Greg Hemphill: Age, Wife, Career and Still Game

Greg Hemphill is a Scottish actor, comedian, writer, producer and director best known for creating and starring in the hugely successful sitcom Still Game. Born in Glasgow and raised partly in Canada, Hemphill developed a distinctive comedy career that combined acting, writing and television production. Alongside his longtime comedy partner Ford Kiernan, he helped create some of the most recognizable characters in modern Scottish television. His portrayal of Victor McDade in Still Game made him especially popular with audiences across Scotland and the wider United Kingdom. Beyond comedy, Hemphill has also worked in film, television, radio and theatre and has remained active in entertainment projects in recent years.

Quick Bio of Greg Hemphill

Who Is Greg Hemphill?

So, who is Greg Hemphill? He is one of Scotland’s best-known comedy performers and a major figure in Scottish television comedy. While many viewers recognize him primarily as Victor McDade from Still Game, his career extends well beyond that character.

Hemphill has worked in several areas of the entertainment industry, including acting, comedy writing, producing and directing. His partnership with Ford Kiernan became particularly influential because the pair developed characters and comedy concepts that eventually grew from sketch comedy into the long-running sitcom Still Game.

His career is also notable because he has frequently worked behind the scenes. Rather than simply performing scripts written by other people, Hemphill has been involved in developing stories, characters and television productions himself.

Greg Hemphill Age and Early Life

Greg Hemphill was born on December 14, 1969, in Springburn, Glasgow, Scotland. His childhood was unusual in that his family moved to Canada, and he spent a substantial part of his younger years in Montreal.

In an interview published by the University of Glasgow, Hemphill explained that he lived in Montreal from around the age of five until he was 16. He later returned to the United Kingdom, completed his A-levels in England and moved to Scotland for university.

This combination of Scottish roots and Canadian upbringing became part of his identity. Although he spent years away from Scotland, Hemphill has consistently described himself as Scottish and eventually built his professional career around Scottish comedy and television.

As of August 2026, Greg Hemphill is 56 years old.

Education and University of Glasgow

Hemphill studied at the University of Glasgow, where he completed an MA with joint honours in Theatre and Film & TV. His university years played an important role in his eventual career in performance and television.

His connection with the university continued long after graduation. In 2001, he was elected Rector of the University of Glasgow, succeeding Ross Kemp. He remained involved in the position until 2004. The rector represents students and serves as an ex-officio member involved with the university’s governing structure.

Hemphill has spoken positively about his time as rector. He wanted the position to be practical and accessible to students, even describing how he would ride his Vespa to the university offices.

This chapter of his life shows that Greg Hemphill’s public career has not been limited to entertainment. He has also maintained a strong connection with education and student life.

Greg Hemphill’s Early Comedy Career

Hemphill’s professional entertainment career began around the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in the early 1990s. He gradually developed experience in comedy performance, radio and television before becoming a familiar face to Scottish audiences.

One notable early project was Off the Ball, a BBC Scotland football radio programme. Hemphill hosted the first episode in 1994, demonstrating his ability to combine comedy, conversation and topical entertainment.

He later became increasingly involved in Scottish sketch comedy, where his partnership with Ford Kiernan became central to his career.

Greg Hemphill and Chewin’ the Fat

Before Still Game, Greg Hemphill and Ford Kiernan became widely recognized through Chewin’ the Fat.

The programme began as a radio comedy before becoming a television sketch show. It featured Hemphill, Kiernan and other Scottish performers and eventually ran across four television series. The comedy was strongly rooted in Scottish culture, accents, everyday situations and recognizable personalities.

Chewin’ the Fat was important because it introduced audiences to several characters and comedic ideas that would later develop into Still Game. Hemphill’s work on the programme demonstrated his abilities as both a performer and a writer.

Greg Hemphill and Still Game

For most audiences, the name Greg Hemphill is inseparable from Still Game.

Created by Hemphill and Ford Kiernan, Still Game follows the lives and adventures of older friends in the fictional Glasgow community of Craiglang. Hemphill played Victor McDade, while Kiernan played Jack Jarvis.

