In a career that spanned six decades, Stewart received multiple awards, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II.

• 1966: His first professional foray into acting was at the Royal Shakespeare Company, which he joined after winning a scholarship to the Bristol Old Vic
• 1967: He made his TV debut as a fireman on an episode of the soap opera Coronation street
• 1987: After a string of television roles over two decades, his breakthrough role came when he played Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the Star Trek series and subsequent films
• 2000: Stewart was cast as Professor X in the X-men franchise alongside actor Sir Ian McKellen
• 2009: He returned to the stage alongside McKellen in the play Waiting for Godot

Image source, Getty Images

If you’re just joining us, we’re continuing to bring you the latest on legendary Star Trek actor Patrick Stewart, who died on Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 86.

The actor was suffering with Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia, his Instagram account announced on Thursday.

Known for his roles in Star Trek, X-Men and the Royal Shakespeare Company, Stewart had a career spanning six decades.

Tributes have been pouring in since the news broke, with X-Men co-star Hugh Jackman remembering Stewart as “one of the greats”.

Image source, Getty Images

Wil Wheaton, who starred alongside Stewart in Star Trek: The Next Generation, has said the late actor brought "a wonderful kind of tone" to the cast.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's the World Tonight programme, the actor who played Wesley Crusher says: "Patrick, like the rest of the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation, treated me with more love, more unconditional love, more support, and more kindness than my parents."

Wheaton says Stewart brought "gravitas" to the programme, bringing it a level of respectability and intensity from spending time in the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Describing the loss as "very profound", he says: "He always made me feel so special when we were in scenes together. He made me a better actor just by being there. He was so kind, and so generous and gentle with me specifically."

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The Royal Shakespeare Company has described the late Patrick Stewart as "a colossus of both stage and screen".

Remembering him as "one of the finest classical Shakespearean actors of his generation", the company says his contribution to it is "beyond measure".

He says: "Despite being one of the most recognisable Shakespearean performers in the world, Sir Patrick remained deeply connected to Stratford-upon-Avon and the RSC throughout his career."

Noor Nanji
Culture correspondent

Away from his stage and screen work, Patrick Stewart was a huge animal lover and fostered pit bulls.

This evening, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) are among those paying tribute to him.

"Icons like Captain Picard and Professor X defined his screen legacy, but Sir Patrick was also a true giant for animal welfare, and we are proud to have campaigned alongside him to make this a kinder world," says Thomas Schultz-Jagow, Executive Director of Advocacy and Prevention at the RSPCA.

"In particular, Sir Patrick used his iconic voice to champion every dog - regardless of their breed.

"His kindness, compassion and advocacy will be sorely missed."

Image source, Getty Images

Regan Morris
Reporting from Los Angeles

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Flowers will be placed on Patrick Stewart’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame today to pay tribute to the late actor.

Stewart’s star on Hollywood Boulevard has been there since 16 December 1996. The Walk of Fame plans to place flowers on his star at 4 pm local time (2300g)

“With heavy hearts, we will place flowers on Sir Patrick Stewart’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star in honour of a remarkable talent whose legacy touched millions,” Ana Martinez of the Hollywood Walk of Fame said in a statement.

"It was our privilege to pay tribute to an extraordinary artist who will never be forgotten. Rest in peace, Sir Patrick.”

Stewart's death comes in the same week as that of another Star Trek actor.

Walter Koenig, who played the spirited Russian crewman Pavel Chekov in the original Star Trek TV series, died aged 90.

The pair worked together on the 1994 film, Star Trek Generations.

Image source, CBS via Getty Images.

The son of a textile worker mother and a father who was a regimental sergeant major in the British army, Patrick Stewart began his career performing in amateur dramatics in his home town of Mirfield, as well as alongside Brian Blessed in Calder Valley summer theatre workshops.

His talent as a teenager was clear, according to a local newspaper account - on display at the exhibition - of his last performance before he left for Bristol in 1957 when he was 17.

"As has now come to be expected, he played his part with considerable ease and was clearly audible," wrote the Mirfield Reporter's theatre critic in a lukewarm review of the local drama club's production of Ronald Jeans' comedy Young Wives' Tale.

Despite the initial rejections after leaving theatre school, work was soon flowing Sir Patrick's way.

He landed his first professional role playing Tom Morgan in Treasure Island at Lincoln's Theatre Royal in 1959 before working at the Sheffield Playhouse for 18 months.

Noor Nanji
Culture correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Patrick Stewart had a long and hugely successful career.

It was at school where his love of drama developed, 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. Speaking many years later to the Guardian, he said that he realised early that on stage, he could "escape".

