by Patrick Stewart (Biography Stewart)
This autobiography is not simply for Trekkies or fans of the X-Men franchises. This well-written autobiography covers Stewart’s life from a young boy living in astonishing poverty with a violent father, to his interest in stage plays, to getting some semi-regular work in plays and working his way up to more prestigious playhouses, to eventually the pinnacle of Shakespeare playhouses — Royal Shakespeare Company.
At RSC he finally had regular work
at a decent income, and was able to play many characters in Shakespeare’s plays
for over 15 years. He mentions veteran and current actors and actresses that
fans of British TV, American TV, and movies will recognize. With RSC he was
able to travel the world and work with his idols and I enjoyed those stories.
Then came along Star Trek: The Next Generation and Capt. Jean-Luc Picard.
‘Everyone’ said it would last only a year. They offered an astonishing amount
of money so he decided he could give them a year of his life. Well, we know how
that went. His insider stories of fellow actors, several of whom became dear
friends, were humorous and interesting as the stage actor had to learn to
navigate the television world.
When he finished “The Next
Generation” he was eager to jump into Shakespeare again but was offered the
role of Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men movies. His thoughts at the time?
“No more fantasy. No more sci-fi. I’m done with that.” But, his involvement in
the movies is when he and Ian McKellen became best of friends. And a movie
franchise allowed him to continue his beloved work in his Shakespeare plays
whereas a weekly television contract did not.
His writing is eloquent as he pulls
you into of his stories and experiences. As any good biography has there are
photos in the middle of the book. And I admit to re-listening to my copy of his
A Christmas Carol audio performance while washing up
Thanksgiving dishes. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.
( publisher’s official Making It So web site ) | ( Wikipedia page for Patrick
Stewart — Sir Patrick Stewart has official accounts on Facebook,
X, TikTok, Instagram and more… )
Recommended
by Charlotte M.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service
Have you read or listened to
this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?
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