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Still Game actor Jimmy Martin dies aged 93

James Delaney
BBC Scotland News
BBC Jimmy Martin looking directly at the camera. He is wearing a multicoloured jumper and has his hands folded across his stomach. He is wearing a multicolured light bunnett and is standing in front of a wood background. A blurred fruit machine is on the right of the picture.BBC
Jimmy Martin appeared in 47 episodes of Still Game as "Auld" Eric prior to his character being written off in 2018

Actor Jimmy Martin, who played "Auld" Eric in BBC sitcom Still Game, has died at the age of 93.

Martin appeared in 47 episodes of the show alongside Greg Hemphill and Ford Kiernan between 2002 and 2018.

He was one of the few members of the cast who was actually a pensioner when the show began, but his character was killed off in the eighth series.

His management company said his performances "brought joy to so many".

Former Still Game producer Michael Hines described him as a "wonderful actor" in a post on X.

He wrote: "Just to let all the Still Game fans out there that Jimmy Martin 'Eric' passed away today.

"He was a wonderful actor and I was honoured to call him pal."

Greg Hemphill said Martin was "an amazing fella and a joy to be around".

He added: "Full of great stories about cutting about Byres Road in the 60s, about his time in the Navy, and of course, the only genuine auld yin amongst us. We will miss you, Jimmy."

Martin was born in Glasgow's Partick, but lived for a long period in Musselburgh, East Lothian.

He joined the Royal Navy at the age of 17 and spent 16 years in the fire service before becoming an actor.

Martin was awarded the British Empire Medal in the 2024 King's birthday honours for his services to military charities.

The cast of Still Game all looking at the camera. There are six people standing in a row in front of a bar. A seventh person, wearing a blue shirt, is behind the bar.
Martin, as Eric, second from the left, was a beloved character in Still Game

He began acting regularly in the 1980s, including appearances in Taggart and Take the High Road, before joining Still Game - a spinoff of comedy sketch show Chewin' the Fat.

Eric was a regular presence in The Clansman alongside Jack and Victor (Kiernan and Hemphill), as well as Winston, played by Paul Riley, Tam, played by Mark Cox, Isa, played by Jane McCarry and barman Boaby, played by Gavin Mitchell.

The beloved character helped lure tight-fisted Tam into a poker night at Jack's flat, graphically described the effects of aging on the human body to the long-term friends and found out, to his cost, the dangers of tampering with a fire hydrant on a hot day.

Parts of his real-life back story were worked into that of his character on the long-running show when he became the first customer of new Craiglang funeral director Iain Duncan Sheathing in 2018.

That was only after he claimed to have carried out a summer romance with Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida in Rome, which was later found to be untrue after the character's funeral.

He also appeared in Peter McDougall's Just Another Saturday, Rab C Nesbitt and Netflix comedy Lovesick.

Posting on Facebook, Red Shoe Entertainment wrote: "We are deeply saddened to share the news that Jimmy Martin, the beloved actor known for playing Eric in Still Game, has passed away.

"His warmth, humour, and unforgettable performances brought joy to so many, and his legacy will live on through the laughter he shared with the world.

"Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and all who loved him. Rest in peace, Jimmy."