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Patrick StewartEnglish film, stage and television actor
Date of Birth: 13.07.1940
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of Patrick Stewart
Patrick Stewart is an English actor of film, theater, and television. He is best known to most viewers as Captain Picard from 'Star Trek'. British theatergoers also know him as one of the leading performers of the Shakespeare Society, in which he was a member for twenty-seven years. However, his journey to the heights of acting fame was preceded by a childhood in an atmosphere of domestic violence, poverty, the inability to receive a proper education, and a disease that drastically changed his appearance.
Early Life
Patrick Hewes Stewart was born on July 13, 1940, in the English town of Mirfield. He was the youngest of three sons of Alfred Stewart, an army officer, and his wife Gladys, a weaver. During World War II, Stewart's father served in a parachute unit and was severely injured during the retreat from Dunkirk. The resulting post-traumatic stress disorder heavily impacted the lives of the whole family, as Stewart's father had a difficult temperament and a heavy hand. Patrick did not excel academically but, upon the advice of his English teacher, began attending the school's drama studio. At the age of 11, he received low grades on his exams and could only continue his education in a vocational school. At the same time, he started attending the city theater studio and became friends with young actor Brian Blessed, who would later become his best friend. Under Blessed's influence, at the age of 15, Patrick left school and joined a local theater troupe. To earn money, the teenager also began writing notes for the city newspaper. After a year, the editor gave him an ultimatum - journalism or theater. Patrick chose theater and also took up boxing.
Acting Career
In addition to financial difficulties and an unbearable family environment, Patrick also began suffering from an incurable autoimmune disease called alopecia areata. Losing his hair at the age of 18 was a traumatic experience for him, and he sought healing from it on the theatrical stage. However, luck soon smiled on the young man. Alongside Brian Blessed, Patrick received a grant to study at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He then performed at the Manchester Theater and in 1966, received an invitation to join the Royal Shakespeare Company. In the same year, Patrick married Sheila Falconer. They had two children together, a son named David who became a television actor, and a daughter named Sophia. In 1967, Stewart made his first appearance on television, playing a firefighter in 'Coronation Street'. Another milestone was his participation in an episode of 'Hamlet' that was part of the television series 'Civilisation' (1967), where he played Horatio. His appearance made him a good fit for the role of Lenin in the British series 'Fall of Eagles' (1974). In 1980, Stewart was invited to a Broadway theater and played Snout in the musical 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. Shortly after that, he joined the Royal National Theatre Company and began to appear frequently on screen. Among Stewart's early film roles were Claudius in 'Hamlet', Leondegrance in 'Excalibur' (1980), and Gomulka in 'Pope John Paul II' (1985). However, he considered himself primarily a theater actor and preferred classical plays. His roles in 'Julius Caesar' and 'A Christmas Carol' were recognized with theater awards. It was as a "relatively unknown Shakespearean actor" that Stewart was introduced for the announcement of the second season of 'Star Trek', which premiered on television in 1987. His role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard became a superstar role for Patrick Stewart, and 'Star Trek' became one of the greatest television series of all time.
Later Career and Activism
However, the demanding filming schedule, which lasted with few breaks until 2002, kept Stewart away from other projects and indirectly led to his divorce, which occurred in 1990. But from that time on, Stewart began to be offered prominent roles, including Richard the Lionheart in the cult comedy 'Men in Tights' (1993), Captain Ahab in 'Moby Dick' (1998), and Professor Xavier in the successful 'X-Men' franchise, starting in 2000 with 'X-Men'. After a long break, the renowned actor returned to theater roles. In 1995, as part of the Shakespeare Festival in New York, he played Prospero in 'The Tempest', and in 1995, he surprised audiences with the role of the "White Othello" in a production by the Shakespeare Theatre Company. In 2003, Patrick Stewart played Henry II in the film adaptation of 'The Lion in Winter', and in 2008, he achieved tremendous success with his portrayal of Macbeth at the New York Theater of the Lincoln Center. His role as Claudius, performed at the legendary theater in Stratford-upon-Avon, earned him the Laurence Olivier Award. In addition to his on-screen work, Stewart provided voiceovers for numerous animated projects, including 'The Simpsons', 'Futurama', and 'RoboCop'. He also began participating in the science documentary series 'Space and Time', in which he played the role of William Herschel. Stewart has also been involved in activism. In 2006, he directed a documentary film about domestic violence, drawing from his own childhood experiences. He is also a member of the board of a shelter for women affected by domestic violence and participates in a charitable military fund for victims of post-traumatic stress disorder. He opposed the referendum on Scottish independence and planned to seek American citizenship to protest against the election of President Donald Trump. Stewart is a member of the University of Huddersfield's board of governors and provides masterclasses in drama. In 2010, he was knighted. Currently, the actor continues to work on 'X-Men', with the latest release being 'Logan' (2017), and a possible sequel is highly anticipated. In 2013, Stewart entered into his third marriage with singer Sunny Ozell, with whom he had been in a close relationship for over five years, immediately after the dissolution of his second marriage. The famous actor admits to using marijuana, but only under the prescription of a doctor to manage the pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis in his hands.
