You know him as Captain Jean-Luc Picard or Professor Charles Xavier, but once Queen Elizabeth II is done with him, the bald leading man extraordinaire will arise Sir Patrick Stewart, Knight of the Realm.

Now 69 years old, Stewart is known around the world for his lead roles in major sci-fi franchises like Star Trek and X-Men. But he was well-known to U.K. theatergoers for years as a 16-year member of the Royal Shakespeare Company where he specialized in playing kings and soldiers with his baritone pipes.

I've been counting down the days with sadness this year, as we get closer and closer to David Tennant's final foray into space and beyond as The Doctor. And with only a few movies to tide me over, it's even more bittersweet. By the end of the year, he will be gone and replaced by Matt Smith.

But while Doctor Who has to move on without Tennant, another classic will be coming stateside with Tennant in the lead. PBS will be airing the television adaptation of the Royal Shakespeare Company's Hamlet with David Tennant as part of its Great Performances series in 2010. Tennant performed as Hamlet live with the Company to great success in 2008.

If that's not enough to get you excited, how about the fact that the cast includes yet another pop culture icon. None other than one of the greatest Starfleet captains in the history of Star Trek: Captain Jean-Luc Picard himself, Patrick Stewart, as King Claudius.