Stage and screen icon Patrick Stewart remembered

“The stage would prove to be a safe space, a refuge from real life in which I could inhabit another person, living in another place and time,” Stewart wrote in his memoir.

The Royal Shakespeare Company mourned the loss of Stewart, who died yesterday at the age of 86, describing him as one of the most accomplished Shakespearean actors of his generation. They highlighted his enduring connection to Stratford-upon-Avon and the RSC throughout his career, noting his knighthood and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as testaments to his seven-decade career.

Stewart’s journey began with an amateur drama group at age 12, and a teenage fascination with Shakespeare. He earned a scholarship to the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, launching his career. In 1961 and 1962, a 21-year-old Stewart toured Australia with the Old Vic company, taking on ensemble roles in productions like *Twelfth Night* and *The Lady of the Camellias*, both directed by Robert Helpmann and starring Vivien Leigh.

After his time with the Old Vic, Stewart joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he remained for 14 years, portraying iconic characters such as Mark Antony, Henry IV, Shylock, and Oberon. He later returned to Australia in 1975 to play Ejlert Løvborg in *Hedda Gabler*.

Despite his classical training, Stewart downplayed the label of “classical actor,” stating, “I was not a trained classical actor, I just had a training.” He emphasized his involvement in both Shakespearean and modern drama during his time with the RSC. He expressed frustration with the perception that his role in *Star Trek* diminished his theatrical accomplishments.

“All of those years with the Royal Shakespeare Company, all of those years sitting in the throne of England, all of those years wearing those crowns and speaking that blank verse was nothing but a preparation for sitting in the captain’s chair of the Enterprise,” he once said.

Even after achieving international fame through *Star Trek*, Stewart consistently returned to the stage, often juggling rehearsals with filming commitments. In 1988, he debuted his one-man adaptation of *A Christmas Carol*, which later premiered on Broadway and earned a Laurence Olivier Award in 1994. He finally realized a lifelong ambition in 2007, playing the role of Macbeth, a performance *The Times of London* lauded as “an enthralling creation.”

In 2009, Stewart reunited with Sir Ian McKellen in a production of *Waiting for Godot*. McKellen shared a memory of Stewart’s decision to join *Star Trek*, recalling his initial concerns about the impact on his UK stage career. “Well, he took the risk and thank goodness for us all that he did.”

Stewart often spoke of his gratitude for the connection with audiences, saying, “I enjoy what I do so much that I do actually feel sucked into it, particularly the live theatre, the performing side of it. I’m one of those really fortunate individuals, I do feel blessed in this, who ended up doing as a profession what I would’ve done for nothing.”