Today marks the 86th birthday of Patrick Stewart. From his time in the Royal Shakespeare Company to a long career as a starship commander to now acting as a CGI sheep, Stewarts’ decades long career has included over a hundred roles in TV and film.
Here’s how you can watch some of Patrick Stewart’s most iconic roles.
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation brought us Captain Jean-Luc Picard, commanding officer of the Federation starship USS Enterprise. Decades after the adventures of the original Enterprise crew, Picard led the new Enterprise on missions to explore unknown worlds.
Moby Dick
In 1998, USA Network aired a two-night miniseries premiere of Moby Dick. Based on the cherished novel by Herman Melville, the two-part series is a definitive epic of New England seafaring life. Captain Ahab, played by Stewart, is pitted against a legendary white whale that is also his age-old nemesis. His avenging hunt brings a cataclysmic end to himself and his crew.
A Christmas Carol
In 1999, TNT aired a rendition of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol with Patrick Stewart in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge. The movie closely follows the 1843 novel, telling the story of Scrooge being visited by the ghost of his business partner Jacob Marley, with a warning to repent for the suffering he’s caused. After being visited by three spirits, Scrooge is given a second chance to be a better person, starting with the family of his employee Bob Cratchit. Stewart was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie at the SAG Awards for his performance in 2000.
X-Men
The X-Men, a group of mutants with extraordinary powers, wage a fight against both intolerance, and a fellow band of radical mutants intent on exterminating the human race. In the film franchise, Patrick Stewart played Charles Xavier, better known as Professor X, founder of a school for mutants with a goal of creating a peaceful coexistence between mutants and humans.
Hamlet
Going back to his Shakespearean roots, Stewart took on the roles of both King Claudius and the ghost of Hamlet’s father in the 2009 film Hamlet. The film starred David Tennant as Hamlet, Denmark’s Prince seeking vengeance for his father’s death.
Match
In 2014’s Match, Patrick Stewart stars as Tobi, a Julliard ballet instructor and former dancer. Tobi is interviewed by a couple, Mike and Lisa, with an interest in the 1960s dance world. Mike’s questions become increasingly personal and uncomfortable as the couple digs deeper into Tobi’s history of sex, secrets, and lies, with a hidden motive. The film is based on a Tony-nominated play.
Star Trek: Picard
While Stewart said goodbye to his character on the big screen with the film Logan in 2017, it wasn’t the end of Picard. Set at the end of the 24th century, the series revolves around retired admiral Jean-Luc Picard, as he deals with the destruction of the planet Romulus and the loss of a friend. Picard finds meaning in a new mission and begins the next chapter of his life.
The Sheep Detectives
Patrick Stewart lends his voice to the character of Sir Ritchfield in this film about a flock of sheep out to solve a mystery after their beloved farmer is found dead under mysterious circumstances. The group comes together to brave the world outside of the meadow, exploring a space they’ve only heard about in books.