Tragic Details About Patrick Stewart's Childhood

Patrick Stewart's humble beginnings couldn't have been any more different from the lavish life he enjoys today. He was born in Mirfield, Yorkshire, England, where he spent the first few years of his life. He was raised by Gladys Stewart, who was a textile worker, and Alfred Stewart, who served in the British military for several years. Growing up, the "X-Men" star didn't have much. He shared a bed with his older brother in a house with no hot water or heat, in a small town surrounded by neighbors under the same conditions.

Additionally, Patrick's father was abusive towards his mother, so much so that Patrick and his older brother Trevor would try to intervene on their mother's behalf. According to Patrick, Trevor would try to force himself between Alfred and Gladys so that their father couldn't touch her. "And she would shout out, 'No, no, no, please, you don't have to protect me. I'm all right, I'm all right,'" Patrick said in the documentary "Her Majesty: Behind Closed Doors" (via People.) 

Sharing details about his tragic past wasn't easy for Patrick, especially due to the stigma attached to domestic violence back in his day. "Domestic violence was something that people never spoke about. And so I never told anyone. I kept it all to myself. It was locked inside me, and I felt shame," he said.

Despite his troubles, though, Patrick had ambition. As a child, the "Star Trek" legend fantasized about being a truck driver, a dream his younger self felt might have been out of reach. 

However, his career aspirations changed in a way that helped him overcome his circumstances thanks to a few father figures who spotted his acting potential early on. In fact, he even went on to become a mentor-like figure for other actors like Tom Hardy, who Patrick thought would fail as an actor at one point.  

One such figure was his English teacher Cecil Dormand, who'd cast him in adult plays. It also helped that Patrick had access to many drama clubs growing up, giving him more exposure to the field and deepening his passion for acting.

Patrick explained that his introduction to the craft provided shelter from the harsh tragedies of his childhood. "I escaped. And my dream became more of a dream. Not just of having a different life. But, for the few minutes I had on stage, actually living it," he said in an interview with The Guardian. 

Eventually, Stewart would obtain a scholarship at age 17 to the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which afforded him luxuries that he'd never gotten in his underprivileged environment. "Here I was, a secondary school boy, getting everything paid for," Stewart said. "My schooling, the goods I needed, tights, ballet shoes, work clothes, scripts, all of that. [The scholarship] paid for everything." 

Although he continues to seek therapy to deal with his childhood trauma, Stewart is currently in a much healthier place both mentally and financially than he was as a child. And with a net worth of $75 million, the veteran actor and his family never have to worry about money.