If you are at all familiar with the television series “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” or even Marvel Comics’ “The X-Men”, you might recognize the famous British actor, Patrick Stewart. His bald head has become something of an iconic trademark in all of his roles, and he is recognized worldwide as a very successful actor. However, things did not always look up for Stewart, and after losing his hair at the young age of 19, his acting career as a whole did not seem very promising.
No Hair at Nineteen
At the very young age of 19, Stewart, who was a part time journalist and aspiring actor at the time, began to lose his hair to male pattern baldness. Before long, he had lost most of the hair on his head and was only left with a sparse combover.
This was a very traumatic experience for Stewart, and he was left shaken and believing that “everything was over”. He was not only referring to his acting career, but his future love life as well. This did not turn out to be true though, as he was married three times and named TV Guide’s “Most Bodacious” leading man. All of this, after his initial feelings of being “inhibited” by baldness.
Hollywood Stardom and Star Trek
For a long time, Stewart would walk hunched over in an attempt to hide the face beneath the combover, due to his self-consciousness. He wore a wig for every audition he attended, but opted out for social calls.
One day after a meal he shared with an acting friend, he was surprised as he was pinned to his seat and the last bit of hair was cut off his head. His friend’s message was “Now you be yourself. No more hiding.”
Stewart took this message to heart, and before long found himself in the starring role of Gene Roddenberry’s flagship series, all the while sporting a smooth bald head.
During the first press conference held for the show, Roddenberry was asked why male pattern baldness wasn’t cured in his vision of the distant future. Roddenberry had an unforgettable response, stating, “By the 24th century, no one will care.”
Photo Credit: David Shankbone via Flickr Creative Commons
