Culture 3 min read By Lauren Baxter
Patrick Stewart Led Groundbreaking U.K. Medical Drama Before Star Trek
Before Patrick Stewart became Captain Picard, he starred in a British medical series that tackled a difficult subject with care. Fans and colleagues are remembering his decades-long career following his death at 86.
Before he took command of the Enterprise, Patrick Stewart led a British series that tackled a tough subject with care. The show marked one of his first leading roles on television, a milestone that is often overlooked in discussions of a career that many associate almost entirely with science fiction.
Stewart, who died at the age of 86, built a remarkable career that stretched across nearly 70 years. He moved between extensive stage work and high-profile film and television assignments, becoming known to millions as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek and as Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men films. Sir Patrick was knighted in 2010 for services to drama, and his stage roots in British theater shaped the commanding presence that audiences came to recognize.
Beyond his best-known franchises, Stewart also appeared in a wide range of smaller screen work. Entertainment coverage has highlighted his guest roles, including one on a classic sitcom that he later named as a personal favorite. Those appearances showed a performer willing to play small parts with the same seriousness he brought to leading roles.
His voice also reached a large gaming audience. Stewart appeared in well over two dozen video games, many connected to Star Trek and X-Men but others on a more ad hoc basis. Fans have been revisiting his work, including his dual role as Zobek and Death in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow and its 2014 sequel, and his role as Emperor Uriel Septim VII in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. The Oblivion character is killed off during the game's tutorial, yet Stewart's contribution remained memorable. Journalist Stu Smith recalled that the developer, Bethesda, sent Stewart nearly a hundred pages of lore about the world and his character's motivations. Worried that such extensive material might have put him off a role that ends almost immediately, Bethesda checked in with him. Stewart was delighted, reportedly telling them it was the best character preparation he had ever received in his acting career.
Tributes have poured in from colleagues across film and television. Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman, William Shatner, George Takei and Rebecca Romijn were among those remembering him. Stewart died at his home in Los Angeles on Wednesday, October 28. His family disclosed in an Instagram post that he had undergone a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia. He is survived by his wife Sunny, whom he married in 2013, and by two children. His family asked that, in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to the Johns Hopkins Alzheimer's Disease Research Center Fund and the Alzheimer's Foundation of America Caregiver Resources.
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