On July 13, 1940, Stewart was born in the Yorkshire town of Mirfield, England. Stewart’s father, who he said returned from World War II as an alcoholic with post-traumatic stress disorder and violently beat Stewart’s mother, brought him up in poverty. Stewart remembered trying to shield his mother by placing his body between them.
Stewart claimed that when he was twelve years old, a teacher exposed him to Shakespeare, particularly “The Merchant of Venice,” and acting became a “safe space” for him.
Quick Fact
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Sir Patrick Stewart |
| Profession | British Actor |
| Major Honour | Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II |
| Year of Knighthood | 2010 |
| Location | Buckingham Palace, London |
| Acting Heroes | Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud and Alec Guinness |
| Marriages | Three |
| Children | Two |
| Current Wife | Sunny Ozell |
| Marriage Year | 2013 |
Gene Roddenberry’s “Star Trek,” which saw humanity traveling across space in spacecraft faster than light and meeting extraterrestrial species, offered a positive view of the future.
Roddenberry created “The Next Generation” successor series in response to the original series’ ongoing popularity and the success of its offshoot films.
The adventurous and perhaps inadvertently foolish Captain James T. Kirk, portrayed by William Shatner in the original series, was contrasted with the Picard character, who was supposed to be more intellectual and disciplined but occasionally came across as stiff, humorless, or self-important.
Patrick Stewart Learns to Loosen Up as Picard
“Oh, come on, Patrick, we’ve got to have some fun,” stated a cast member. “We are not here to have fun,” I yelled, pounding the chair, and they have never let me forget it. Stewart said, “They taught me so much about letting go and being more free.
Stewart criticized his own depiction of Picard in the first two seasons and thought the show became better over time.It didn’t seem intimate to me. Stewart said that his work improved in later seasons. “It was very authoritative, but there were few other qualities in him.”
Patrick Stewart’s Knighthood and Family Life
When the queen knighted him at Buckingham Palace in 2010, he became Sir Patrick Stewart. British actors Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, and Alec Guinness—all of whom had received knighthoods—were his heroes, he told reporters, adding that being “in that company is the grandest thing that has professionally happened to me.”
Will Dunham reported from Washington; Christian Martinez and Ryan Patrick Jones contributed additional reporting; Diane Craft and Rosalba O’Brien edited.
