Sir Patrick Stewart was born in Mirfield, Yorkshire, England, to Gladys (Barrowclough), a textile worker and weaver, and Alfred Stewart, who was in the army. He was a member of various local drama groups from about age 12. He left school at age 15 to work as a junior reporter on a local paper; he quit when his editor told him he was spending too much time at the theatre and not enough working. Stewart spent a year as a furniture salesman, saving cash to attend drama school. He was accepted by Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in 1957. He made his professional debut in 1959 in the repertory theatre in Lincoln; he worked at the Manchester Library Theatre and a tour around the world with the Old Vic Company followed in the early 1960s. Stewart joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966, to begin his 27-year association. Following a spell with the Royal National Theatre in the mid 1980s, he went to Los Angeles, California to star on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), which ran from 1987-1994, playing the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard. After the series ended, Stewart reprised his role for a string of successful Star Trek films: Star Trek: Generations (1994), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), Star Trek: Insurrection (1998), and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002). Stewart continues to work on the stage and in various films. He was awarded Knight Bachelor of the Order of the British Empire in the 2010 Queen's New Year's Honours List for his services to drama.

Sunny Ozell (7 September 2013 - present)

Trivia

Father of Sophie Stewart and Daniel Stewart.
Announced his engagement to former Star Trek: Voyager (1995) producer Wendy Neuss, aged 39. [September 1997]
London Fringe Theatre Best Actor Award (1986), for the role of George in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" at the Young Vic.
New York Theater Critics Drama Desk Award for Best Solo Performance (1993), for "A Christmas Carol" at the Broadhurst.
Is an Honorary Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company.
US TV Guide -- voted "Most Bodacious" male on television (1993).
During the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), he was so convinced that he was going to be fired from the series that he did not unpack his bags for six weeks.
Has a human rights scholarship named after him from Amnesty International.
Best friends with his Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) castmate Brent Spiner, who was Stewart's best man at the wedding to Star Trek: Voyager (1995) producer Wendy Neuss.
In episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), when he got up, he had a habit of tugging on the uniform where it was creased. Jonathan Frakes jokingly called this the Picard Maneuver, and the name stuck.
Is a lifelong supporter of Huddersfield Town Football Club of the Football League.
Is a huge fan of Doctor Who (1963) and Red Dwarf (1988).
He accepted the position of Chancellor of the University of Huddersfield and became a British resident again (2004). [November 2003]
Is a huge fan of the comic book series "Transmetropolitan", written by Warren Ellis. It follows the adventures of journalist Spider Jerusalem in a future of paranoia and corruption, and deals with politics, journalism and, most of all, the truth. He has even written an introduction to "Lonely City", one of the graphic novels in the series, explaining how he enjoys the main character's brutality and hostility towards this world as a desire that we all sometimes feel.

[on whether or not he is typecast by audiences as Jean-Luc Picard] I think perhaps when I first walk in front of the camera they'll say, "Aha, there, ah, yeah, Jean-Luc, we recognize him despite that charming little mustache." I believe that audiences are really smart enough to let go of that pretty quickly, but that's also my job as an actor to persuade them that, you know, Jean-Luc Picard is left behind and this is someone entirely different... I mean, I'm an actor dedicated to transforming myself and to creating original pieces of work, and I will not accept that my life is going to be forever connected to Jean-Luc Picard in the roles that I play. On the other hand, I'm absolutely delighted that he's still in my life. Actually, I think my appearance in The Simpsons and an appearance that I did on Sesame Street - in praise of the letter B - were perhaps the two most distinguished bits of work that I've done in the United States.

[on his love for Beavis and Butt-Head (1993)] Oh, yes, my passion for them remains the same... I think it's one of the most original and brilliant pieces of television that we've seen in recent years. The dialogue is delightful. I simply sit and giggle and laugh all the time.
[on preparing for the role of Professor Charles Xavier in X-Men (2000)] I read a lot of comic books.
I was brought up in a very poor and very violent household. I spent much of my childhood being afraid.
I would like to see us get this place right first before we have the arrogance to put significantly flawed civilizations out onto other planets, even though they may be utterly uninhabited.
[on his initial belief that he would be fired from Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)] When it first started, I didn't think that I would survive beyond the pilot. I did not unpack; I didn't see the point. I thought the producers would come to their senses and realize they'd made a grave error in casting me. I was certain that I'd be on my way back to London... Eventually, it became clear to me that not only wasn't I going to go away, the series wasn't going to go away. I stayed, and have relished every moment.
The three things that I am most proud of doing in my life is firstly, Extras (2005); secondly, my appearance on The Simpsons (1989) and thirdly, appearing on Sesame Street (1969).
A lot of these changes we do on stage. So the Apollo audience, whether it's to their taste or not, will have to tolerate the sight of Josh and myself taking our clothes on and off.
Before long there was another series, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993), then Star Trek: Voyager (1995), now there is Star Trek: Enterprise (2001). Bill [William Shatner] was still filling Captain Kirk's shoes, and I was building shoes of my own.