Patrick Stewart's Battle With Hair Loss at Age 17 Led to an Unexpected Bricklaying Job in Yorkshire

Before becoming one of Hollywood's most recognisable actors, Sir Patrick Stewart had an insecurity that pushed him into taking an unexpected line of work.

At only 17, the Star Trek star became concerned about his rapidly thinning hair and was determined to find a remedy.

However, paying for the treatment meant finding a source of income. Stewart shared how he took up bricklaying in his search for a fuller head of hair in his memoir, Making It So.

Patrick Stewart's Hair Loss Led Him To Take up Bricklaying

Stewart's hair began thinning during his first year at drama school, which came as a disappointment since he grew up with 'thick, dark, wavy hair'. He found it difficult to accept the sudden change and found a hair clinic in Bristol, which he hoped would restore his former appearance.

In his memoir, the actor recalled how determined he was to afford the procedure. 'I wanted to be able to pay for treatment at a hair clinic in Bristol,' he wrote, as per the Mirror, explaining how his hair began disappearing at an unusually rapid rate when he was just 17.

After learning how much the treatment would cost him, Stewart realised he needed another source of income. He approached a local construction company close to his parents' home in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, and asked whether they had short-term work available.

The company offered him a position as a labourer, assisting its chief bricklayer. The actor recalled asking for just three weeks of work and was able to begin almost immediately. He later described the opportunity as 'perfect', as it gave him the chance to earn the money he needed.

Patrick Stewart's Hair Didn't Grow Back Despite His Best Efforts

Unfortunately for Stewart, the sessions he paid for with the bricklaying money did not produce the results he hoped for. He described undergoing treatments such as electrical patches, scalp massages and different creams, but none of them managed to stop his hair loss.

'The clinic treatments in Bristol that I'd invested my hard-earned bricklayer money into achieved nothing,' he wrote. By the time he turned 19, he had become 'as bald on top as I am now.'

Although the outcome was difficult for him to accept as a teenager, his baldness became one of the defining characteristics audiences associated with him. His bald head would go on to play a role in his casting as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

During his audition, Stewart was initially expected to wear a wig for the character. However, after seeing him without the hairpiece, the production team decided to let him keep his natural appearance. Because of this, his baldness became closely associated with the role of Picard.

Over time, Stewart's baldness became something more than something he once tried desperately to change. It turned into a recognisable part of his acting persona, while his portrayal of Picard helped encourage other men to feel more comfortable with losing their hair.

Patrick Stewart's Death Involved 'A Brief Journey' With Alzheimer's Disease

Stewart passed away on 28 October 2026. His longtime spokesperson, Kelly Bush Novak, announced that he had experienced '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,' Bush Novak wrote. 'We will forever cherish the peaceful ease and reflection on his face, an enduring reminder of his invincible grace.'

The Star Trek and X-Men actor is survived by his two children and wife Sunny Ozell, as well as several grandchildren. His final on-screen appearance will be in Avengers: Doomsday, where he reprises his role as Professor Charles Xavier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe crossover, scheduled for release on 18 December 2026.

Stewart reflected on his first big role as Picard in his 2023 memoir. 'Like me, Jean-Luc has lived an unusual life that has taken him far beyond the bounds of normal human experience. But he is also someone who has remained true to his earthbound roots, for they are what gave him his identity. In the end, he feels the call of home, as do I.'