The characters had originally appeared through Chewin’ the Fat, but Still Game gave them a much larger platform. The sitcom first appeared on television in 2002 and eventually became one of Scotland’s most beloved comedy programmes. BBC programme records identify Hemphill as both the actor playing Victor and a writer on the series.

The show’s popularity was driven by its combination of humor, friendship and everyday storytelling. Although Jack and Victor were presented as older men dealing with ordinary problems, the series explored themes such as aging, friendship, family, community and changing technology.

Hemphill’s Victor became particularly memorable because of his relationship with Jack. The chemistry between Hemphill and Kiernan was one of the defining features of the programme.

The series eventually returned after a lengthy break and continued with new episodes before concluding in 2019.

Greg Hemphill Movies and TV Shows

People searching for Greg Hemphill movies may be surprised to discover that much of his most important work has been in television rather than feature films.

His screen credits include Still Game, Chewin’ the Fat, Pulp Video, Balamory, Inspector George Gently, Katie Morag, Dinosaur and Deadpool & Wolverine. IMDb also lists writing, producing and directing credits alongside his acting work.

His appearance in Deadpool & Wolverine in 2024 was another example of Hemphill appearing in a major international film project after becoming famous primarily through Scottish comedy.

He has also worked across different genres, showing that his career is not restricted to sitcoms.

Greg Hemphill Height

According to IMDb, Greg Hemphill’s height is 6 feet 1 inch, or approximately 1.85 metres.

Height is one of the frequently searched details about the actor, although his professional achievements are far more significant than his physical statistics.

Greg Hemphill Wife

Greg Hemphill’s wife is Scottish actress Julie Wilson Nimmo. The couple married in 1999 and have two sons. Wilson Nimmo is particularly famous for playing Miss Hoolie in the children’s television series Balamory.

Their relationship has also included professional collaborations. The couple appeared together in television comedy before later working on the factual entertainment programme Jules and Greg’s Wild Swim.

In that series, the pair explored Scotland’s cold-water swimming locations, combining travel, outdoor adventure and personal stories. BBC programme records list both Julie Wilson Nimmo and Greg Hemphill as presenters.

The couple’s long marriage has therefore become another interesting part of Hemphill’s public story.

Greg Hemphill Children and Family Life

Greg Hemphill and Julie Wilson Nimmo have two sons. Publicly available biographical information identifies them as Benny and Chevy.

Hemphill generally keeps his family life relatively private, so there is considerably more reliable information available about his professional work than about his children.

This privacy is worth respecting when discussing his personal life. His marriage to Wilson Nimmo is well documented, while detailed information about his sons is comparatively limited.

Greg Hemphill Net Worth

Another popular search is Greg Hemphill net worth, but there is no authoritative public figure confirming exactly how much money the Scottish actor and comedian is worth.

Various celebrity websites publish different estimates, but these figures are generally based on assumptions rather than verified financial statements. His income has come from acting, writing, producing, directing, television, comedy and other entertainment work, particularly through major projects such as Chewin’ the Fat and Still Game.

Therefore, it is more accurate to say that Greg Hemphill’s exact net worth is not publicly verified rather than presenting an online estimate as fact.

Greg Hemphill Today

Greg Hemphill has continued working in television after Still Game. One of his more recent projects is Jules and Greg’s Wild Swim, in which he appears alongside his wife, Julie Wilson Nimmo. The programme follows the couple as they explore wild swimming locations around Scotland.

His continued work demonstrates that his career has developed beyond the role of Victor McDade. From sketch comedy and sitcoms to factual entertainment and film appearances, Hemphill has maintained a varied presence on screen.

Conclusion

Greg Hemphill has built a remarkable career by combining comedy performance with writing, production and creative development. From his early experiences in Scotland and Canada to his education at the University of Glasgow, his rise through Chewin’ the Fat and his defining role as Victor McDade in Still Game, his story reflects an important part of modern Scottish entertainment. His marriage to Julie Wilson Nimmo, his university connections and his continuing television work add further dimensions to his public profile. For readers of Globe Gist, Greg Hemphill remains an interesting figure because his career demonstrates how a comedian can become a writer, actor, producer and enduring cultural personality while maintaining strong connections to Scottish television and comedy.

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