Patrick Stewart[1] was born inMirfield in theWest Riding of Yorkshire on 13 July 1940,[2] the son of Gladys (née Barrowclough), a weaver and textile worker, and Alfred Stewart (1905–1980), aregimental sergeant major in theBritish ArmyParachute Regiment during theSecond World War who later worked as a general labourer and postman.[3] He has two older brothers named Geoffrey (born 1925) and Trevor (born 1935).[4][5][6] He spent much of his childhood in a poor household in Mirfield, where he experienceddomestic violence at the hands of his father.[7][8] As a result of wartime service during theDunkirk evacuation, his father suffered fromcombat fatigue, which is now known asPTSD. Stewart said in 2008, "My father was a very potent individual, a very powerful man, who got what he wanted. It was said that when he strode onto the parade ground, birds stopped singing. It was many, many years before I realised how my father inserted himself into my work. I've grown a moustache forMacbeth. My father didn't have one, but when I looked in the mirror just before I went on stage I saw my father's face staring straight back at me."[9]
Stewart attended Crowlees Junior and Infant School, aChurch of England–affiliated school in Mirfield.[10] He later attributed his acting career to his English teacher there, Cecil Dormand, who "put a copy of Shakespeare in [Stewart's] hand" and told him to get up and perform.[11] He entered Mirfield Secondary Modern School in 1951, aged 11, and continued to study drama there.[12][13] Around the same time, he met and befriended fellow actorBrian Blessed on a drama course inMytholmroyd.[14] At the age of 15, he left school and increased his participation in local theatre. He supported himself with work as a newspaper reporter and obituary writer for the local newspaper,[15] Stewart left after one year when his boss gave him an ultimatum to choose acting or journalism.[16] According to one of his brothers, Stewart would attend theatre rehearsals when he was supposed to be in work and then invent the stories he was reporting on, or persuade other reporters to cover for him. Stewart got a job in a furniture store, that not only allowed him to attend rehearsals with little scheduling conflict, but he also found that his thespian talent was applicable, resulting him in becoming productive in sales while practising his acting technique by tailoring his sales pitch for each customer.[17] He also trained inboxing.[15] He has said that acting served as a means of self-expression in his youth.[18] Stewart and Blessed later received grants to attend theBristol Old Vic Theatre School.[19] Stewart was the first person who was neither a graduate of Oxford nor Cambridge to receive a grant from West Riding Council.[20]
Stewart preferred classical theatre to other genres, askingDoctor Who actressLalla Ward why she would work in science fiction or on television.[29] In 1987, he nonetheless agreed to work in Hollywood on a revival ofStar Trek, afterRobert H. Justman saw him while attending a literary reading atUCLA.[30][31] Stewart knew nothing about thecultural influence of Star Trek or its iconic status in American culture. He was reluctant to sign the standard contract of six years, but did so as he, his agent, and others with whom Stewart consulted, all believed the new show would quickly fail, and that he would return to his London stage career after making some money.[32][33][34][35] Regardless, Stewart's trusted colleague,Ian McKellen, was particularly vocal in advising Stewart not to throw away his theatrical career for this foray into television, which Stewart had to disregard considering the opportunity.[36] While in Hollywood, he spent 18 months using the professional name "Patrick Hewes Stewart" while negotiating the rights to his original name from an American actor who had already registered it with theScreen Actors Guild.[37]
When Stewart was picked for the role of CaptainJean-Luc Picard inStar Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994), theLos Angeles Times called him an "unknown British Shakespearean actor". Still living out of his suitcase because of his scepticism that the show would succeed,[35] he was unprepared for the long schedule of television production[34] that began at 4:45 am each day.[30] He initially experienced difficulty fitting in with his less-disciplined castmates. In interviews, he recalled with embarrassment a time when he scolded the main cast for being unprofessional in his opinion, by saying "We're not here... to have fun!"[38][32] Furthermore, Stewart has stated that his "spirits used to sink" whenever he was required to memorise and recitetechnobabble.[34] He eventually came to better understand the cultural differences between the stage and television and relaxed to a degree at work,[32] and his favourite technical line became "spacetime continuum".[34]
Stewart remained close friends with his fellowStar Trek actors[32] and became their advocate with the producers when necessary.[35]Marina Sirtis credited Stewart with "at least 50%, if not more" of the show's success because others imitated his professionalism and dedication to acting.[39]Jonathan Frakes said that, with some shows he'd been on, there were actors who showed up without having read the script, but Stewart had "set such a high bar for preparation. We all came to work in the morning completely prepared. We knew our lines and had broken down the script".[40]
It really wasn't until the first season ended [when] I went to my firstStar Trek convention ... [I] had expected that I would be standing in front of a few hundred people and found that there were two and a half thousand people and that they already knew more about me than I could ever possibly have believed.
