How Old Was Patrick Stewart In 1987
The Year of the Beard: Patrick Stewart in 1987 Let’s do the math, shall we? Patrick Stewart was born on July 13, 1940. So, in 1987, he turned a cool 47 years old. But when you...
The Year of the Beard: Patrick Stewart in 1987
Let’s do the math, shall we? Patrick Stewart was born on July 13, 1940. So, in 1987, he turned a cool 47 years old. But when you picture him that year, you probably don’t think “middle-aged man in his late forties.”
You think of a bald, regal space captain. A man who could order tea with the same intensity as a photon torpedo launch. The truth is, Patrick Stewart was 47 when he first stepped onto the bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise for Star Trek: The Next Generation.
That’s the surprising part. He wasn’t a young, action-hero type. He was a classically trained Shakespearean actor who was almost fifty. And the producers were terrified.
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“We wanted a younger, more dynamic actor,” one executive later admitted. “But we got a bald guy who could do Hamlet.”
What makes this number (47) so fun is the context. In 1987, Patrick Stewart was living in a tiny London flat, broke, and just happy to have a job. He had no idea that a sci-fi show would make him a global icon.
He was older than Captain Kirk had been when the original show started. William Shatner was only 35 when he took the chair. Stewart was a full decade older. He had more wrinkles, less hair, and infinitely more gravitas.
His age brought a secret weapon to the role: calm authority. He didn’t have to act like a leader. At 47, he had lived enough to know how to command a room (or a starship).
The Baldness Factor
Here’s a heartwarming detail. Stewart started losing his hair in his late teens. By 1987, he was completely bald. The studio executives were horrified. They wanted him to wear a toupee.
Patrick Stewart 1987 Star Trek Captains: Who's The Best Of All? | Star
Stewart refused. He said, “I am this. This is what I look like.” That bold choice changed television forever. A bald, 47-year-old man became a sex symbol for an entire generation.
Imagine the alternative. A 47-year-old Patrick Stewart in a bad wig, trying to look 30. It would have been a disaster. His honesty about his age and his look made Captain Picard feel real.
The Royal Shakespeare Company Days
Before he was a captain, Patrick Stewart was a serious stage actor. In 1987, he was fresh from performing at the Royal Shakespeare Company. He had played King Lear (a very old, very tragic king) on stage.
He was used to playing characters much older than himself. So playing a starship captain at 47 felt perfectly natural. “I felt young for the part,” he once joked. “Usually, I play men who are 80.”
Patrick Stewart 1987
His Shakespeare training is what made his Star Trek lines sing. He could say “Make it so” with the same weight as a soliloquy from Hamlet. That’s the magic of a 47-year-old actor who had been perfecting his craft for decades.
The Surprising Romance
In real life, 1987 was a rough year for Stewart personally. He was going through a divorce. He was 47, single, and living in a rented house in Los Angeles.
But on set, something magical happened. A young actress named Gates McFadden (Dr. Beverly Crusher) was his on-screen love interest. Off-screen, they became close friends. Stewart later said that acting with McFadden “kept me sane.”
He was the oldest member of the main cast. Most of his co-stars were in their 20s and 30s. Yet he became the glue that held the whole show together. His life experience prevented the young cast from going crazy with fame.
Patrick Stewart 1987
“Patrick was like our dad,” one actor remembered. “But a dad who could quote Shakespeare and order a perfect dry martini.”
What Were You Doing at 47?
So there he was: 47 years old, bald, British, and broke. And he was about to become one of the most beloved characters in pop culture history. It proves that your best years aren’t always in your 20s.
Patrick Stewart in 1987 is proof that age is just a number. If you’re 40-something and feeling old, remember this: the man who would define “cool” for millions was exactly your age.
He didn’t get his big break until he was nearly 50. And that’s probably the best news for anyone who thinks they’re running out of time. The bald, middle-aged Shakespearean nerd became the captain. And we all saluted.
So next time you watch The Next Generation, remember the math. That calm, powerful voice? That came from a 47-year-old man who had already lived a whole life. And he was just getting started.
