How Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen first met<\/h2>\n![\"Patrick](\"https:\/\/cdn.filmshrine.com\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Suchis-The-Tab-masterpiece-18-1-1024x538.png\")
Credit: Patrick Stewart\/ Twitter<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nSir Ian wrote in his tribute, \u201cWe first met as ambitious young actors with the Royal Shakespeare Company half a century ago but we weren\u2019t in the same productions.\u201d <\/p>\n
As Sir Ian wrote, they first met as young actors at the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). Sir Patrick joined in 1966, while Sir Ian became part of the company in 1974. They later worked together in Tom Stoppard\u2019s play Every Good Boy Deserves Favour in 1977, but they were not particularly close at the time.<\/p>\n
Sir Ian recalled in his tribute, \u201cMy first strong memory was a few years later, meeting him in the street in central London when he told me about an offer to take over a leading part in ‘Star Trek’. \u2018But Patrick, think of your stage career in the UK. Do you really want to risk getting lost in Hollywood for years and years?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
He added, \u201cWell, he took the risk and thank goodness for us all that he did for not just his devoted Trekkies but film and theatre audiences, who marvelled at his using international celebrity to star in a string of cinema successes (‘X-Men’ of course) and in great classical plays by Shakespeare, Ibsen, Arthur Miller, Peter Shaffer, Pinter and Beckett at Stratford-upon-Avon, in London\u2019s West End and on Broadway.\u201d<\/p>\n
X-Men brought the friends closer<\/h2>\n![\"Patrick](\"https:\/\/cdn.filmshrine.com\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Suchis-The-Tab-masterpiece-17-1-1024x538.png\")
Credit: Marvel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAlthough they had known each other for years, it was the X-Men films that really helped them get to know one another. Sir Patrick played Professor Charles Xavier, better known as Professor X, while Sir Ian portrayed Erik Lehnsherr, or Magneto. Their characters often found themselves on opposite sides because of their different views on how to protect mutantkind.<\/p>\n
But off screen, they were getting along rather well. Speaking during a 2014 SAG-AFTRA Foundation conversation<\/a>, Sir Patrick explained, \u201cWe have to thank \u2018X-Men\u2019 for the two of us really getting to know one another, because every day on an \u2018X-Men\u2019 movie you spend far more time sitting in your trailer than you do on the set doing a drop of work, and those trailers are extremely luxurious.\u201d <\/p>\nHe continued, \u201cAnd we had adjoining ones, so we sat around and talked and reminisced. And I discovered a lot about this chap and he about me, and we found that there were many, many overlaps in our careers and many areas where we had little in common.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sir Ian\u2019s affection for his friend was also clear. He called Sir Patrick a \u201cpussy cat\u201d and added, \u201cHe\u2019s irresistible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Their friendship soon became something we loved seeing. They were often affectionate at public appearances and were known for greeting each other with a kiss on the lips.<\/p>\n
Their friendship went beyond acting<\/h2>\n![\"Patrick](\"https:\/\/cdn.filmshrine.com\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Suchis-The-Tab-masterpiece-19-1-1024x538.png\")
Credit: Patrick Stewart\/ Twitter<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nFor Sir Ian, Sir Patrick\u2019s Yorkshire identity was a defining part of who he was.<\/p>\n
He wrote in his tribute, \u201cBefore everything else, Patrick was defined by being born and bred in Yorkshire, the proud county in the north of England which he loved to the end. You could hear it in his accented voice and in the stern honesty with which he told you what he thought and felt. Yorkshiremen have no truck with half-truths or avoidance of big issues.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added, \u201cHe wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sir Ian also became close to Sir Patrick\u2019s wife, Sunny Ozell, and officiated at their wedding in 2013. In his tribute, he wrote, \u201cAmerica was his adopted home, where he met his adored Sunny who has cared for him through sickness and health, through thick and thin.\u201d<\/p>\n
They continued sharing the stage<\/h2>\n![\"Patrick](\"https:\/\/cdn.filmshrine.com\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Suchis-The-Tab-masterpiece-20-1-1024x538.png\")
Credit: Patrick Stewart\/ Twitter<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nEven with their successful film careers, both actors remained closely connected to theatre. They also appeared together in several productions. In Samuel Beckett\u2019s Waiting for Godot, Sir Patrick played Vladimir while Sir Ian played Estragon. They performed in London\u2019s West End in 2009 and on Broadway in 2013 and 2014.<\/p>\n
They also starred in Harold Pinter\u2019s No Man\u2019s Land, first performing together in 2013 and returning to the play in London\u2019s West End in 2016. Sir Patrick played Hirst, while Sir Ian played Spooner.<\/p>\n
Sir Ian wrote in his tribute, \u201cWe first met as ambitious young actors with the Royal Shakespeare Company half a century ago but we weren\u2019t in the same productions.\u201d <\/p>\n
As Sir Ian wrote, they first met as young actors at the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). Sir Patrick joined in 1966, while Sir Ian became part of the company in 1974. They later worked together in Tom Stoppard\u2019s play Every Good Boy Deserves Favour in 1977, but they were not particularly close at the time.<\/p>\n
Sir Ian recalled in his tribute, \u201cMy first strong memory was a few years later, meeting him in the street in central London when he told me about an offer to take over a leading part in ‘Star Trek’. \u2018But Patrick, think of your stage career in the UK. Do you really want to risk getting lost in Hollywood for years and years?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
