Stage and screen actor, Sir Patrick Stewart was born on this day in 1940.
While most know him for his portrayal of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation or as Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men films, Stewart was with the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1966 until 1982.
When cast as Picard, the Los Angeles Times referred to Stewart as an “unknown British Shakespearean actor.”
“Having played many roles of scientific intellect I do have an empathy for that world. It’s been hard on me because flying the Enterprise for seven years in Star Trek and sitting in Cerebro in X-men has led people to believe that I know what I’m talking about. But I’m still trying to work out how to operate the air conditioning unit on my car.”
~ Patrick Stewart