How Patrick Stewart embraced his baldness and became an icon
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The late British actor Patrick Stewart placing his handprints in cement at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX on Jan 13, 2020, in Hollywood, California.
PHOTO: AFP
Guy Trebay
- Patrick Stewart died aged 86. His baldness, caused by hereditary alopecia, became part of his strong screen image and made him stand out.
- He first tried to hide his hair loss with hats, wigs and a comb-over. He later accepted it and saw it as a career advantage.
- His role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek made him an international star. A Paramount executive made him remove his wig, helping create an enduring icon.
AI generated
Patrick Stewart was endowed with an abundance of actorly gifts, among them a commanding baritone that rumbled up from some deep inner reservoir, and a merry intelligence that beamed from his eyes.
Note also the alchemical physical presence that centred him in any scene he graced, whether onstage in Shakespearean roles, afloat in the vastness of the Star Trek universe or anchored to earth in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting For Godot.