From coaching youth community theatre to supporting Huddersfield football club and delighting sci-fi fans at graduation ceremonies, the actor is fondly remembered
Patrick Stewart – a life in pictures
On Star Trek, Patrick Stewart could make anyone feel hopeful for humanity
Patrick Stewart brought gravitas and complexity to the screen
‘He stood for the best of us’: William Shatner and more pay tribute
‘I loved that he supported causes he clearly believed in’
What I always loved about Patrick was that he genuinely seemed connected to where he came from despite his global success. Once a Yorkshireman, always a Yorkshireman. I was lucky enough to see him at the Royal Shakespeare Company performing Hamlet, Merchant of Venice, and in Godot at the Haymarket, which is the only time the play has been so brilliantly performed as to make sense to me. I loved that he supported causes he clearly believed in, such as tackling domestic violence. He remained a good old-fashioned socialist. Got to applaud that. Shirley, 55, West Yorkshire
‘It was such a joy of an encounter’
I managed to secure front row tickets to see Matilda in Stratford-upon-Avon for my daughter’s ninth birthday. Throughout the first half of the show, a huge booming laugh that was strangely familiar kept grabbing my attention and, when we got up for the interval, there was Sir Patrick a few rows behind us and we walked together to the bar. Completely starstruck, I asked him if he wouldn’t mind me taking a photo of him with my daughter to keep as a memory of her birthday, and he happily agreed. Instead of leaving it there, he stayed chatting with us for much of the interval, asking her about how she was enjoying the show, telling her what it was like to be on that very stage and making us both laugh. That photo is brought out every year on my daughter’s birthday – she’s now 24, and it’s as special a memory as ever. It was such a joy of an encounter, meeting someone you think is special, only to find out that they are everything they seem and more. Emily, 55, Henley
‘He showed a young lad from Yorkshire that even the most distant stars are worth reaching for’
I grew up eating lunch in Stewart hall at Mirfield Free grammar school almost every day, the same secondary school Sir Patrick Stewart once attended. He would often return to give talks, fondly recounting how a teacher first encouraged him towards the stage. His humility, warmth and genuine passion always left an impression on me. Growing up where we did, struggling at school, the idea of achieving something extraordinary often felt like a distant fantasy. Yet here was someone who had walked the same corridors, proving that your beginnings need never define your future. His portrayals of Picard and Professor Xavier helped ignite my lifelong love of science fiction and the possibilities beyond our own world. But perhaps his greatest inspiration was simply showing a young lad from Yorkshire that even the most distant stars were worth reaching for. Thom, London
‘It was a time of closeness I have never forgotten’
Star Trek and Jean-Luc bind me to my sons. With a four-year age gap, finding things they both enjoyed was a challenge, but without fail, every week on Mondays from 6.10-7pm, my boys and I would gather on the sofa to watch Star Trek. It was a time of closeness I have never forgotten. Not only the stories but the moral imperatives behind them, including challenging stereotypes and doing what was right, which Patrick Stewart portrayed with such conviction. Both sons, now aged 40 and 44, texted me last night before I’d even seen the news. We shared in the sadness of the end of an era. Shared memories of childhood. I shed some tears. Ann, St Albans
‘He never forgot his home town’
Sir Patrick showed the world that working-class men from forgotten towns like Huddersfield could be cultured, intelligent and loved around the world. He never forgot his home town, despite living in California, and would regularly be back in England supporting his beloved Terriers. And what a versatile actor who could move between sci-fi and Shakespeare. Colin, 44, Tameside
‘A kind and generous man’
I was at the Bristol Old Vic theatre school a few years after Pat. I was the assistant stage manager at the Old Vic Company at the Kings theatre. Our paths crossed regularly and we were at the Royal Shakespeare Company together. When he became a millionaire during Star Trek, I used to pitch him ideas for his company Flying Freehold. He would always respond to my messages. He gave donations to struggling theatre companies. He was a kind and generous man. Roger, 82, retired stage manager, Catalonia
‘I had no idea who he was – he was just Patrick’
Patrick was one of the incredibly generous actors who gave his time to coach us at Chiswick Youth theatre in the mid-80s. It was a free community group for local kids drawn mainly from our failing comprehensive. Patrick and his then wife Sheila, a renowned choreographer, helped us with our production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I was Oberon and he coached me one-to-one for weeks. We bonded over my strong ideas of how to play the part. He would smile quietly, with a slight twinkle in his eye, listen to my adolescent certainties and then we’d move on. I had no idea who he was; he was just Patrick, a nice bloke who was an actor with this VOICE! His warmth, support, energy, insights into speaking Shakespeare, and exacting standards made it all uniquely memorable. Just before our first night, he brought in an incredible diaphanous cloak, which he lent to me – a 15-year-old kid. He’d worn it as Oberon at the Royal Shakespeare Company. I wore it every night for the duration of our week’s run at our school. Daniel, Cambridge
‘They helped us all get through that dark time’
During Covid, Patrick Stewart read and posted on Facebook a Shakespeare sonnet a day for 100 days. I eagerly waited for those posts. They helped us all get through that dark time. His voice was unforgettable. And he will always be Captain Picard to me. Anonymous, Washington, US
‘He gave us the “captain’s log” speech in a thick Yorkshire accent’
Just under 20 years ago, I graduated from the University of Huddersfield. Patrick Stewart was chancellor of the university at that time, and as fresh-faced 18-year-olds we converted the cleaning cupboard of our first year halls into a dedicated shrine to all things Patrick Stewart. As chancellor, he often made an appearance at the graduation ceremonies – but usually for the drama department, and because we were graduating in music production from the department of computing and engineering, we thought little about it. However, while we were all seated, waiting for the ceremony to start, a ripple spread through the auditorium. Patrick Stewart had been spotted outside!
Lo and behold, we were going to receive our degree from Captain Picard! Excitement buzzed around the room as we all tried to decide if we should say “Make it so” while shaking his hand, or give a Vulcan salute while walking across the stage. He was so kind and gracious, he even gave the “captain’s log” speech in a thick Yorkshire accent. He took each “Make it so” and “Earl Grey, hot” in his stride, and I’m pretty sure he made the entire computing and engineering department’s day – we were all nerds. Sam, 40, climate resilience practitioner, Vancouver, Canada
