Patrick Stewart

An internationally respected actor known for successfully bridging the gap between the theatrical world of the Shakespearean stage and contemporary film and television, Patrick Stewart continues to demonstrate his versatility with a wide range of projects.

Stewart was recently seen at the Apollo Theatre in A Life in The Theatre in which he starred opposite Joshua Jackson. He received outstanding reviews for his portrayal of stage veteran 'Robert,' The Guardian stated that Stewart is "the best reason for seeing this piece" and Time Out described his performance as "superb." Stewart was last seen on the London stage in Ibsen's The Master Builder towards the end of 2004.

Stewart completed production on the Showtime remake of The Lion in Winter and this was aired in the UK in December 2003. In addition to staring opposite Glenn Close, for which he was Golden Globe nominated, Stewart was also an Executive Producer alongside Wendy Neuss Stewart, Robert Halmi Sr., and Martin Poll, who produced the original film.

Stewart was seen earlier in 2003 in X-Men 2, the sequel to 20th Century Fox's blockbuster X-Men, directed by Bryan Singer from a script by Ed Solomon and Chris McQuarrie. Stewart reprised his role as 'Professor Xavier,' a wheelchair bound professor said to be the planet's most powerful telepath, which earned him a nomination for Favourite Actor in the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards. The sequel reunited all the original cast members including Sir Ian McKellan, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry and Anna Paquin.

In 2002 Stewart was seen in the tenth instalment of Paramount Pictures' Star Trek feature films. In Star Trek: Nemesis he reprised his role as 'Captain Jean Luc Picard' and re-teamed with Star Trek cast member Brent Spiner in a script by John Logan. In that same year he was also seen in the title role of King of Texas. Stewart co-produced this updated version of King Lear set in Texas during the Mexican revolt in the mid 1800s with Hallmark Entertainment. The film, also starring Marcia Gay Harden, Lauren Holly, Roy Scheider, Patrick Bergin, David Allen Grier, Matt Letscher and Julie Cox, aired on TNT.

In 2001, Stewart appeared in numerous theatrical productions. He starred in Johnson Over Jordan in Leeds, UK, directed by Jude Kelly; the production marked the first revival of the play by J.B. Priestley since the original opening in London in 1939. In March of the same year, he appeared in the Guthris Theatre's (Minneapolis) critically acclaimed production of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Stewart starred as 'George', a middle-aged college history professor in a destructive relationship with his wife 'Martha'. Directed by David Esbjornson the play also starred Mercedes Ruehl, Carrie Preston and Bill McCallum.

In December of 2001, Stewart took his universally acclaimed solo production of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, back to Broadway for eight benefit performances. The ticket sales from the sold-out performances were the highest single-week sales for any play in the history of Broadway.

Also in December 2001, Stewart was heard as the voice of 'King Goobot' in Nickelodeon Movies' highly successful computer animated motion picture Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. Martin Short provided the voice of 'King Goobot's' sidekick 'Ooblar'. The movie was released by Paramount Pictures.

During the summer of 2000, Stewart appeared on Broadway in Arthur Miller's The Ride Down Mt. Morgan, which received a Tony nomination for Best Play. He played the role of 'Lyman Felt', a bigamist who is visited by his two wives while he is convalescing in a hospital after an automobile accident.

Also in 2000 Stewart was seen on television in TNT's A Christmas Carol. He earned a SAG Award nomination for his portrayal of 'Ebenezer Scrooge', a role which continued a cherished association with the Charles Dickens' classic that includes his noted one-man performance of the play on Broadway. This was produced by Robert Halmi and Stewart for Hallmark, and also starred Joel Grey.

Stewart earned both Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor for his role as 'Captain Ahab' in the USA network's Moby Dick (1998), opposite Gregory Peck and Henry Thomas. The $18 million epic mini-series was filmed on location in Australia and set a ratings record for the network.

Also in 1998, Stewart received critical acclaim for his portrayal of the title role of Othello at the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington DC. Jude Kelly directed Stewart alongside an otherwise all-Black cast in a photo-negative production, which took a bold, new look at the play. Stewart's performance was praised in the New York Times as "never anything less than uncanny in his psychological portrait: it's like watching an autopsy on human feeling."

