Sir Patrick Stewart remembered as 'Mirfield's finest'

Tributes have been paid to Sir Patrick Stewart - the legendary actor who rose from a West Yorkshire mill town to become one of the world's best known performers.

The Mirfield-born actor, best known for his roles in Star Trek and the X-Men films, died at the age of 86 at his home in Los Angeles on Wednesday after suffering with Alzheimer's Disease and Lewy Body Dementia.

His death has prompted an outpouring of love from the community he proudly called home, along with is beloved Huddersfield Town - the club he followed from childhood.

Among those paying tribute was Spen Valley MP Kim Leadbeater, who described Stewart as "Mirfield's finest".

Posting on X, the Labour MP described him as "an outstanding talent and someone who came across as a thoroughly decent and lovely".

Leadbeater said she had met the actor at Huddersfield Town and corresponded with him several times, adding: "He was an incredibly kind and he will be greatly missed."

A lifelong Huddersfield Town supporter, Stewart attended matches when his schedule allowed and celebrated the Terriers' promotion to the Premier League at Wembley in 2017.

Paying tribute on X, the club said: "All at Huddersfield Town are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of lifelong supporter Sir Patrick Stewart.

"Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones at this sad time.

"A titan of his craft and a legend and hero to millions worldwide, his legacy will live on.

"Fiercely proud of his Yorkshire roots, Sir Patrick was a Terrier in every sense and we're proud to have counted him as one of our own.

"Once a Terrier, always a Terrier."

• Sir Ian McKellen leads tributes to 'beloved actor' Sir Patrick Stewart after death aged 86

Born in Mirfield in 1940, Stewart attended Crowlees Church of England Junior and Infant School before moving onto Mirfield Secondary Modern School.

His mother Gladys was a textile worker. She was active in amateur dramatics and encouraged her three sons to take part.

His father was a former Sergeant Major in the Parachute Regiment, whose experience during the wartime evacuation of Dunkirk had badly affected his mental health.

Stewart's love of drama came at school when one of his teachers introduced him to Shakespeare and encouraged him to perform.

His first public performance was in a local church production of Cinderella.

He left school at 15 and eventually got a job as a reporter and obituary writer on the Dewsbury Reporter.

He later won a scholarship to the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School launching a career that would take him from Yorkshire to the world stage.

Although he became one of Britain's most celebrated actors through roles including Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek and Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men film series, Stewart spoke of his pride in being from West Yorkshire.

In 2004 he became chancellor of the University of Huddersfield - a role he filled until 2015. A year later the university's drama building was named after him.

Speaking at the time, he said: "I'm thrilled. It still makes me a little self conscious to think there's a building named after me."

Bob Cryan, the Vice Chancellor of the university, said Stewart was "very proud" of being chancellor and his success never changed him.

"It's something he took very personally," he said.

"He saw it as a way of paying back to Yorkshire because he was very proud of the fact that he was given a scholarship from what was then the West Riding of Yorkshire, but he felt he had never paid back."

For many, it was the combination of worldwide fame and his down-to-earth Yorkshire roots that made him such a star across the world.

Reflecting on his sense of humour, Cryan said: "He had a great sense of fun.

"I remember saying to him we were hosting a dinner for staff at the university to say thank you for all their hard work and we decided he and I were going to be waiters.

"You can imagine peoples' faces when Patrick served them their meal."

Actor and close friend Sir Ian McKellan also recognised Stewart's strong ties to his birthplace, saying: "Before everything else, Patrick was defined by being born and bred in Yorkshire, the proud county in the north of England which he loved to the end."

The statement announcing Stewart's death, which was shared on his Instagram account, ended with a quote from his memoirs: "Like me, Jean-Luc has lived an unusual life that has taken him far beyond the bounds of normal human experience.

"But he is also someone who remains true to his earthbound roots, for they are what gave him his identity. In the end, he feels the call of home, as do I."

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