Patrick Stewart, Mirfield’s Beloved Son and Hollywood Icon, Dies at 86

Though Sir Patrick Stewart set aside his Yorkshire accent to build a career in Hollywood, he never lost touch with the roots that shaped him.

Born in Mirfield, the actor—best known for his roles in Star Trek and the X-Men films—died at 86 on Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles after living with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia.

His passing has prompted an outpouring of affection from the community he proudly called home, as well as from Huddersfield Town, the football club he supported since childhood.

Close friend and fellow acting legend Sir Ian McKellen said Stewart “never forsook his origins.”

He added: “Before everything else, Patrick was defined by being born and bred in Yorkshire, the proud county in northern England that he loved until the end.”

Referencing a trait often associated with people from the region, McKellen said Stewart “told you what he thought and felt.”

Andy Burnham said he was “very sad” to hear of Stewart’s death, describing him as “one of the very best” who “never forgot his working-class Yorkshire roots.”

In a television interview with fellow Yorkshireman Michael Parkinson, Stewart said producers “did toy” with the idea of using his regional accent when he played Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the Star Trek franchise.

He added: “It was incomprehensible to the producers.”

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