Remember Patrick Stewart by streaming his greatest performances
Remember Patrick Stewart by streaming his greatest performances
The Shakespeare and sci-fi legend died at age 86 after a brief battle with Alzheimer’s.
There are actors who become synonymous with a beloved character, and then there are the exceedingly rare performers who somehow manage to do it twice, while still maintaining a completely artistically satisfying career outside their most well-known franchises. For more than six decades, Sir Patrick Stewart — who died on Wednesday at age 86, following a brief battle with Alzheimer’s — has brought his unmistakable voice, classical precision, and seemingly bottomless gravitas to the stage and screen, creating not one, but two characters who have become permanent fixtures of popular culture.
Long before he boldly went anywhere, however, Stewart was a creature of the theater. He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966, beginning a decades-long relationship with Shakespeare that would remain the foundation beneath nearly everything that followed.
Stream Sir Patrick Stewart’s best performances
Of course, for millions of fans, Stewart will forever be Capt. Jean-Luc Picard. Beginning with “Star Trek: The Next Generation” in 1987, he transformed what could have been an impossible assignment — following William Shatner into the captain’s chair — into one of science fiction’s defining performances. Seven seasons, four feature films, and eventually the follow-up series “Star Trek: Picard” turned the thoughtful, deeply principled captain into one of television’s most enduring characters.
And because apparently one generation-defining franchise was insufficient, Stewart later became Professor Charles Xavier in 2000’s “X-Men,” returning to the role repeatedly over the next two decades, most memorably opposite Hugh Jackman in the unexpectedly powerful “Logan” and December’s “Avengers: Doomsday.”
Despite his air of nobility, Stewart has always displayed a wicked sense of humor, often at his own expense. Whether lending his voice to the gloriously unhinged Avery Bullock on “American Dad!,” embracing absurdity on “Blunt Talk,” or popping up in comedies where merely hearing that magnificent Shakespearean baritone becomes part of the joke, Stewart has always understood that gravitas is considerably more entertaining when you are occasionally willing to weaponize it for silliness.
So, whether you know him from The Enterprise, Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, the Royal Shakespeare Company, or something considerably stranger, here are some of the best movies and TV shows from Sir Patrick Stewart’s remarkable career.
Patrick Stewart’s best movies
- “Excalibur” (1981)
- “Dune” (1984)
- “L.A. Story” (1991)
- “Robin Hood: Men in Tights” (1993)
- “The Pagemaster” (1994)
- “Star Trek: Generations” (1994)
- “Jeffrey” (1995)
- “Star Trek: First Contact” (1996)
- “Conspiracy Theory” (1997)
- “X-Men” (2000)
- “X2: X-Men United” (2003)
- “X-Men: The Last Stand” (2006)
- “X-Men: Days of Future Past” (2014)
- “Green Room” (2015)
- “Logan” (2017)
- “The Kid Who Would Be King” (2019)
- “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” (2022)
Disney+
Disney+ is a video streaming service with over 13,000 series and films from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, The Muppets, and more. It is available in 61 countries and 21 languages. It is notable for its popular original series like “The Mandalorian,” “Ms. Marvel,” “Loki,” “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” and “Andor.”
Patrick Stewart’s best TV shows, movies
- “I, Claudius” (1976)
- “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” (1979)
- “Star Trek: The Next Generation” (1987-94)
- “Moby Dick” (1998)
- “A Christmas Carol” (1999)
- “The Lion in Winter” (2003)
- “Frasier” (2003 appearance)
- “Extras” (2005 appearance)
- “American Dad!” (2005-present)
- “Hamlet” (2009)
- “Macbeth” (2010)
- “Blunt Talk” (2015-16)
- “Star Trek: Picard” (2020-23)
Paramount Plus
Paramount+ is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 40,000+ TV show episodes from BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., and more. Get free access with a Walmart+ subscription.
Paramount+ includes “1883,” “Tulsa King,” “Star Trek: Discovery,” “SpongeBob SquarePants,” and “PAW Patrol.” Subscribers can watch the NFL, college football, The Masters, college basketball, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, Serie A, and NWSL. The service also offers the option to watch your live CBS affiliate. The upgraded ad-free package includes premium movies and shows from Showtime.