In Pictures: Star Trek reboot pushed Sir Patrick Stewart’s career into orbit

Sir Patrick Stewart enjoyed his most successful years as an actor relatively late in life after dabbling in journalism as a young man.

Born near Huddersfield, a town he remained close to, he supposedly opted for the stage after an editor had pointed out to him he had to decide whether to be an actor or a reporter after noticing the budding writer’s head being turned by the theatre.

He made a good living in Shakespeare and even a role in Coronation Street before being propelled to a new level of fame as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the reboot of Star Trek.

Hollywood actor Sir Patrick Stewart is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II during investitures at Buckingham Palace in 2010 (Anthony Devlin/PA)

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Rebecca Ferguson, Rhianna Dorris and Louis Ashbourne Serkis look on as Sir Patrick Stewart ‘knights’ pupils from Snowsfields Primary school and Tower Bridge Primary school at a photo call for cast members from The Kid Who Would Be King against the backdrop of Tower Bridge in 2019 (Archive/PA)

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Sir Ian McKellen (left) and Sir Patrick Stewart attending the Star Trek: Picard Premiere held at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square, London in 2020 (David Parry/PA)

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Sir Patrick Stewart (centre) and Stephen McGann (centre left) join protesters in an anti-Brexit, Let Us Be Heard march in Old Park Lane as they head to Parliament Square in 2019 (Andrew Matthews/PA)

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Labour leader Tony Blair meets actor Patrick Stewart, who played the part of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, the second captain of the Starship Enterprise in Star Trek, during a Labour cabaret evening at Plymouth Guildhall in 1997 (Sean Dempsey/PA)

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Six-year-old Alfie Dingley and his father Drew Dingley with Sir Patrick Stewart in Westminster, London, as the actor has given his support in 2018 to the campaign for Alfie to be given medicinal cannabis to treat his epilepsy (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

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Jonathan Frakes and Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: First Contact (PA)

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Sir Patrick Stewart addresses the crowd during the People’s Vote campaign launch on Brexit at the Electric Ballroom in Camden Town in 2018 (Jonathan Brady/PA)

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Sir Michael Parkinson (right) and Dickie Bird (centre) with actor Sir Patrick Stewart, in his role as Chancellor of the University of Huddersfield in 2013 (John Giles/PA)

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A long-time campaigner for the Labour Party, he was willing to lend his name to causes such as medicinal cannabis and the Remain campaign in the Brexit referendum while his support of Huddersfield Town and role as chancellor of the town’s university kept him in touch with his roots.

He formed a close and openly affectionate friendship with Sir Ian McKellen, another actor who did not take the usual route to stardom.

Three times married and with children, he would die in Los Angeles after a battle with dementia.

Sir Ian McKellen (left) and Sir Patrick Stewart attending the UK premiere of Mr Holmes at the Odeon Kensington, London in 2015 (Ian West/PA)

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Sir Trevor McDonald and Sir Patrick Stewart arrive at the Target Women in Film and Television awards in 2017 (Ian West/PA)

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Sir Patrick Stewart during the filming for the Graham Norton Show at BBC Studioworks 6 Television Centre, Wood Lane, London, in 2020 (Isabel Infantes/PA)

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Sir Patrick Stewart in the winners room at the Three Empire Awards held at The Roundhouse in Chalk Farm, London in 2017 (Matt Crossick/PA)

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Sir Patrick Stewart arriving at the Labour Summer Party at the Roundhouse, in Camden, north London in 2019 (Dominic Lipinski/PA)