Stewart, on when he realised he had become famous[34]
When asked in 2011 for the highlight of his career, he choseStar Trek: The Next Generation, because "it changed everything [for me]."[41] He has also said he is very proud of his work onStar Trek: The Next Generation for its social messages and educational impact on young viewers. When questioned about his role's significance compared to his distinguished Shakespearean career, he said, "The fact is all of those years in Royal Shakespeare Company—playing all those kings, emperors, princes and tragic heroes—were nothing but preparation for sitting in the captain's chair of the Enterprise."[42] The accolades he has received include the readers ofTV Guide in 1992 choosing him withCindy Crawford, of whom he had never heard, as television's "most bodacious" man and woman.[43][44][18] In an interview withMichael Parkinson, he expressed gratitude forGene Roddenberry's response to a reporter who said, "Surely they would have cured baldness by the 24th century," to which Roddenberry replied, "In the 24th century, they wouldn't care."[45][46]
"It came to a point where I had no idea where Picard began and I ended. We completely overlapped. His voice became my voice, and there were other elements of him that became me" ... No director in Hollywood wanted to cast this grand, deep-voiced, bald English guy because everybody knew he was Picard and couldn't possibly be anybody else. In the event, he effectively reprised the part as Professor Charles Xavier – a grand, deep-voiced, bald English guy – in theX-Men films.
On 4 August 2018, CBS and Stewart jointly announced that he would reprise his role as Jean-Luc Picard in a newStar Trek series. In a prepared statement, Stewart said he and the new show's producers would "endeavour to bring a fresh, unexpected and pertinent story to life once more."[47][48]
X-Men film series
The success of theStar Trek: The Next Generation TV and film franchisestypecast Stewart as Picard and obtaining other roles became difficult.[33][49] He also found returning to the stage difficult because of his long absence.[33] He commented that he would never have joinedThe Next Generation had he known that it would air for seven years: "No, no. NO. And looking back now it still frightens me a little bit to think that so much of my life was totally devoted to Star Trek and almost nothing else."[34]
In 2011, Stewart appeared in the feature-length documentaryThe Captains alongsideWilliam Shatner (who playedStar Trek CaptainJames Kirk) – Shatner also wrote and directed the film. In the film, Shatner interviews actors who have portrayed captains within theStar Trek franchise. The film pays a great deal of attention to Shatner's interviews with Stewart at his home inOxfordshire, as well as at aStar Trek Convention inLas Vegas,Nevada; Stewart reveals the fear and personal failings that came along with his tenure as aStarfleet captain, and also the great triumphs he believes accompanied his role as Picard.[53] In 2016, he narratedConnected Universe, a crowdfunded documentary film directed by Malcolm Carter on the ideas of self-styled physicist Nassim Haramein.[54]
In late 2003, during the 11th and final season ofNBC'sFrasier, Stewart appeared on the show as a gaySeattle socialite and opera director, who mistakesFrasier for a potential lover. In July 2003, he appeared in Series 2 (Episode 09) ofTop Gear in theStar in a Reasonably-Priced Car segment, achieving a time of 1:50 in theLiana. In 2005, he was cast as Professor Ian Hood in anITV thriller 4-episode seriesEleventh Hour, created byStephen Gallagher. The first episode was broadcast on 19 January 2006. He also, in 2005, playedCaptain Nemo in a two-part adaptation ofThe Mysterious Island. Stewart also appeared as a nudity-obsessed caricature of himself inRicky Gervais andStephen Merchant's television seriesExtras. He playedJohn Bosley in the 2019 action comedy filmCharlie's Angels, released on 15 November.[56]
AfterThe Next Generation began, Stewart soon found that he missed acting on the stage.[33] Although he remained associated with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the lengthy filming for the series had prevented him from participating in most other works, leaving a "gaping hole" of many years in hisCV as a Shakespearean actor, causing him to miss opportunities to play such notable roles asHamlet,Romeo, andRichard III.[33][32] Instead, Stewart began writingone-man shows that he performed in California universities and acting schools. One of these—a version ofCharles Dickens'sA Christmas Carol in which he portrayed all 40-plus characters—became ideal for him as an actor as well, because of its limited performing schedule.[57]
Stewart signing autographs following a production ofHamlet at theRSC in July 2008
In 1991, Stewart performed it on Broadway,[33] receiving a nomination for that year'sDrama Desk Award for Outstanding One-Person Show.[58] He staged encore Broadway performances in 1992 and 1994, with the 1993 run held in London and the 1996 production in Los Angeles. Stewart brought the show back to Broadway in 2001, with all proceeds going to charity – and the show of 28 December's revenue, specifically, going to the11 September campaign of theActors Fund of America.[59] A 23-day run re-opened in London's West End in December 2005. For his performances in this play, Stewart has received theDrama Desk Award for Best Solo Performance in 1992 and theLaurence Olivier Award for Best Entertainment for Solo Performance in 1994. He was also theco-producer of the show, through the company he set up for the purpose: Camm Lane Productions, a reference to his birthplace in Camm Lane, Mirfield.
