Sir Patrick Stewart is an English actor born on July 13, 1940. He is known for his distinguished career on stage and screen, especially for his roles as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in
Star Trek: The Next Generation and as Professor Charles Xavier in the
X-Men film series.
Since a young age, Sir Patrick Stewart practice acting and studied drama. In 1966, he became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and stayed with them until 1982. In 1967, he made his debut TV appearance on
Coronation Street as a Fire Officer. Sir Patrick Stewart made his Broadway debut as Snout in Peter Brook’s legendary production of
A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Over the years, he took roles in many major television series without ever becoming a household name. Sir Patrick Stewart appeared as Vladimir Lenin in
Fall of Eagles, Sejanus in
I.Claudius, Karla in
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and
Smiley’s People. He also took the lead in the 1975 adaptation of
North and South and in a BBC TV series called
Maybury (1981). Other minor roles include films
Excalibur (1981),
Dune (1984) and
Lifeforce (1985).
It wasn’t until 1987, when Sir Patrick Stewart decided to work in Hollywood. Robert H. Justman, producer for a revival of a long-cancelled television show,
Star Trek, saw him while attending a literary reading at UCLA and became interested in casting Sir Patrick Stewart. Sir Patrick Stewart knew nothing about
Star Trek, or its iconic status in American culture, and was reluctant to sign the contract. He did, making him Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise in
Star Trek: The Next Generation. Sir Patrick Stewart is credited with more than 50% of the show’s success.
Due to the show’s success, Sir Patrick Stewart received a 1995 Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for “Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series”. He also received a Golden Globe nomination and Emmy Award nomination for
The Lion in Winter. Sir Patrick Stewart portrayed Captain Ahab in the made for TV film,
Moby Dick (1998) and received an Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award nomination for his performance. He also received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination.
In 1991, Sir Patrick Stewart made his way back to Broadway by writing a one-man show of Charles Dickens’
A Christmas Carol in which he portrayed 40 plus characters. He received a nomination from Drama Desk Award for Outstanding One-Person Show. He also received the Drama Desk Award for Best Solo Performance in 1992 and the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Entertainment for Solo Performance in 1994. Sir Patrick Stewart also took Shakespeare roles, including Prospero in
The Tempest, on Broadway in 1995 and the role of Othello (1997).
In late 2003, Sir Patrick Stewart appeared in many TV series, including NBC’s
Frasier,
Top Gear, Eleventh Hour, and
The Mysterious Island. In 2011, he appeared in a feature length documentary
The Captains alongside William Shatner. It was announced in 2012 that Sir Patrick Stewart will reprise his role as Professor Charles Xavier.
Sir Patrick Stewart’s authoritative voice was lent to projects, including narrations for
Peter and The Wolf, The Four Seasons, and
The Last Battle. He was also the voice actor in animated films such as
The Prince of Egypt, Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Chicken Little, and
The Pagemaster. Sir Patrick Stewart also played a reoccurring role in the animated series
American Dad! and
Family Guy. He also lent his voice to
Star Trek computer games for his role as Captain Picard.
Sir Patrick Stewart’s internationally known fame from
Star Trek and
X-Men has made him a household name. His outstanding Hollywood and Broadway resume has won him many awards and his authoritative voice has landed him many voice acting roles. Sir Patrick Stewart has definitely left a mark in many aspects of the acting world.
Follow Sir Patrick Stewart
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons/Derek Springer 