"And my dream became more of a dream. Not just of having a different life. But, for the few minutes I had on stage, actually living it.”

Emma Saunders
Culture reporter

Image source, Getty Images

George Takei, who played Mr Sulu in Star Trek, has also paid tribute to his former co-star.

"Fans across the world mourn the passing of a true and irreplaceable legend," he writes on Instagram.

"As Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Patrick Stewart took the starship Enterprise to places it had never gone before, and he inspired a whole next generation of star-gazers who looked longingly ahead to a brighter future for all humanity."

"Our hearts are heavy, indeed. Rest in the heavens, Captain."

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

The veteran actor is survived by his wife Sunny Ozell, who was with him when he passed away at home according to a statement sent to the BBC by his spokesperson.

He is also survived by two adult children from his first marriage: Daniel Stewart and Sophie Stewart.

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Speaking in 2011, Patrick Stewart recalls when he was told he would "never be a leading man" and how he broke through into acting in the first place.

You can watch that moment here.

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Hugh Jackman has paid tribute to his former X-Men co-star, describing Sir Patrick Stewart as a "tremendous friend and man".

The actor says in a post on Instagram: "We lost one of the greats of stage and screen today."

"I learned so much from him. I will miss you, Patrick Stewart, all of my days," he adds.

Image source, Getty Images

William Shatner, who portrayed Captain Kirk on Star Trek, remembers his former co-star as "a magnificent colleague".

"What a heartbreaking week it has been. Sir Patrick Stewart was a friend, a colleague, and a magnificent actor," he says.

"From the stage to the bridge of the Enterprise, he brought intelligence, grace, and a deep sense of humanity to everything he did.

"Captain Picard stood for the best of us, and so did the man who played him. I was filled with affection and admiration for him and his work.

"My heart goes out to Sunny and his family. He will be deeply missed."

Noor Nanji
Culture correspondent

Sir Patrick Stewart's appeal crossed generations, thanks to his roles in multi-generational franchises.

Younger sci-fi and comic book fans will have discovered his work on streaming platforms.

In 2019, he starred as a modern-day Merlin, bringing the famous tale to new audiences.

And one of the things he'll be remembered for is his encouragement for young artists, urging them to "be brave" and trust others.

"If I had done that earlier in my life, maybe everything would have changed," he told Esquire a few years ago.

Image source, Getty Images

Emma Saunders
Culture reporter

BBC Radio 6 and Desert Island Discs presenter Lauren Laverne, who interviewed the Star Trek star years ago, writes simply on Instagram:

"What a life. I was lucky enough to interview him and will never forget it. Thinking of his family and friends today."

Emma Saunders
Culture reporter

Image source, Getty Images

As we just mentioned, the veteran star won a new legion of fans with his portrayal of Professor Charles Xavier in blockbuster films such as X-Men and Avengers: Doomsday.

Marvel posted on X shortly after the news of Sir Patrick's death was confirmed.

"All of us at Marvel Studios are deeply saddened by the passing of Sir Patrick Stewart. Sir Patrick brought Professor Charles Xavier to life with extraordinary grace, intelligence, and humanity, defining the character for generations of fans, from X-Men to Logan to Avengers: Doomsday.

"He was a singular talent, a generous collaborator, and a true gentleman. Our hearts go out to his wife Sunny, his children, his friends, and the countless fans around the world whose lives he touched with his art."

Image source, Getty Images

Patrick Stewart's career included a number of starring roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company, alongside appearances on the big screen in films such as X-Men, and his famous depiction of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek.

He played the space captain in over 170 episodes of the sci-fi television series between 1987 and 1994, and in four feature films before returning in Star Trek: Picard from 2020 to 2023.

The actor's career spans decades, having been born and raised in Mirfield and appearing in the town's pantomime as a boy.

He was also due to reprise his role as Professor Charles Xavier, from the X-Men films, in the forthcoming Avengers: Doomsday releasing in December.

Image source, Getty Images

Patrick Hewes Stewart was born in Mirfield in the West Riding of Yorkshire on 13 July 1940.

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 shredded his mental health.

"My father was a very potent individual," Stewart later recalled, "it was said that when he strode on to the parade ground, birds stopped singing."

But Alfred Stewart had become a quick-tempered man, suffering from what would now be called post traumatic stress.

He was prone to drink and often took out his frustrations on his family - although Patrick himself was never the target of his fists.

Young Patrick'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 also threw himself enthusiastically into the flourishing local theatre. "I used to recite Shakespeare from memory," he said. "I just learned all these big speeches."