Last Updated on October 29, 2026 by Cliche
Patrick Stewart could look back on more than six decades of celebrated work, but the “Star Trek” icon did not pretend that professional success came without a painful personal cost. In his 2023 memoir, “Making It So,” Stewart examined the mistakes he made in his romantic relationships and as a father. He admitted that his two failed marriages remained his greatest regret, while his fractured relationships with his children continued to cause him profound sadness.
Patrick Stewart Called His Failed Marriages His ‘Greatest Regret’
Stewart did not spare himself while revisiting his past in “Making It So.” The actor examined his behavior with a level of honesty that extended beyond stories about “Star Trek,” Shakespeare and his rise to international fame. “In a life chockablock with joy and success, my two failed marriages are my greatest regret,” Stewart wrote, according to the Associated Press. He also acknowledged that he needed to treat the women in his life better.
Stewart’s first marriage was to choreographer Sheila Falconer. The couple married in 1966 and had two children, Daniel and Sophie, before divorcing in 1990. He later married television producer Wendy Neuss in 2000. That marriage ended in 2003.
His Relationship With His Children Remained Painful
Stewart’s regrets were not limited to the end of his marriages. Daniel and Sophie were adults by the time “Making It So” was released, but Stewart admitted that his relationships with them remained deeply strained.
The actor described the situation in the memoir as “a work in progress.” When asked about it during an interview with The Guardian, however, he gave a more painful assessment. “It’s very sad,” Stewart said. “I love my children. But our relationships, they haven’t worked out. It will always be a place of sadness in my life.”
Stewart maintained a connection with his grandchildren, but his relationships with their parents were far more complicated. The actor did not blame his children for the distance.
The Actor Admitted He Put His Career First
Stewart spent years moving between demanding theater productions, television sets and film shoots. Long before Captain Jean-Luc Picard made him internationally famous, he had built a respected stage career with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Once “Star Trek: The Next Generation” began, his work took him to the United States and placed him at the center of a major television production. Stewart later acknowledged that he regularly prioritized acting over family life.
In a separate interview about the memoir, he described his relationship with his children as practically nonexistent and expressed grief over the role he believed his choices had played in that outcome. Daniel eventually became an actor himself and appeared alongside his father professionally. However, following Stewart into the same industry did not resolve the deeper problems in their relationship.
Stewart understood that his career had given him extraordinary opportunities. He also recognized that the time and attention it demanded could not be recovered later.
Writing ‘Making It So’ Became A Form Of Therapy
Stewart wrote the memoir during the pandemic, which gave him a chance to revisit memories he had avoided or locked away for decades. The process forced him to examine his violent childhood, his career, his marriages and his experience as a father.
He had already spent years in therapy attempting to understand how growing up around domestic violence shaped his emotions and relationships. Writing provided another way to confront those experiences.
Stewart told Parade that recording the audiobook became so emotional that he occasionally had to stop reading. Some of those silences were intentionally left in the finished recording. Rather than presenting his life as one uninterrupted success story, Stewart left the discomfort in.
The project was emotionally difficult, but he also described it as therapeutic. His wife, Sunny Ozell, reportedly noticed that he appeared lighter and happier after spending time writing.
Patrick Stewart Found Happiness In His Third Marriage
Stewart married singer-songwriter Sunny Ozell in 2013, with his close friend Ian McKellen officiating the ceremony. While discussing what made his third marriage work, Stewart emphasized openness, listening, connection, sharing, and mutual respect.
The relationship did not erase his regrets about his previous marriages or repair the distance with his children. However, it showed he tried to carry lessons from those painful experiences into the later years of his life.
Following reports of Stewart’s death at 86, audiences will remember the authority he brought to Captain Picard, the compassion he gave Professor Charles Xavier and the classical training behind his acclaimed stage work. “Making It So” revealed the more difficult story behind those achievements.
Stewart could celebrate the remarkable places acting took him while still recognizing what his relentless dedication to the work may have cost. His memoir didn’t offer a neat resolution to every relationship, but it let him take responsibility for the pain that remained.
For an actor who spent his life inhabiting other people, one of his final major projects required him to confront himself.
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