Patrick Stewart's 20 Best Films and TV Shows, Ranked

Ranking a career as long as Patrick Stewart’s means comparing a starship captain with a Shakespearean king and a CIA deputy director in a cartoon. So here are the rules. This list weighs how good the work is, how much it mattered to his career and how easy it is to recommend today. Voice-only work is included if it earned its place. The order is our editorial opinion, not an official ranking, and plenty of reasonable fans would shuffle it. Stewart died on October 28, 2026, and his family’s announcement was reported on October 29 by Reuters. This is a celebration of the work he left behind.

1. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994)

It had to be first. Seven seasons as Captain Jean-Luc Picard turned a stage actor with a long résumé into one of television’s defining captains. If you want one place to start, start here, and our best Picard episodes guide tells you which episodes to watch first. For the character, see our Jean-Luc Picard explainer.

2. Logan (2017)

James Mangold’s Logan asked Stewart to play Charles Xavier as old, frightened and unwell, which is about as far from the calm professor of the earlier films as the role can go. It is the performance that most rewards anyone who thought they knew the character. Our Logan guide has the details, with spoilers.

3. Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

Picard’s confrontation with the Borg, and his personal history with them, gave Stewart some of his most intense film work in the role. Many fans still see it as the best of the Next Generation films.

4. X-Men (2000)

The film that made Stewart the face of Professor X, and the start of the Fox series. It gave the franchise its moral center. See our Professor X guide.

5. X2 (2003)

Xavier is more central here, and the film uses his powers and his vulnerability well. For many fans it is the strongest of the original X-Men films.

6. Star Trek: Picard (2020–2023)

Three seasons that brought Stewart back to the role as an older man. Opinions vary on the seasons, and our series guide covers each without pretending they are equal. At its best it gave Stewart material that the 1990s films never could.

7. Green Room (2015)

His most unexpected late-career performance: quiet, polite and frightening. If you only know him as Picard, this is the film to watch next.

8. Macbeth (2010)

The filmed version of Rupert Goold’s production on PBS’s Great Performances is the most accessible way to see Stewart do Shakespeare at full volume.

9. I, Claudius (1976)

Stewart’s Sejanus is an early reminder that he was a serious dramatic actor a decade before Star Trek. It is a BBC classic that rewards patience.

10. Smiley’s People (1982)

As the Soviet spymaster Karla, he has little screen time and a lot of impact. Best watched after Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, in which he also played the character.

11. X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

The film that brought the older and younger versions of Xavier into the same story, with Stewart and James McAvoy sharing the role.

12. Moby Dick (1998)

His Captain Ahab earned him Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. It is not the definitive version of the novel, but it is a strong example of his intensity.

13. Extras (2005)

A short, funny turn as himself in the BBC series, which earned him an Emmy nomination according to the Hollywood Reporter. It shows how well he took a joke at his own expense.

14. Star Trek Generations (1994)

The film that passed the torch from Kirk to Picard is uneven, but it matters to the franchise and to Stewart’s film career.

15. Dune (1984)

David Lynch’s Dune is divisive, but Stewart’s Gurney Halleck is one of the early signs of his screen presence outside the theater.

16. American Dad! (2005–)

As Avery Bullock, he got to be loud, pompous and ridiculous for years. See our voice roles guide.

17. Blunt Talk (2015–2016)

A flawed but entertaining comedy that let Stewart play an outsized lead. Twenty episodes, a Golden Globe nomination and then it was over.

18. Hamlet (2009)

The RSC production, with Stewart as Claudius and the Ghost opposite David Tennant, was filmed for BBC Two and is worth seeking out.

19. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006)

A small role, but the Emperor’s voice is one of the most recognizable in modern game history, and it carries into the 2025 remaster.

20. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

A short appearance as the Earth-838 version of Xavier, ranked here because it is a brief cameo and a different version of the character. Fans will remember it for the surprise.

What the list shows

The top of the list is the work most people know, but the middle is where the range shows: spy dramas, Shakespeare, comedy, games. For more, see our career guide and the guide to the roles beyond Picard and Xavier. Our tribute covers the announcement itself. Tell us where your ranking differs.