If there is one thing that sets Patrick Stewart apart from a crowd, it's his striking presence and flawless speaking voice. From the first moment he stepped onto the bridge as Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Stewart commanded the screen with authority and aplomb. It was no small feat picking up where Captain Kirk and the original crew of the Enterprise left off, but Stewart somehow managed to put his own indelible mark on the franchise. Throughout seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation and four big-screen adventures, Stewart developed a character and leader that remains one of the most complex and fascinating to grace television. From his moving performances in such TNG classics as "The Inner Light" and "Sarek" to his more comedic turns in "QPid" and "Captain's Holiday" to such action-packed epics as "The Best of Both Worlds," Stewart has shown us many sides of the good captain.

And as fans know, Stewart is no one-trick pony. In fact, he is one of the most committed thespians on the planet. He is internationally respected for his work on the stage, particularly with the U.K.'s Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), where he spent the better part of last year drawing rave reviews and engrossing audiences in two ambitious Shakespearean productions, "Antony and Cleopatra" and "The Tempest."

Even after those lengthy, overlapping engagements, he never tires of treading the boards with the Bard. He is now contending with witches and ghosts in The Scottish Play, performing the notorious role of "Macbeth" at the Minerva Theatre through September 1, as part of the Chichester Festival south of London. A popular actor in a popular play, the entire run has long been sold out.

And starting tomorrow, July 14, Stewart opens "Twelfth Night" at the Chichester Festival Theatre, starring as "Malvolio." This production runs through August 31, and tickets are still available. Visit this Chichester Festival link or call 01243 781312. It should be quite an exercise for the actor, going back and forth between light comedy and bloody tragedy.

But as we've all seen, this man can move with amazing ease and grace from the classic to the fantastic to the comedic. He turned in another outstanding performance last year as "Prof. Charles Xavier" in the third big-screen "X-Men" installment, "The Last Stand" (yes, his character died during the movie ... but did you stay through the closing credits?). He also lent his voice to "TMNT" — the CG-animated "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" film which came out this past March and hits DVD shelves on August 7 — as the villain "Maximillian J. Winters" who leads an army of ancient monsters. And last fall us Yanks with BBC America on our cable finally got to see Stewart as a sleuthing scientist in the miniseries Eleventh Hour.

Within that serious and authoritative English demeanor, Stewart can also be very funny. He is regularly heard in Seth MacFarlane's subversive American Dad in a recurring animated role — the head of the CIA — that looks very much like him. (He's also reprised "Picard" on Family Guy in off-beat ways.) And last year he was nominated for an Emmy for a guest spot — playing himself (sort of) — on HBO's Extras with Ricky Gervais.

Stewart is reportedly signed for another voice role in an animated comedy, a feature film, called "The Water Warriors," expected in 2009. It's about "aliens who send their best and brightest on a mission to conquer the Earth." On a more serious note, he is the narrator of the BBC documentary film "Earth" — a cinematic spin-off of the award-winning BBC TV series Planet Earth — which comes to theaters in October of this year.

With all his stellar stage, film and television credentials, and all his awards and nominations in a broad range of categories, this actor continues to surprise us with his choice of roles and his ability to meet any challenge head-on. But when it comes to Shakespeare, he doesn't stop at acting. There are reports that Stewart plans to produce a film adaptation of "The Merchant of Venice" set in modern Las Vegas, written by "Star Trek Nemesis" scribe John Logan (related story, pg. 2). We'll keep our ears out for that one.

In some respects, Stewart's life has now come full circle. In 1986, Stewart took part in a dramatic reading of Shakespeare's works at a UCLA event. In attendance that night was producer Bob Justman and his wife. At the time, Justman had just started working on the development of the new Star Trek spin-off The Next Generation. It was this appearance at the Los Angeles university that would prove fateful. Justman was impressed by the performance Stewart gave and lobbied strongly for the Englishman to be the new captain of the show. As we all know, Justman won the battle.

With his tenure as Captain Picard essentially over (unless someone comes up with a brilliant way to revive TNG!), Patrick is not only once again immersed in the realm of Shakespeare, but he is an active philanthropist in the U.K. Among his community activities are efforts to raise funds for the refurbishment of the 240-year-old Bristol Old Vic Theatre. And he continues to serve in his native Yorkshire as Chancellor of Huddersfield University. He is one who never forgets his roots.

Having now re-planted his roots in his home country, Patrick is sorely missed in the U.S. convention scene. But he does re-connect with Star Trek fans occasionally at local conventions in the U.K. He headlined the Creation Entertainment show in London last January, and he is listed for the London Film & Comic Con taking place September 1-2. (Though according to Stewart's official website, The Patrick Stewart Network, his appearance at the September event is unconfirmed. Watch that site for updates on this and all of Patrick's other goings-on.)

STARTREK.COM would like to wish Patrick Stewart a very Happy Birthday and many thanks for all of his astounding contributions over the years.

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