Shakespeare roles during this period includedProspero in Shakespeare'sThe Tempest, on Broadway in 1995, a role he would reprise inRupert Goold's 2006 production ofThe Tempest as part of theRoyal Shakespeare Company's Complete Works Festival.[60] In 1997, he took the role ofOthello with theShakespeare Theatre Company (Washington, D.C.) in a"photo negative" production of a whiteOthello with an otherwise all-black cast. Stewart had wanted to play the title role since the age of 14, so he and directorJude Kelly inverted the play so Othello became a comment on a white man entering a black society.[61][62]
[London theatre] critics ... have showered him with perhaps the highest compliment they can conjure. He has, they say, overcome the technique-destroying indignity of being a major American television star.
He played Antony again oppositeHarriet Walter's Cleopatra inAntony and Cleopatra at theNovello Theatre in London in 2007 to excellent reviews.[32] During this period, Stewart also addressed theDurham Union Society on his life in film and theatre. When Stewart began playingMacbeth in the West End in 2007, some said that he was too old for the role; he and the show again received excellent reviews, with one critic calling Stewart "one of our finest Shakespearean actors".[33][32] He was named as the nextCameron Mackintosh Visiting Professor of Contemporary Theatre based atSt Catherine's College, Oxford in January 2007.[63] In 2008, Stewart playedKing Claudius inHamlet alongsideDavid Tennant. He won theLaurence Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actor for the part. When collecting his award, he dedicated the award "in part" to Tennant and Tennant's understudy Edward Bennett, after Tennant's back injury and subsequent absence from four weeks ofHamlet disqualified him from an Olivier nomination.[64]
In 2009, Stewart appeared alongside Ian McKellen as the lead duo of Vladimir (Didi) and Estragon (Gogo), inWaiting for Godot. Stewart had previously appeared only once alongside McKellen on stage, but the pair had developed a close friendship while waiting around on set filming theX-Men films.[65] Stewart stated that performing in this play was the fulfilment of a 50-year ambition, having seenPeter O'Toole appear in it at theBristol Old Vic while Stewart was just 17.[65] Reviewers stated that his interpretation captured well the balance between humour and despair that characterises the work.[66]
In 2014, Stewart and McKellen appeared onBroadway with two alternating productions,Waiting for Godot andNo Man's Land. To promote the plays, Stewart and McKellen, acted on Stewart's wife's suggestion to tour New York City in a Twitter campaign in which the actors would take playful photographs of themselves visiting various tourist locations on their days off while wearing theirGodot characters'bowler hats.[67] Although the plays' marketing department disapproved of the idea, the actors proceeded with the inexpensive publicity campaign, which proved a major success. Furthermore, this campaign changed Stewart's image as a serious actor by emphasising his sense of humour, which led to frequent guest appearances in various comedy programs.[68]
Stewart has been a prolific actor in performances by theRoyal Shakespeare Company, appearing in more than 60 productions.[22] His first appearance was in 1966 inThe Investigation and in the years that followed he became a core member of the company, taking on three or four major roles each season.[69] On 18 November 2012, Stewart appeared on stage atSt Martin's Theatre in the West End for a 60th anniversary performance ofAgatha Christie'sThe Mousetrap, the world's longest-running play.[70]
His voice talents also appeared in a number of commercials including the UK TV adverts for the relaunch ofTSB Bank, Domestos bleach andMoneysupermarket.com, an advertisement for Shell fuel and an American advertisement for the prescription drugCrestor. He also voiced the UK and Australian TV advertisements for the PAL version ofFinal Fantasy XII.[74]
Stewart used his voice forPontiac andPorsche cars andMasterCard Gold commercials in 1996, andGoodyear Assurance Tyres in 2004. He also did voice-overs for RCA televisions. He provided the voice of Max Winters inTMNT in March 2007. In 2008, he was also the voice of television advertisements forCurrys andStella Artois beer. Currently, he is heard duringNational Car Rental television spots.
