Richard Wilson OBE (born Ian Carmichael Wilson; 9 July 1936) is a Scottish-born English actor, theatre director and broadcaster, best known for playing Victor Meldrew in the popular BBC sitcom One Foot in the Grave. He appears in the BBC drama Merlin as Gaius, the court physician of Camelot. Wilson was born in Greenock, Scotland. He studied science in Greenock, and did National Service with the Royal Army Medical Corps, serving in Singapore. He worked in a laboratory at Stobhill Hospital in Glasgow as a research scientist before switching to acting at age 27. He trained at RADA and then appeared in repertory theatres in Edinburgh (Traverse Theatre), Glasgow and Manchester (Stables Theatre). Wilson was awarded the OBE for services to drama as a director and actor in 1994. In April 1996, he was elected Rector of the University of Glasgow for a term of three years. Wilson has worked for the gay rights campaign group Stonewall and the Labour Party. He is one of the Patrons for Scottish Youth Theatre, Scotland's National Theatre "for and by" young people.