Beyond Star Trek and X-Men: How Patrick Stewart’s childhood trauma inspired his fight against domestic violence

Patrick Stewart became a global star as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek and Professor Charles Xavier in X-Men. Off screen his childhood was one of profound pain which in turn went on to shape much of his life. He grew up in Yorkshire and saw his dad physically abuse his mother on a regular basis. That stayed with him for a long time and that was one of the reasons he eventually spoke out about domestic violence and became involved in the work to support victims.

Following his death at 86, his story is also a reminder of the personal experiences that underpinned his work as an advocate.

What happened to Patrick Stewart during his childhood

Stewart grew up in a poor family in Mirfield, West Yorkshire. His dad Alfred was a long serving soldier in the British Army and his mum Gladys worked in a mill. Life at home was tough. In a 2023 interview with The Guardian Stewart was quite open about the violence his mother suffered and the fact that he and his older brother Trevor would often see it.

His dad (whom he described as a weekend alcoholic) would regularly become violent when he was drinking. The lads would sometimes try and step in between the parents to stop the attacks.

One rather disturbing incident was Alfred hitting Gladys on the head with a pint glass. She was left "barely conscious" and "bleeding quite heavily". An ambulance and a police officer came, but Stewart remembered the officer placing the blame on his mother for inciting his father's fury.

For years he kept it all to himself, told The Guardian, "You know, I didn't talk about my family for decades". He often described his parents as being very supportive, which of course wasn't the reality of life at home.

“The conversation we’re having, I would never have had. I kept it close. I’d say, ‘Oh, yes, they were fine, they were very supportive.’ And it wasn’t like that at all a lot of the time.”

How did his father's violence affect him later in life

Stewart left home at 17, having secured a scholarship to Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Acting was an escape from the difficult circumstances of his upbringing. He subsequently joined the Royal Shakespeare Company and went on to build a very successful career before becoming an international star through Star Trek and X-Men.

However, his childhood experiences continued to have an impact on him. He spoke of his anger and the guilt he carried about not being able to protect his mother.

'Because I didn't do enough to protect my mother' was the reason he gave for sometimes feeling that he wasn't worthy of the good things in life.

Therapy enabled him to understand his relationship with his father and the long term impact of those years.

In 2012 whilst on the BBC programme Who Do You Think You Are? Stewart discovered that his father may have had PTSD having served in the war. The historian with him at the time explained that that was what it was called then (shell shock). Stewart didn't use that discovery as an excuse for the abuse. "It's not a get-out," he said. "But it is an understanding, yes."

Turning personal experiences into advocacy

Stewart's work in the area of domestic violence was one of the causes he championed outside of acting. His obituary also mentions his work with charities that assist soldiers suffering from PTSD. His own family history gave him a very personal connection to the issue. Rather than keep his own childhood experiences to himself he eventually did so, including in his memoir Making It So. He also spoke about the importance of understanding how trauma can have an impact on people long after the original experience has finished.

Stewart's legacy will always be one of his remarkable performances, but his openness about domestic violence and the impact of childhood trauma was a very significant aspect of his life.