He voiced the narrator of theElectronic Arts computer game,The Sims Medieval, for the game's cinematic introduction and trailer released on 22 March 2011.[75] He also voiced the story plaques and trailer of theMMOGLEGO Universe and the narrator ofMy Memory Of Us.[76]
In 2004, Stewart was appointedchancellor[77] of theUniversity of Huddersfield and subsequently as a professor of performing arts in July 2008. In these roles, Stewart has regularly attended graduation ceremonies in the UK and Hong Kong and teaches master classes for drama students.[78] He stepped down from the chancellorship in July 2015, and was named chancellor emeritus in the installation ceremony for his successor,Prince Andrew, Duke of York (now Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor).[79] In August 2016 a building at the university was renamed the "Sir Patrick Stewart Building".[80]
In 2006, Stewart made a short video againstdomestic violence forAmnesty International,[97] in which he recollected his father's physical attacks on his mother and the effect it had on him as a child. He said, "The physical harm ... [was] a shocking pain. But there are other aspects of violence which have more lasting impact psychologically on family members. It is destructive and tainting. As a child witnessing these events, one cannot simply help somehow feeling responsible for them; for the pain, and the screaming, and the misery."[98] In the same year, he gave his name to a scholarship at theUniversity of Huddersfield, where he was Chancellor (2004–2015),[99] to fund post-graduate study into domestic violence.[100][101] Stewart's childhood experience also led him to become a patron ofRefuge, a UK charity for abused women.[102]
In 2009, Stewart gave a speech at the launch ofCreated Equal, a book about women's rights, talking again about his personal experiences with domestic violence and the impacts they had on him.[103] He said, "Violence is a choice, and it's a choice a man makes ... the lasting impact on my mother ... and indeed on myself ... was extreme. Overcoming the lessons of that male stereotype that I was being shown was a struggle."[103] He now hopes to set an example of "what it has been like to be in an environment of such violence and that it can pass and that one can survive it and even though sometimes still a struggle."[103] Additionally, in October 2011, he presented a BBC Lifeline Appeal on behalf of Refuge, discussing his own experience of domestic violence and interviewing a woman whose daughter was murdered by her ex-husband.[104]
On 15 April 2018 Stewart attended the launch event of thePeople's Vote, a campaign group calling for a public vote on the finalBrexit deal between the UK and the European Union.[108]
Stewart is an avid advocate for pit bulls. He has fostered several dogs through Wags and Walks, a dog rescue in Los Angeles, and was honoured at the rescue's annual gala in 2018.[110] He partnered with theASPCA in 2017 for their National Dog Fighting Awareness Day Campaign.[111] He frequently tweets pictures of himself with his foster dogs.[112] In 2021, the ASPCA gave him their Pit Bull Advocate & Protector Award.[113]
Stewart married his first wife, Sheila Falconer, in 1966; they divorced in 1990.[114][115] Together, they have a son, Daniel, and a daughter, Sophia.[115] Daniel is also an actor,[116] and appeared alongside his father in the filmDeath Train, the sitcomBlunt Talk, and theStar Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Inner Light", playing his son in the latter.[117][n 1]
In 1997, Stewart became engaged to American producerWendy Neuss, one of the producers ofStar Trek: The Next Generation. They married on 25 August 2000 and divorced three years later.[114][n 2][115] Four months before his divorce from Neuss, Stewart co-starred with English actressLisa Dillon in a production ofThe Master Builder, and the two were romantically involved until 2007.[118][119]
In 2008, Stewart began dating American singer and songwriterSunny Ozell, whom he met while performing inMacbeth at theBrooklyn Academy of Music.[120] He purchased a home in Brooklyn'sPark Slope neighbourhood in August 2012,[121] and subsequently began living there with Ozell.[120] In March 2013, it was reported that they were engaged,[120] and they married in September 2013 with Ian McKellen officiating.[120][122] In 2020, Stewart revealed that his marriage to Ozell in Nevada had not been legally binding because McKellen's marriage credentials were not valid in Nevada.[123] Upon learning that McKellen's credentials would not be valid, the couple held a secret official ceremony with McKellen at a Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles a couple weeks prior to the Nevada ceremony.[123]
