Gregor Fisher: ‘I’ve made friends with the idea of death’

1. Early Life

In his autobiography, The Boy With the Painted Tie, Gregor Fisher confessed that he was so eager to reach adulthood that he would pray to “be struck by lightning” to kill him instantly.

Gregor’s turbulent and traumatic early life was punctuated by the early death of his younger brother in a car accident.

Gregor and his two younger brothers were raised by a single mother in a tenement flat in Perth, Scotland. Life was tough.

2. Getting his Big Break

Gregor has said that he took up acting “to meet girls”. He worked on local theatre productions while working day-jobs as a gravedigger, cinema usher and hospital porter.

He got his big break when he successfully auditioned for the BBC Scotland production “Rab C. Nesbitt” (1988-2003).

By 2008, he was awarded the British Academy Scotland (BAFTA) for his services to film and television.

3. Mental Health Struggles

Gregor has been open about his struggles with depression. He was first diagnosed with depression in 2007 and was hospitalized after a suicide attempt in 2014.

Following this incident, Gregor said that he had learned to "park" his illness and focus on recovery.

In 2018, Gregor became an ambassador for the Scottish mental health charity SAMH.

4. Finding Contentment

Now 67, Gregor says he has “made friends with the idea of death”.

Gregor credits his sense of peace and contentment to his “incredibly fortunate” and “very privileged” life.

He says that his recent trip to Antarctica helped him to find perspective on both life and death.