Patrick Stewart knighted by the Queen of England!

Yes! Now it's Sir Patrick Stewart.

Actor Sir Patrick Stewart paid tribute to a former teacher as he was knighted by the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

The 69-year-old said he owed "literally everything" to the English teacher who first encouraged him to perform.

"Although many people in my life have had great influence on me, without this man none of it would have happened," he said following Wednesday's investiture.

The classically-trained actor is best known for his roles in Star Trek: The Next Generation and the X-Men films.

He was recently seen on the London stage appearing alongside fellow actor knight Sir Ian McKellen in Waiting for Godot.

Sir Patrick said his knighthood - announced in the New Year Honours List - had been "an unlooked-for honour".

More on this on the BBC News page.

Ok. Here's my brush with fame and Sir Patrick Stewart.

I was on a job interview in New York City in May 2000. I have a cousin who works as publicity coordinator for the Loew's theaters in Broadway. After my interview, he invites me to dinner at a restaurant called Trattoria Trecolori on 47th St, between 8th Ave. and Broadway. I arrived early and took a table near the center, but not far from the windows. As I was decked in my finest, it didn't occur to me that I looked like a mafioso.

To my surprise, my cousin Ulysses arrives with none other than Patrick Stewart! I was flabbergasted, as I'm a big Star Trek fan. I tried not to be a fan boy (after all, four years before I had met most the cast of ST Voyager), so we proceeded to have a conversation about future projects, Puerto Rico and theater in general. as we were eating a great Rissoto con Pesce (Italian rice and fish, courtesy of Ulysses business expense account!).

Nobody noticed the tour bus that stopped in front and the throngs of Japanese tourists coming into the restaurant. All of the sudden, a guy shouted something that sounded like..."PATRICK STUARTSAN"! As it seemed like hundreds of flashbulbs went array around us. Mr. Stewart looked mortified. I looked at my cousin and said in Spanish; Who are these people? That probably sounded Italian to them as at that moment restaurant security arrived and escorted our Japanese tormentors to the second floor, to eat their dinner. We continued our dinner, laughing at the whole incident.

It was later on that it dawned on me, that probably when these people got their pictures back in Japan, they could proudly say that they saw Capt. Picard dining with two real, honest to goodness New York City Mafiosi! If anybody see these photos on the tubes, gimme a heads up!

All I can say is that I'm happy that Patrick Stewart is now Sir Patrick Stewart, OBE.
Good show, Old Chap!