Patrick Stewart, Star Trek and X-Men actor, dies at 86

Patrick Stewart, the British actor whose stage and screen career spanned six decades and whose defining roles included Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek and Professor Charles Xavier in X-Men, died at 86, his family announced. The family said he died October 28 at his home in Los Angeles, with his wife, Sunny Ozell, caring for him. In a statement shared on Stewart’s social media, his family described his final illness as a “brief and poignant journey” with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia. The medical details were part of the family’s announcement; the reports did not cite independent medical records. Stewart became an international star as Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation, which began in 1987 and ran for seven seasons. He returned to the character in feature films and the series Star Trek: Picard, which ran from 2020 to 2023. In 2000, he began playing Xavier in the X-Men films, a role he reprised over more than two decades. Before those franchise roles, Stewart built his reputation in classical theater. He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966 and remained with it until 1982, performing Shakespeare and other works. He continued to take stage roles...