Patrick Stewart, the acclaimed British actor whose roles included Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek and Professor Charles Xavier in Fox's X-Men films, has died, according to a report published by Dominica News Online.
Stewart built his reputation first on the stage. He was a long-serving member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he performed a wide range of Shakespearean and other classical roles, and that training gave him the authority and gravitas he later brought to screen work. Many audiences first came to know him through the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, in which he played the Starship Enterprise captain Picard, a character who became one of the most recognised figures in science fiction.
He later reached a new generation of film fans as Professor X, the telepathic mentor and leader of the mutant heroes in Fox's X-Men movies. The role made him a familiar presence in the superhero genre and reinforced his standing as an actor who could move easily between theatre, television and blockbuster cinema.
The report on his death was based on information first circulated by MSN, and the details available at the time of publication were limited. Dominica News Online has not published further information on the circumstances of his death or any funeral arrangements, and those details should be sought from official or family sources as they become available.
Fans and colleagues have long credited Stewart with bringing intelligence, warmth and dignity to every role he took, whether on a Shakespearean stage or in a science-fiction spacecraft. His death will be felt across the theatre, television and film communities in which he worked for decades.
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