Xavier, Picard and More: Remembering Patrick Stewart's Most Iconic Roles

Professor Charles Xavier (X-Men)

One of actor Patrick Stewart's most memorable roles was playing Professor Charles Xavier in X-Men (2000), X-Men 2 (2003), and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), concluding the initial mutant trilogy in the Fox era.

He also appeared in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), The Wolverine (2013), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), and had an emotional farewell to this universe with Logan (2017), where he plays a weakened version of Professor X, being cared for by Logan (Hugh Jackman).

Later, he joined the MCU playing a variant of Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) and will return for Avengers: Doomsday (2026), which will be his posthumous film.

King Richard (Robin Hood: Men in Tights)

In Mel Brooks' comedy Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993), Patrick Stewart plays King Richard. In the plot, the monarch is exiled on the Crusades, which allows his brother, King John, to usurp the throne of England. Stewart only appears at the end of the film, when he returns to restore order and recognize Robin Hood.

Despite his brief appearance, his performance is a direct satire of Sean Connery's portrayal in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991). The actor uses his classic, solemn demeanor to create a comedic contrast with the slapstick humor of the rest of the film.

Gurney Halleck (Dune)

In Dune (1984), David Lynch's adaptation of Frank Herbert 's work, Patrick Stewart played Gurney Halleck, the weapons master of House Atreides and responsible for Paul's (Kyle MacLachlan) combat training. His appearance is remembered for the scene in which Gurney tests the young man with shield training.

Captain Ahab (Moby Dick)

In Moby Dick (1998), a USA Network miniseries directed by Franc Roddam, Patrick Stewart played Captain Ahab in the adaptation of Herman Melville's novel. The character commands the whaling ship Pequod on a quest for revenge against the white whale that caused the amputation of his leg. Interestingly, the production features Gregory Peck, who played Ahab in the 1956 film adaptation as Father Mapple.

Macbeth (Macbeth)

In Macbeth (2007), a production directed by Rupert Goold, Patrick Stewart played the protagonist in a modernized staging that transposed Shakespeare's tragedy to a Stalinist tyranny in Eastern Europe. The production, which premiered at the Chichester Festival Theatre and went on to the West End and Broadway, featured set design by Anthony Ward based on a cold and aseptic industrial kitchen, complete with an elevator that served as a metaphor for descent into hell.

The television version, filmed for BBC Four in the underground chambers of Welbeck Abbey, retained the main cast, including Kate Fleetwood as Lady Macbeth. Stewart's performance earned him the Best Actor award at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards, while Goold was named Best Director .

Uriel Septim VII (The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion)

In The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006), Patrick Stewart voiced Emperor Uriel Septim VII. His participation is brief, but fundamental to the narrative: the character appears only in the initial moments of the game, when he is assassinated, an event that sets the main plot in motion. Stewart was also responsible for narrating the game's introduction, which establishes the context of the story. His original recordings were preserved and reused in the 2025 Remastered version, maintaining his performance intact in the re-release.