In December of 1996, Stewart took A Christmas Carol, his award winning adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic tale, to an exclusive engagement at the Doolittle Theatre in NY. Stewart first performed this acclaimed one-man show for Broadway audiences in 1991, playing over 40 characters and earning a Drama Desk Award for Best Solo Performer. This marked his return to the New York stage since 1971, when he appeared in the now legendary Peter Brook production of A Midsummer Nights Dream. When Stewart presented A Christmas Carol at the Old Vic Theatre he received an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actor and the Olivier Award for Best Entertainment.

On television, Stewart originated the role of 'Jean Luc-Picard' in the hit series, Star Trek: The Next Generation which aired from 1988 to 1994; this role earned him Best Actor nominations from the American TV Awards and the Screen Actors Guild. In addition to his starring role, he also directed several episodes, one of which (A Fistful of Datas, 1987) received an Emmy Award. Stewart reprised the role of 'Jean-Luc Picard' for Paramount Pictures in the motion pictures Star Trek: Generations (which also starred William Shatner and Malcolm McDowell), Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek: Insurrection.

Stewart's additional film credits include the film adaptation of Paul Rudnick's play, Jeffrey, Hedda, Dune, Lady Jane, Excalibur, LA Story, Death Train, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Gunmen, Masterminds, The Pagemaster, Conspiracy Theory, Safe House and Dad Savage. He also lent his voice to the character 'Seti', in DreamWorks's hit animated feature film Prince of Egypt.

Other television roles include the title role in The Canterivlle Ghost for ABC and the Hallmark Hall of Fame, TNT's In Search of Dr. Seuss, Fox's animated series The Simpsons, as well as hosting several documentary series including The Shape of the World on PBS and TNT's MGM; When the Lion Roars, a six-part series on the history of Metro-Goldwyn Mayer.

For the BBC, Stewart has been seen in the acclaimed mini-series I, Claudius, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and Smiley's People. He has also portrayed 'Salieri' in The Mozart Inquest, 'Oedipus' in Oedipus Rex, and 'Rev. Anderson' in The Devil's Disciple.

Stewart is an Honorary Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company, having been made an Associate Artist in 1967. With the RSC he has played such roles as 'King John', 'Shylock', 'Henry IV', 'Cassius', 'Titus Andronicus', 'Oberon', 'Leontes', 'Enobarbus', 'Tochstone' and 'Launce'. He has also starred in many contemporary works with the RSC, including productions by Tom Stoppard, Edward Bond, Howard Barker and David Rudkin. In 1986 he played the title role in Peter Shaffer's play, Yonadab at the National Theatre.

Stewart won the Society of the West End Theatre (SWET) Award for his performance as 'Enobarbus' in Peter Brook's production of Antony and Cleopatra and was nominated for his 'Shylock' in The Merchant of Venice.

In addition to a Christmas Carol, Stewart has adapted other works for the stage, TV and radio, including two works by Mikhail Bulgahov: The Procurator (from the novel The Master and Margarita) and A Country Doctor's Notebook. In 1992, he directed the musical drama Every Good Boy Deserves Favour by Tom Stoppard and Andre Previn, starring with four other cast members of Star Trek: The Next Generation and the Orange County Symphony Orchestra. In 1993, the same production was presented with symphony orchestras in Minneapolis, Chicago and Atlanta.

In 1995 Stewart starred on Broadway as 'Prospero' in Shakespeare's classic The Tempest, for which he received a Best Actor nomination from the Outer Critics Circle. The production, which was originally featured as part of the hugely successful Shakespeare in the Park Festival, received overwhelming public and critical response - becoming the festival's biggest event since 1980.

In 1996, in honour of his work on the stage, Stewart received the prestigious Will Award from The Shakespeare Theatre in Washington DC The Honour is given annually to an individual who makes "a significant contribution to classical theatre in America." That same year, Stewart also won a Grammy Award for his narrative work on Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf.

In 2001 New Years' Honours list, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth conferred on Stewart the order of the Officer of the British Empire (O.B.E.).

Stewart's next films due for release are The Game of Their Lives, Chicken Little, Steamboy and The Water Warriors. He is currently filming a science based drama, Eleventh Hour, for Granada in Manchester.