Patrick Stewart, Star Trek's Captain Picard and a Portland fan, dies at 86
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Sir Patrick Stewart died Wednesday, Oct. 28, at his Los Angeles home. He was 86.
His longtime spokesperson, Kelly Bush Novak, said he died after "a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer's Disease and Lewy Body Dementia."
He was best known as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard in "Star Trek" and Professor Charles Xavier in the "X-Men" films.
Stewart spent about five weeks in Portland in 2014 filming "Green Room" and later called Portlanders "the nicest people I have ever met in the United States."
Sir Patrick Stewart, the classically trained British actor who brought Shakespearean weight to "Star Trek" and the "X-Men" films, has died. He was 86.
Stewart died Wednesday, Oct. 28, at his home in Los Angeles, according to a statement from his longtime spokesperson, Kelly Bush Novak, reported by The Associated Press and The Guardian. The statement, also posted to his Facebook and Instagram pages, said he died "in the loving care of his beloved wife Sunny, following a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer's Disease and Lewy Body Dementia."
"He has been held in the warm embrace of family and friends, surrounded by live music, prayer, tears, laughter, and the kind of profound emotion that only he could inspire after a lifetime of devotion to us all," the statement said.
From the RSC to the Enterprise
Stewart began his career on stage and spent his early years with the Royal Shakespeare Company, which described him as a "colossus" after his death, according to the BBC. His career spanned seven decades and included leading roles in London's West End and on Broadway, the BBC reported.
He became a household name as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," a role he returned to decades later in "Star Trek: Picard." He also played Professor Charles Xavier in the "X-Men" film franchise. He was knighted in 2010, NPR reported.
Tributes
Sir Ian McKellen, his "X-Men" co-star, described Stewart as a "man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love," according to the BBC. William Shatner said Stewart "stood for the best of us," and fellow "Star Trek" actor George Takei called him an "irreplaceable legend," the BBC reported. Fans gathered at his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday, the BBC said.
His time in Oregon
Stewart spent the fall of 2014 based in Portland while filming "Green Room," Jeremy Saulnier's punk-rock thriller, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported at the time. He played Darcy Banker, the leader of a white supremacist gang in the Pacific Northwest. He was spotted at a Portland Timbers match at Providence Park, according to GoLocalPDX, and a photo of him in a Timbers Army scarf circulated online, The Oregonian noted.
Some filming took place in Astoria and Warrenton, though Stewart was not on set for those local shoots, The Astorian reported.
In a 2015 interview with The Oregonian, Stewart praised the city. "Portlanders are the nicest people I have ever met in the United States, and I have traveled a lot: courteous, polite, respectful," he said. He also said he hoped Portland would preserve its historic architecture and joked that "every second car was a Prius."
Survivors
Stewart is survived by his wife, singer Sunny Ozell, whom he married in 2013, and his two children, Daniel and Sophie, from his first marriage to Sheila Falconer, according to USA Today.
Sources
The Associated Press, BBC News, NPR, The Guardian, USA Today, The Oregonian/OregonLive (2014, 2015), GoLocalPDX, The Astorian
Cover photo: Patrick Stewart at 2019 San Diego Comic-Con, by Gage Skidmore, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
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