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Patrick Stewart changed genre acting forever with Captain Picard in "Star Trek" and Charles Xavier in "X-Men." ""'Star Trek' was popular before 'The Next Generation' debuted, but it was not considered high art by any means. Stewart changed that. He brought years of experience from the Royal Shakespeare Company to the role of Captain Picard, turning the character into a universally recognized noble leader," writes Variety's @JoeOtterson. "And many people point to stars like Robert Downey Jr. for shifting the perception around superhero movies, but Stewart was breaking new ground in that way as Charles Xavier more than two decades before the MCU came into existence." Read the full tribute here: variety.com/2026/tv/columns/…