’s West End and on Broadway.
America was his adopted home, where he met his adored Sunny who has cared for him through sickness and health, through thick and thin. But he never forsook his origins: and the proudest achievement of the most respected and beloved actor of his generation on either side of the Atlantic, was his appointment as Chancellor of Huddersfield University in Yorkshire.
His farewell performance in 'Avengers: Doomsday' is yet to be seen.
Ian McKellen 29 October 2026
Photo: University of Huddersfield
I am saddened to hear that Patrick Stewart has passed, famed for his portrayal of Captain Picard and Professor X, along with his Shakespearean work like Macbeth, in which he was brilliant. What a talented actor he was, a true artist at the height of his powers.
I can't lie, I've had some anger towards him for what he did to Star Trek and Picard, and yet in the face of Eternity, my memories of him tonight are fond ones, and sad. I recall a line he read in one episode from Hamlet, and I think it applies perfectly here: "He was a man, take him for all in all, I shall not look upon his like again."
God bless you Sir Patrick Stewart. May you rest in peace.
@bioware Ive loved Mass Effect 1, 2 and yes even 3 ending aside, KOTOR 1 and 2, Dragonage Origins, 2 and Inquisition but SINCE then its been a shitshow, thanks for the memories but I doubt anyone that worked on the good games is still there now.
@harrysoulcoach So the McMurtry Spéirling isnt a thing at all then, fans on the bottom of the car which you can hear working in both the Spierling and Elons Roadster sucking the car to the floor creating so much downloaded that they can be driven upside down, the concept has been proven
@Quadcarl Yeah because the McMurtry Spéirling was the first car to do it the concept is that there are fans underneath the car that suck the car down toward the road and it creates so much downtime the car can remain stationary and upside down without fear of falling