Beliefs, causes, and interests
Stewart has stated that his politics are rooted in a belief in "fairness" and "equality".[7] He considers himself asocialist and is a member of theLabour Party.[18][124][125] He stated, "My father was a very strong trade unionist and those fundamental issues of Labour were ingrained into me."[124] He was critical of theIraq War and UK government legislation in the area ofcivil liberties, in particular its plans to extenddetention without charge to 42 days for terrorist suspects. He signed an open letter of objection to this proposal in March 2008.[126] In August 2018 he was widely misquoted by theDaily Telegraph among others, who announced that he had left Labour owing to concerns over the leadership ofJeremy Corbyn.[127] He posted on Twitter to confirm that he had been misquoted and denied that he had left the party.[128]
In August 2014, Stewart was one of 200 public figures who signed a letter toThe Guardian expressing their hope that Scotland would vote to remain part of the United Kingdom in September'sreferendum on that issue.[135] In 2016, Stewart was among more than 280 figures from the arts world who backed a vote to remain in the EU in thereferendum on that issue.[136]
Stewart is a lifelong supporter of his localfootball clubHuddersfield Town.[140] He was at Wembley Stadium in 2017 when the club won promotion to thetop division for the first time since 1972.[141] Since 2010, he has been president ofHuddersfield Town Academy, the club's project for identifying and developing young talent.[142]
In an interview withAmerican Theatre, he said: "From time to time, I have fantasies of becoming a concert pianist. I've been lucky enough through the years to work very closely with the greatEmanuel Ax. I've said to him that if I could switch places with anyone it would be with him."[9]
In 2015, Stewart defended theBelfast-based Christian bakers who were penalised for discrimination after refusing to bake a cake with words reading, "Support Gay Marriage". Stewart, on his Facebook profile, said that while he was still opposed to organised religion, "It was not because it was a gay couple that they objected, it was not because they were celebrating some sort of marriage or an agreement between them. It was the actual words on the cake they objected to. Because they found the words offensive. I would support their rights to say 'No, this is personally offensive to my beliefs, I will not do it.'" The Christian bakers ultimately won ina landmark Supreme Court decision for the United Kingdom, almost simultaneously with asimilar case in the United States.[143]
Stewart is an avid car enthusiast and is regularly seen atSilverstone duringBritish Grand Prix weekends. He conducted the podium interview with the top three finishers in the2017 Canadian Grand Prix.[144] On a 2003 appearance onTop Gear, he set a lap time of 1 minute and 50 seconds on the "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" feature. He holds aMotorsport UK competition licence and competed in the 2012Silverstone Classic Celebrity Challenge race, finishing ninth, 3 m 02.808 s behind winnerKelvin Fletcher.[145] In 2012, Stewart met his racing heroStirling Moss for theBBC Two documentaryRacing Legends.[146]
^In the episode "The Inner Light", Daniel Stewart played Batai, son of Kamin, an alternate persona which Picard had unknowingly taken on for the purposes of that single episode's plot.
^In William Shatner's 2011 filmThe Captains, Stewart stated: "I have two major regrets, and they're both to do with the failure of – my failure in – my marriages."
References
^Named after his father's army sobriquet.Making It So, p. 4.
^abcNemecek, Larry (1992)."Rebirth". In Stern, Dave (ed.).The Star Trek The Next Generation Companion. New York: Pocket Books. p. 18.ISBN978-0-671-79460-6.
^Wolf, Matt (7 May 2009)."McKellen and Stewart Deliver a 'Godot' With a Difference".The New York Times. Retrieved8 July 2009....the two tramps suspended in the limbo that, broadly speaking, is life. But in my extensive experience of this play, I've never seen a staging as attuned to the presence of mortality that underpins even Beckett's jauntiest repartee.
^Trowbridge, Simon (2008).Stratfordians: a Biographical Dictionary of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Oxford, England: Editions Albert Creed. pp. 471–473.ISBN978-0-9559830-1-6.
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