Patrick Stewart Blamed This One Thing For 'Non-Existent' Relationship With Kids Daniel And Sophie

Patrick Stewart made his mark on fans with his fantastic acting work over the years. There were also his strong friendships with other star actors, like Ian McKellen, and when he died in 2026, he was happily married to his longtime wife, Sunny Ozell. But there were a couple of important relationships in his life that were essentially nonexistent for Stewart: those with his two children, Daniel and Sophie. He shared them with his first wife, Sheila Falconer. They were married from 1966 to 1990. And while he was present during his children's early lives, their relationships with their father seemed to wither later on.

Stewart opened up about what he thinks was the main reason for this in a 2023 interview with the Irish Independent, declaring, "I'm separated from my children now, we don't have relationships. ... I never thought that this would happen, but both my children are in their 50s, they're not children anymore, they're adults." He even called their relationship "practically non-existent," saying this was likely because he would "always put my acting work first, before my family." Stewart's last interview before his death was even about how much he valued his career.

While Stewart went on to say in his 2023 memoir, "Making It So," that his relationship with his children was a "work in progress," he also admitted to experiencing grief about not being as close with them anymore. Stewart told the the Irish Independent, "There's not a day that goes by that I'm not pained by the memory of my children [and] who they were." Still, he took responsibility for the fact that his influence, or lack thereof, helped make them who they are now.

Although Patrick Stewart's relationship with his two children was strained in the years before his death at age 86, he appeared to have been more present when they were growing up and early into their adulthood. Even decades later, Patrick connected with his kids over the arts and the movie industry. In Daniel Stewart's case, he ended up also working as an actor, directly following in his father's footsteps instead of choosing a totally different career path like some celeb kids do.

Daniel studied drama at the California Institute of the Arts, and he soon took his first steps into the industry in the 1986 drama "Shaka Zulu," his first credited role. Soon after, he starred in one episode of his father's show, "Star Trek: The Next Generation," and decades later, they would act in the same project again with "Blunt Talk." In an interview about the show with USA Today, Patrick and Daniel talked about the strangeness of both being actors. Daniel said, "This industry and the fact that we're both in it brings up all kinds of bizarre circumstances. The lives we lead can be sort of ridiculous." Stewart's take was a bit more positive, calling it "terrific" and saying, "I think it's a great thing that we're both in the same profession. It has so brought so much into both our lives that we can share and enjoy talking about." 

As for Stewart's daughter Sophie, she lives a much more private life. But over the years, she's made appearances with her family at entertainment events. Sophie attended the premieres of "Star Trek: Nemesis" and "2 Fast 2 Furious" and the Laurence Olivier Awards with her father in the past.