Inside Patrick Stewart’s family life including 3 marriages and estranged children

Caption: FILE – Patrick Stewart, left, and Sunny Ozell arrive at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party on Sunday, March 10, 2024, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File) Sir Patrick Stewart was one of Britain’s most beloved actors, but away from the cameras, the Star Trek legend endured a complicated family life that he came to deeply regret. The acclaimed actor died aged 86 on Wednesday, October 28, following what his family described as a ‘brief and poignant journey’ with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia. He spent his final days surrounded by loved ones at his Los Angeles home, including his third wife, American singer Sunny Ozell, whom he married in 2013. But while Stewart enjoyed an extraordinary career spanning more than six decades, his personal life was marked by two failed marriages and a painful estrangement from his children, which he admitted continued to haunt him in his later years. Did Patrick Stewart have children? The X-Men star welcomed two children, son Daniel, 59, and daughter Sophie, 54, with his first wife, dancer and choreographer Sheila Falconer. The actor’s daughter Sophie was born in 1972 (Picture: Antony Jones/UK Press via Getty Images) The couple married in 1966, just as Stewart’s theatrical career was beginning to flourish, and welcomed Daniel the following year, with Sophie arriving in 1972. However, Stewart’s increasingly demanding career meant that family life frequently took a back seat, something he would eventually acknowledge with considerable remorse. Speaking to the Irish Independent in 2023, the actor made the heartbreaking admission that his relationship with his adult children had become ‘practically non-existent’. He explained that the estrangement had caused him significant grief and that he frequently reflected on his own responsibility for the distance between them. He said: ‘There’s not a day that goes by that I’m not pained by the memories of my children, who they were and by a sense of responsibility that they became who they are in part because of me and my influence or lack of influence on them.’ Stewart, his second wife Wendy Neuss and his children Daniel and Sophie attend the 44th Annual Drama Desk Awards in 1999 (Picture: Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images) He continued, ‘I always put my acting work first, before my family.’ He added: ‘Given that I’m separated from my children now, we don’t have relationships, they have become very important. I never thought this would happen, but both my children are in their 50s, they’re not children anymore, they’re adults. And my relationship with them is practically non-existent.’ It was a particularly painful admission for someone who had previously spoken so fondly about the early years of fatherhood. Stewart recalled being a devoted caretaker during the first two years of Sophie’s life, when his work briefly slowed down and Falconer was busy performing. He also described the joy of holding Daniel as a baby, remembering those early moments with enormous affection. Who are Patrick Stewart’s children? Daniel eventually followed his famous father into acting, appearing in productions on both sides of the Atlantic, including Silent Witness and Law & Order: SVU. (Picture: Dave Hogan/Getty Images) The pair even shared the screen on several occasions, most notably in a 1992 episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, in which Daniel played the son of Stewart’s character. They later appeared together in the thriller Death Train and the sitcom Blunt Talk. In a 2012 interview with Metro, Daniel spoke warmly about his father’s efforts to introduce his children to the arts, recalling a childhood filled with books and classical music. Stewart’s second wife was Wendy Neuss, a TV producer, pictured here with Stewart’s son Daniel (Picture: Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images) However, Stewart had previously admitted feeling horrified when his son announced his intention to become an actor, knowing all too well the sacrifices the profession could demand. Sophie, meanwhile, largely remained outside the public eye, although she occasionally joined her father at film premieres and awards ceremonies. How many times was Patrick Stewart married? The actor was married three times. Stewart and Falconer’s marriage ended in divorce in 1990, after the actor’s move to Los Angeles to film Star Trek placed further strain on their relationship. In his 2023 memoir, Making It So, Stewart acknowledged his own failings during the marriage and admitted the breakdown of his relationship with Falconer had left a lasting impact on their children. He described rebuilding their relationships as ‘a work in progress’, although he spoke with considerable affection about his four grandchildren, with whom he enjoyed a closer bond. He was married to Wendy Neuss from 2000 to 2003 (Picture: Getty Images) Stewart was married for a second time in 2000, to television producer Wendy Neuss, but the couple divorced just three years later. Reflecting on both failed marriages in his memoir, the actor acknowledged his infidelity and expressed deep regret over the hurt he had caused. However, he found lasting happiness with his third wife, Sunny Ozell, whom he met in 2008 while she was working at a restaurant in Brooklyn. Despite their 38-year age difference, the pair fell in love and married in 2013, with Stewart’s close friend and X-Men co-star Sir Ian McKellen officiating their wedding ceremony. Who is Patrick Stewart’s wife Sunny Ozell? Stewart’s romance with Ozell began in rather unlikely circumstances in 2008, when the actor visited a Brooklyn pizzeria where the aspiring singer-songwriter was working as a waitress. At the time, Stewart was starring in a Broadway production of Macbeth, and the pair struck up a conversation after Ozell approached his table offering complimentary desserts. When she mentioned that she’d been desperate to see the play but couldn’t get tickets, Stewart seized the opportunity to give her his phone number. Sir Patrick Stewart was married to singer-songwriter Sunny Ozell for 13 years (Picture: Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images) Speaking to People in 2022, he recalled that it was the only time he’d ever given someone his number and explicitly asked them to call him. Ozell subsequently visited him backstage after a performance, and the pair arranged a dinner date. Their relationship blossomed into a lasting romance, with Stewart crediting his wife, 38 years his junior, for bringing endless excitement and intellectual stimulation into his life. ‘I’ve never met anyone like her before,’ he gushed. ‘She is so smart and so informed. And her intellectual accomplishments are extraordinary.’ He added: ‘My life is perpetually interesting — and it’s largely as a result of Sunny.’ Their relationship became one of the great joys of Stewart’s later life, with the actor regularly expressing his admiration for his wife and the support she provided him. Sunny was working as a waitress when she first caught the Star Trek actor’s eye (Picture: Getty Images) He told the Saturday Evening Post: ‘I now think I understand the importance and significance of sharing life with one other person in particular.’ So smitten was Stewart that he even wanted his beloved Star Trek character, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, to enjoy a similarly happy ending. In his memoir, he revealed he had imagined Picard settling down with a wife at his vineyard, reasoning that if he had been fortunate enough to find true love, his fictional counterpart deserved the same. Although the scene never made it to television, Stewart’s own marriage to Ozell lasted until his death, just weeks after the couple celebrated their 13th wedding anniversary. Deals of the Day This Hoover vacuum is a game-changer for pet owners and muddy homes See London's Christmas lights from an open-top double-decker bus this winter The skincare formula that finally took the guesswork out of my routine Families can save up to 20% on summer 2027 holidays in Club Med's four-day sale Cold mornings are coming and this is the dressing gown I want to live in He is survived by Sunny, his children Daniel and Sophie, and his four grandchildren. 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