Francis Baker

Ian McKellen pays tribute to Patrick Stewart, his close friend of many years: “Before everything else, Patrick was defined by being born and bred in Yorkshire, the proud county in the north of England which he loved to the end. You could hear it in his accented voice and in the stern honesty with which he told you what he thought and felt. 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,” McKellen wrote on Instagram. “America was his adopted home, where he met his adored Sunny who has cared for him through sickness and health, through thick and thin. But he never forsook his origins: and the proudest achievement of the most respected and beloved actor of his generation on either side of the Atlantic, was his appointment as Chancellor of Huddersfield University in Yorkshire.” “His farewell performance in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ is yet to be seen,” McKellen concluded. variety.com/2026/film/news/i…

Patrick Stewart, who will be remembered most for his roles as Captain Jean-Luc Picard on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and as Professor Charles Xavier in the “X-Men” films, has died at 86. variety.com/2026/tv/news/pat…

Walter Koenig, who played Chekov in the original “Star Trek” series and seven “Star Trek” feature films, has died at 90. variety.com/2026/film/news/w…

Tom Skerritt, who starred in the TV series “Picket Fences” and appeared in movies ranging from “MASH” to “Alien,” “Top Gun,” “A River Runs Through It” and “Ted,” has died of natural causes at 93. variety.com/2026/film/news/t…

Eva Marie Saint, who starred in memorable classic films such as “North by Northwest” and “On the Waterfront,” has died at 102. variety.com/2026/film/news/e…