Sir Patrick Stewart, the voice of Emperor Uriel Septim VII in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, has died at 86. Beyond Picard and Professor X, he was part of gaming for more than 30 years, from Oblivion and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow to a stack of X-Men and Star Trek games on Xbox and PC. Here's what happened and the gaming legacy he leaves behind.
Sir Patrick Stewart has died at 86. The actor known to the world as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek and Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men films died Wednesday, October 28, at his home in Los Angeles, following Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia. His family announced it on his official social media on Thursday.
For gamers, especially anyone who sat in that prison cell at the start of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion on Xbox 360 or PC, he was Emperor Uriel Septim VII. And that performance came right back to life on Xbox Series X|S and PC with Oblivion Remastered in 2025.
What you need to know
- Who: Sir Patrick Stewart, English actor, Royal Shakespeare Company veteran, knighted in 2010.
- When and where: died Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at home in Los Angeles, per his family’s statement. The announcement came Thursday, October 29.
- Cause: Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia, per the statement.
- Age: 86.
- Gaming legacy: voice roles going back to 1993, including Oblivion, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 1 and 2, the X-Men Legends games, and a run of Star Trek games as Picard (full list below).
The family’s statement
The statement, shared on his official social media on Thursday, reads in part:
“We announce with great sorrow the passing of Sir Patrick Stewart yesterday at his home in Los Angeles, in the loving care of his beloved wife Sunny, following a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia.”
“He has been held in the warm embrace of family and friends, surrounded by live music, prayer, tears, laughter, and the kind of profound emotion that only he could inspire after a lifetime of devotion to us all.”
(As quoted by NBC News.)
The voice that opened Oblivion
Stewart played Emperor Uriel Septim VII in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006), the Bethesda RPG that was one of the defining games of the Xbox 360 era. The emperor is the first big character you meet: he and his guards come through a secret passage in your cell while fleeing assassins, he recognizes you from his dreams, and his story kicks off the whole main quest before the Amulet of Kings is handed to you.
It was a short role, but it set the tone for everything that came after, and players still quote it 20 years later.
For a whole generation of Xbox players, that voice was the first thing they heard in Cyrodiil.
When Bethesda (now part of Xbox) released The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered in April 2025, it kept the original cast’s performances, including Stewart’s, as archive audio, per the game’s credits on IMDb and the Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages. The Remastered version launched day one on Game Pass, so a whole new wave of Xbox and PC players got to meet his emperor.
The Game Awards posted a tribute this afternoon calling out his Oblivion work:
His other big game roles
According to MobyGames and his credits on Wikipedia, Stewart’s game work includes:
- Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (2010) and Lords of Shadow 2 (2014): Zobek, and the narrator of the first game. Both came to Xbox 360 and PC.
- X-Men Legends (2004), X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse (2005), X2: Wolverine’s Revenge (2003), X-Men: Next Dimension (2002) and X-Men: The Official Game (2006): Professor Charles Xavier, the same role he played on film.
- Star Trek games as Captain Picard, including Star Trek: The Next Generation: A Final Unity (1995), Star Trek: Armada (2000) and Armada II (2001), Star Trek: Bridge Commander (2002), Star Trek: Elite Force II (2003) and Star Trek: Legacy (2006, Xbox 360 and PC).
- Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone (2004): Khelben “Blackstaff” Arunsun.
- Lands of Lore: The Throne of Chaos (1993), The War of the Worlds (2011) and My Memory of Us (2018) as narrator, among others.
What people are saying
The news spread fast across gaming X this afternoon, and a lot of players went straight to Oblivion. GameRant noted gamers “knew his voice as Emperor Uriel Septim VII,” and fans are sharing clips of the opening cell scene and the Lords of Shadow intro.
Sir Patrick Stewart has died at 86. The acclaimed actor was best known for playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Professor X in the X-Men films. Gamers also knew his voice as Emperor Uriel Septim VII in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. pic.twitter.com/84xJGTdCDT
, GameRant (@GameRant) October 29, 2026
OnPoint’s take: Patrick Stewart took a couple of minutes of screen time in a dungeon and made it the moment a whole generation of Xbox 360 players fell in love with The Elder Scrolls. That’s the power of a real performer, and it’s why we’re always going to back studios that go all in on voice talent. The best tribute right now is simple: Oblivion Remastered is sitting right there on Xbox and PC, so boot it up tonight, start a new character, and let the Emperor walk you out of that cell one more time. Rest easy, Sir Patrick, and thank you for the memories.
Sources
- NBC News, “Patrick Stewart, actor known for iconic roles of Jean-Luc Picard and Professor X, dead at 86” (Oct 29, 2026)
- AP News (Oct 29, 2026)
- Rolling Stone (Oct 29, 2026)
- MobyGames, Patrick Stewart video game credits
- Wikipedia, Patrick Stewart on stage and screen (video games)
- UESP, Oblivion voice actors
- IMDb, Oblivion Remastered full credits
- The Game Awards on X
- GameRant on X
- Radec on X
Image: Bethesda / OnPoint 4 Gamers
What's your favorite Patrick Stewart game role?
Vote and see what other Xbox fans think.
Like having a say? Get OnPoint Weekly or argue it out on Discord.
