Patrick Stewart, the Star Trek and X-Men actor who died aged 86, was a pioneering figure for bald men in entertainment. During his time as Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Stewart embraced his baldness rather than concealing it with a wig, unlike William Shatner who played the original Captain Kirk. The Guardian notes Stewart's willingness to be openly bald on screen represented a departure from earlier space-set action shows, where male leads were expected to project physical virility. Stewart's approach to his appearance helped reframe baldness as compatible with authority and intelligence on television.