Who didn’t live this guy?

Patrick Stewart classed up everything he showed up in, on the stage and on screens big and small. He made small screens large just with his presence and movies feel important, even when they weren’t.

It’s been fun, over the decades, to come across pre “Star Trek” turns of his in supporting roles in classics like”Excalibur” and lesser fare. He started standing out in middle age, and he had a long one.

His working class upbringing meant he had a steeper hill to climb than many an upper class, hyphenated surnamed colleague He sprinted up that hill, Royal Shakespeare Company, films, TV, icon status.

If his Trek years taught us anything, it was that he could take the work seriously and himself not so much. His becoming bosom buddies with Ian McKellen during their “Godot” years, with chat show appearances, pranks and staged photos , were just joyous.

I only interviewed him once, before that late life career bounce that “X-Men” gave him. He was talking up “Masterminds,” which he made tolerable simply by his presence.

He ennobled “Picard” and “Logan” with much more than his formidable manner. He showed us his Lear in many films and many guises in his latter years.

Sir Patrick was an advocate for domestic abuse victims and, with partner in crime Sir Ian, a playful champion of tolerance.

He came to the rescue during COVID by reging us with the Bard’s sonnets.

We should all age into dotage with such grace, gravitas and good humor.

An actor’s life it was, and as well acted and lived as any of his era. Let the tears flow and the curtain calls be many. He was one of a kind.