Patrick Stewart was my Professor X. That is the simplest way to say what feels enormous today.
Stewart died on October 28 at his home in Los Angeles, aged 86, according to his spokesperson. The Associated Press reported his death today.
There will be plenty of room to remember the Shakespeare, the captain’s chair, the extraordinary voice. But Professor Charles Xavier is the part that belongs in this goodbye. Stewart made a school for people the world feared feel like somewhere you might actually be safe.
His Xavier had authority without needing to fill every silence. He could make patience feel powerful; make the idea of choosing understanding over fear feel worth taking seriously. In a franchise full of spectacular abilities, the willingness to see a person before seeing a threat was one of the most important.
And the man mattered, too.
The International Rescue Committee credits Stewart with more than a decade of raising awareness and funds for its work supporting people affected by humanitarian crises. Refuge’s own annual report records his work as a patron and his willingness to speak publicly about growing up around domestic violence. That is something concrete to remember alongside the performances: using a voice people would listen to on behalf of people who needed to be heard.
An actor is not the same person as the characters he plays. But it means something when the person behind a beloved character gives you reasons to admire him beyond the screen.
Rest in peace, Patrick Stewart. My Professor X, and an amazing human. Thank you.
Featured photo: Patrick Stewart at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2019, by Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized; the photograph remains under the same license.
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