Remember Patrick Stewart by Streaming Star Trek, X-Men and Other Genre-Defining Roles

3 hours ago 17

Patrick Stewart, the legendary actor known to many as Captain Jean-Luc Picard from the Star Trek universe and Professor Charles Xavier from the X-Men movie franchise, died on Wednesday at age 86. An Instagram post announcing the news says Stewart passed after a brief battle with Alzheimer’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia.

When looking back at the slate of work Stewart put out into the world, you’ll find over six decades worth of performances. The actor cut his teeth in the world of Shakespearean stage productions and smaller TV projects, mostly in the UK, before he broke out into mainstream popularity in 1987, leading the crew of the Enterprise in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Read more: Patrick Stewart, Who Gracefully Steered Star Trek Into Its Next Generation, Dies at 86

Along with Picard, he’s most known for the role of Professor Charles Xavier, the wheelchair-using leader of the X-Men. His final performance as Professor X will be seen in Avengers: Doomsday later this year.

To remember Stewart, you can tune in to many of his projects on various streaming services. Since I’ve stuck to roles that can be streamed, his memorable performances as Ebenezer Scrooge in 1999’s A Christmas Carol, John Thornton in 1975’s North & South and the ghost of Hamlet’s father in 2009’s Hamlet, for instance, aren’t listed.

Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Picard (1987-2023)

Stewart made Star Trek an obsession for me growing up, and his performance as Captain Jean-Luc Picard is simply iconic. He starred as Picard in seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation before taking the character to the big screen in four movies in the grander franchise. Stewart reprised his role as Picard in the aptly titled sequel series Star Trek: Picard, which lasted three seasons, with the final one acting as a must-see TNG reunion.

The X-Men franchise (2000-2017)

Patrick Stewart sits in a wheelchair in a production still from the movie X-Men.

After he made a name for himself, boldly going wherever the Enterprise took him, Stewart stepped into an even more legendary role: Professor Charles Xavier in the 2000 X-Men movie. He reprised his role as leader of the X-Men in six installments in the franchise, including the stand-alone Wolverine movie, Logan. In December, audiences will see him one final time in the role in Avengers: Doomsday.

Green Room (2015)

It wasn’t common to see Stewart in a villainous role, so his performance as Darcy Banker in Green Room is a riveting turn for the actor. The movie takes place mostly inside a bar that caters to a white supremacist crowd, and Darcy is not just the bar owner, he’s their soft-spoken, violent leader.

Moby Dick (1998)

Illustrated key art featuring Gregory Peck, Patrick Stewart and Henry Thomas in Moby Dick.

Stewart starred as Captain Ahab in the 1998 miniseries adaptation of Herman Melville’s epic Moby Dick. The series follows the quintessential story of Ahab’s hunt for the white whale and delves into his backstory and relationships, introducing his wife, Elizabeth. Costarring in the series are Gregory Peck, Piripi Waretini and Henry Thomas.

Dune (1984)

Patrick Stewart in a production still from Dune.

David Lynch’s take on Dune may have been a box office failure, but in the years since it hit theaters, the movie has achieved cult status. Stewart takes on the supporting role of Gurney Halleck, who Josh Brolin played in the new Dune franchise.

The Prince of Egypt (1998)

Key art for Dreamworks Animation movie Prince of Egypt.

Stewart had a recognizable, resonant voice, and his voice-acting work appeared in a slew of animated films. The Prince of Egypt featured the actor as Pharaoh Seti I, the film’s antagonist. He was joined by a stacked slate of talent, including Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, Steve Martin and Sandra Bullock.

Extras (2004)

Patrick Stewart dressed in Shakespearean garb from an episode of Extras.

Sometimes, the best Stewart was the one who poked fun at Stewart. In the first season of the Ricky Gervais comedy series Extras, Stewart appeared as a heightened version of himself. He may have just appeared in one episode (Episode 6, to be exact), but he definitely left an impact.

Jeffrey (1995)

Patrick Stewart and Bryan Batt wear pink berets in a production still from the movie Jeffrey.

Jeffrey is a comedy that came out at a time when gay-themed movies were few and far between. The movie stars Steven Weber as the titular character, who decides to become celibate out of fear of contracting AIDS. It should be noted that this is a comedy and Stewart and Weber, along with the likes of Michael T. Weiss, Bryan Bratt, Nathan Lane and Sigourney Weaver, deliver on that front.

The Sheep Detectives (2026)

Image of an old sheep from the movie The Sheep Detectives.

One of Stewart’s final roles is that of Sir Ritchfield, the elder sheep featured in The Sheep Detectives, from Amazon MGM Studios. The movie follows a group of sheep who take it upon themselves to investigate the untimely death of their shepherd, George Hardy, played by Hugh Jackman.

Aaron is a writer for the streaming entertainment team. Previously, he wrote about TV and movies for places like Rotten Tomatoes, Inverse, TheWrap, Washington Post and The Hollywood Reporter. Aaron is also an actor and played a nerd on TV a lot in the '90s. Seriously. See full bio

Read Entire Article