He added, \u201cWell, he took the risk and thank goodness for us all that he did for not just his devoted Trekkies but film and theatre audiences, who marvelled at his using international celebrity to star in a string of cinema successes (‘X-Men’ of course) and in great classical plays by Shakespeare, Ibsen, Arthur Miller, Peter Shaffer, Pinter and Beckett at Stratford-upon-Avon, in London\u2019s West End and on Broadway.\u201d<\/p>\n
X-Men brought the friends closer<\/h2>\nCredit: Marvel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAlthough they had known each other for years, it was the X-Men films that really helped them get to know one another. Sir Patrick played Professor Charles Xavier, better known as Professor X, while Sir Ian portrayed Erik Lehnsherr, or Magneto. Their characters often found themselves on opposite sides because of their different views on how to protect mutantkind.<\/p>\n
But off screen, they were getting along rather well. Speaking during a 2014 SAG-AFTRA Foundation conversation<\/a>, Sir Patrick explained, \u201cWe have to thank \u2018X-Men\u2019 for the two of us really getting to know one another, because every day on an \u2018X-Men\u2019 movie you spend far more time sitting in your trailer than you do on the set doing a drop of work, and those trailers are extremely luxurious.\u201d <\/p>\nHe continued, \u201cAnd we had adjoining ones, so we sat around and talked and reminisced. And I discovered a lot about this chap and he about me, and we found that there were many, many overlaps in our careers and many areas where we had little in common.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sir Ian\u2019s affection for his friend was also clear. He called Sir Patrick a \u201cpussy cat\u201d and added, \u201cHe\u2019s irresistible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Their friendship soon became something we loved seeing. They were often affectionate at public appearances and were known for greeting each other with a kiss on the lips.<\/p>\n
Their friendship went beyond acting<\/h2>\nCredit: Patrick Stewart\/ Twitter<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nFor Sir Ian, Sir Patrick\u2019s Yorkshire identity was a defining part of who he was.<\/p>\n
He wrote in his tribute, \u201cBefore everything else, Patrick was defined by being born and bred in Yorkshire, the proud county in the north of England which he loved to the end. You could hear it in his accented voice and in the stern honesty with which he told you what he thought and felt. Yorkshiremen have no truck with half-truths or avoidance of big issues.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added, \u201cHe wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sir Ian also became close to Sir Patrick\u2019s wife, Sunny Ozell, and officiated at their wedding in 2013. In his tribute, he wrote, \u201cAmerica was his adopted home, where he met his adored Sunny who has cared for him through sickness and health, through thick and thin.\u201d<\/p>\n
They continued sharing the stage<\/h2>\nCredit: Patrick Stewart\/ Twitter<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nEven with their successful film careers, both actors remained closely connected to theatre. They also appeared together in several productions. In Samuel Beckett\u2019s Waiting for Godot, Sir Patrick played Vladimir while Sir Ian played Estragon. They performed in London\u2019s West End in 2009 and on Broadway in 2013 and 2014.<\/p>\n
They also starred in Harold Pinter\u2019s No Man\u2019s Land, first performing together in 2013 and returning to the play in London\u2019s West End in 2016. Sir Patrick played Hirst, while Sir Ian played Spooner.<\/p>\n
Although they had known each other for years, it was the X-Men films that really helped them get to know one another. Sir Patrick played Professor Charles Xavier, better known as Professor X, while Sir Ian portrayed Erik Lehnsherr, or Magneto. Their characters often found themselves on opposite sides because of their different views on how to protect mutantkind.<\/p>\n
But off screen, they were getting along rather well. Speaking during a 2014 SAG-AFTRA Foundation conversation<\/a>, Sir Patrick explained, \u201cWe have to thank \u2018X-Men\u2019 for the two of us really getting to know one another, because every day on an \u2018X-Men\u2019 movie you spend far more time sitting in your trailer than you do on the set doing a drop of work, and those trailers are extremely luxurious.\u201d <\/p>\n He continued, \u201cAnd we had adjoining ones, so we sat around and talked and reminisced. And I discovered a lot about this chap and he about me, and we found that there were many, many overlaps in our careers and many areas where we had little in common.\u201d<\/p>\n Sir Ian\u2019s affection for his friend was also clear. He called Sir Patrick a \u201cpussy cat\u201d and added, \u201cHe\u2019s irresistible.\u201d<\/p>\n Their friendship soon became something we loved seeing. They were often affectionate at public appearances and were known for greeting each other with a kiss on the lips.<\/p>\n For Sir Ian, Sir Patrick\u2019s Yorkshire identity was a defining part of who he was.<\/p>\n He wrote in his tribute, \u201cBefore everything else, Patrick was defined by being born and bred in Yorkshire, the proud county in the north of England which he loved to the end. You could hear it in his accented voice and in the stern honesty with which he told you what he thought and felt. Yorkshiremen have no truck with half-truths or avoidance of big issues.\u201d<\/p>\n He added, \u201cHe wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love.\u201d<\/p>\n Sir Ian also became close to Sir Patrick\u2019s wife, Sunny Ozell, and officiated at their wedding in 2013. In his tribute, he wrote, \u201cAmerica was his adopted home, where he met his adored Sunny who has cared for him through sickness and health, through thick and thin.\u201d<\/p>\n Even with their successful film careers, both actors remained closely connected to theatre. They also appeared together in several productions. In Samuel Beckett\u2019s Waiting for Godot, Sir Patrick played Vladimir while Sir Ian played Estragon. They performed in London\u2019s West End in 2009 and on Broadway in 2013 and 2014.<\/p>\n They also starred in Harold Pinter\u2019s No Man\u2019s Land, first performing together in 2013 and returning to the play in London\u2019s West End in 2016. Sir Patrick played Hirst, while Sir Ian played Spooner.<\/p>\nTheir friendship went beyond acting<\/h2>\n
They continued sharing the stage<\/h2>\n