Patrick Stewart's '80s Sci-Fi Epic Became A Cult Classic After Failing At The Box Office

"Star Trek" and "X-Men" icon Patrick Stewart is dead at 86. While Stewart's tragic true life story preceded a staggering career on the screen and stage, audiences of all ages around the world could look toward Stewart for decades as a commanding presence capable of doing anything. He could lend unbelievable depth and life to the words of William Shakespeare. He brought discernible humanity and compelling authority to Captain Picard on "Star Trek: The Next Generation." He was even adept at comedic lunacy, with his exploits like voicing a recurring character on "American Dad!" Anywhere you look in Patrick Stewart's career, you'll find another example of his towering talent.

Not long before before his exploits in blockbuster franchises like "Star Trek" and some of the best "X-Men" movies, Stewart worked with one of the greatest directors who ever lived, David Lynch, by playing Gurney Halleck in Lynch's 1984 adaptation of "Dune." The same role Josh Brolin would inhabit in the 21st century "Dune" movies, Halleck functions in Lynch's "Dune" much like in the original Frank Herbert novel, as a teacher for Paul Atreides. He's also a warrior ready to protect House Atreides no matter the cost, as seen by Stewart's unforgettable depiction of him charging into battle to protect the family (while holding their adorable pug).

Even considering how much "Dune" had to compress to make its story work for a 137-minute runtime, Stewart left an immense impression with his take on Gurney Halleck.

In portraying a man who helped shape Paul Atreides, Patrick Stewart established his penchant for playing mentor and authority figures with immense potency. Unfortunately, being an early silver screen exhibition for these chops wasn't enough to prevent David Lynch's "Dune" from bombing at the box office. Part of the untold truth of "Dune" is that mainstream audiences circa 1984 weren't quite ready for its mystical sci-fi mayhem, while the way David Lynch and company had adapted "Dune" to the big screen had alienated die-hard fans of Frank Herbert's text. In other words, this "Dune" initially alienated newcomers and aficionados alike. No wonder it couldn't dominate the box office.

Yet dollars and cents are rarely the final note on which a movie's story ends. "Dune" would later join the pantheon of sci-fi films that bombed at the box office but still became cult classics. Now that a more source-accurate take on "Dune" has come from director Denis Villeneuve, audiences can appreciate Lynch's vision of "Dune" as its own offbeat thing, with plenty of striking visuals and memorable performances. That includes Patrick Stewart's work as Gurney Halleck, which established a precedent for Stewart joining legendary sci-fi franchises. 

As he became famous for playing Picard and Professor Xavier, his Gurney Halleck performance has become an even more notable curiosity for the general public. No matter what movie (flop or hit) he appeared in, Patrick Stewart's endless talents captivated people. The world will be eternally less vibrant without him around.