Sir Patrick Stewart reveals childhood efforts to shield mother from abusive father: ‘I would place myself between them’
Renowned actor Sir Patrick Stewart has opened up about his attempts to prevent his father from violently attacking his mother during his youth.
The distinguished actor, who has shared in the past how his tumultuous upbringing influenced his adult life, discussed his personal history and career in an interview with The Sunday Times.
Sir Patrick’s life changed when his father, Alfred, returned from the war when he was just six years old.
“He was practically unknown to us,” he shared.
“He was a stranger in our lives. He would drink on weekends, become enraged, and assault my mother. I would place myself between them to defend her.
“On occasion, we needed to summon an ambulance or the police. We urged her to leave him, but she refused – she loved him deeply.”
Over the years, Sir Patrick has been an advocate for several anti-domestic violence initiatives, and he mentioned that he has gradually come to comprehend his father more fully.
While participating in a 2012 episode of the BBC series Who Do You Think You Are?, Sir Patrick learned that his father, a distinguished soldier and war hero, struggled with what is now recognized as post-traumatic stress disorder.
During the interview, he acknowledged that his father, who passed away in 1980, had a significant impact on his choice of acting roles throughout his career.
“I had denied the influence my father had on my acting until I portrayed Macbeth,” he stated.
“[Director] Rupert Goold set the scene in Stalinist Russia. I grew facial hair, and during the first dress rehearsal, I was wearing combat attire when my amazing dresser handed me my AK47.”
“As I placed it on my shoulder and looked in the mirror, I saw my father staring back at me. That was the moment of realization.
“This man had been shaping my life for decades. There is a substantial presence of Alfred Stewart in [Star Trek’s] Jean-Luc Picard.”
In a 2009 article for The Guardian, Sir Patrick wrote, “As a young boy, I witnessed his ongoing violence against my mother, and the fear and misery he created was so profound that, had I believed I could succeed, I would have murdered him.”
“If my mother had tried, I would have restrained him. For those who find it difficult to understand such feelings in a child, envision living with emotional instability, danger, and degradation week after week, year after year, starting at age seven.
“My juvenile instinct was to protect my mother, but the person harming her was my father, whom I looked up to, admired, and dreaded.”
Sir Patrick recently marked his 80th birthday.
He had planned an extravagant celebration at LA’s Chateau Marmont, but due to lockdown restrictions, he opted for a more intimate gathering with close friends in his backyard.
Throughout the lockdown, he has been delighting fans by posting daily videos of himself reciting a Shakespeare sonnet.
