MANILA, Philippines — British actor Ian McKellen paid tribute to his longtime friend Patrick Stewart, who died on Wednesday, at 86, remembering their five-decade friendship and the bond they strengthened while playing rivals in the X-Men film franchise.
In a tribute dated Oct. 29, 2026, McKellen recalled first meeting Stewart as ambitious young actors at the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) in Stratford-upon-Avon about half a century ago, although they were not performing in the same productions.
“My first strong memory was a few years later, meeting him in the street in central London,” McKellen wrote, recalling their encounter when Stewart told him about an offer to take over a leading role in Star Trek.
McKellen said he had warned his friend about the possible consequences for his British stage career.
“But Patrick think of your stage career in the UK. Do you really want to risk—getting lost in Hollywood for years and years?” he recalled telling Stewart.
Stewart nevertheless accepted the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation, which ran from 1987 to 1994 and turned him into an international star.
Their friendship grew closer when they reunited for the first X-Men film, released in 2000. Stewart played Professor Charles Xavier, the telepathic leader of the X-Men, while McKellen portrayed his ideological adversary, Erik Lehnsherr, better known as Magneto.
Although their characters were often at odds on screen, the actors developed a close friendship that extended well beyond the franchise. McKellen later officiated at Stewart’s 2013 wedding to singer Sunny Ozell.
Describing the qualities he admired most in Stewart, McKellen said his friend was defined by his Yorkshire roots and his straightforward character.
“You could hear it in his accented voice and in the stern honesty with which he told you what he thought and felt,” McKellen wrote.
“Yorkshiremen have no truck with half-truths or avoidance of big issues. He wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love,” he added.
McKellen also praised Stewart for using his international celebrity to pursue both major film productions and classical theatre, including works by William Shakespeare, Henrik Ibsen, Arthur Miller, Peter Shaffer, Harold Pinter and Samuel Beckett.
He noted that although the United States became Stewart’s adopted home, the actor never abandoned Yorkshire. McKellen cited his appointment as chancellor of the University of Huddersfield as one of his proudest achievements.
“His farewell performance in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ is yet to be seen,” McKellen wrote, referring to Stewart’s anticipated appearance in the upcoming film.
He described Stewart as “the most respected and beloved actor of his generation on either side of the Atlantic.”
