All About Ewan McGregor's Brother, Colin McGregor

Ewan McGregor may have played brothers with Ethan Hawke in Apple TV+’s original film Raymond and Ray, but in real life, he’s a younger brother to former fighter pilot Colin McGregor.

Born in 1969 in Perth, Scotland, to Jim and Carol McGregor, who both worked as teachers, Ewan and Colin were raised in the nearby Scottish city of Crieff.

While Ewan knew early on that he wanted to act, Colin was drawn to flying. As children, they attended air shows together, which inspired Colin to become a fighter pilot.

As a Red Arrows fighter pilot, notably the only kind of fighter pilot to have individual call-signs, Colin’s call-sign, “Obi-2,” was inspired by his brother’s iconic role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars franchise.

Colin retired in 2007, and has spent his retirement years biking around Europe with his wife, Sarah, as well as traveling with his two children, Jamie and Kathryn.

So who is Ewan McGregor’s brother? Here’s everything to know about Colin McGregor and his relationship with the actor.

He’s a former fighter pilot

Colin was a fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force for 20 years before retiring in 2007. As a RAF pilot, he often flew Tornado GR4’s.

Ewan and Colin grew up going to air shows with their dad, who also liked planes.

In an interview together, Ewan reflected on his first air show, saying, “I remember the feeling of it. The excitement of being there and the smell of the airplanes.”

Ewan, in turn, asked his brother what it was like to operate a Spitfire airplane, one they recalled seeing at air shows as children.

“It was definitely the most emotional I’ve ever been in an airplane,” Colin said. “You just kind of grow up with that aircraft in your mind, it’s so iconic ... and then to actually be allowed to operate it yourself.”

He’s appeared on-screen alongside Ewan

While Colin isn’t an actor, he has shared the screen with his actor brother on more than one occasion.

In April 2018, Ewan and Colin hosted the BBC documentary RAF at 100 with Ewan and Colin McGregor, a celebration of the Royal Air Force's centenary.

The film found the brothers showcasing planes from World War I to the present day, testing them out and speaking with former pilots from the Royal Air Force who served in different wars over the years.

RAF at 100 wasn’t the McGregor brothers’ first joint documentary project.

In 2011, Ewan and Colin presented Battle of Britain, a documentary reflecting on the Battle of Britain on its 70th Anniversary, and followed it up with Bomber Boys in 2012, another documentary about the Royal Air Force focusing on its introduction of the Bomber Command.

Most of their joint ventures centered around Colin’s history as a RAF pilot, but in 2017, Ewan got to take the lead on a project they both appeared in when Colin made a cameo in T2 Trainspotting, the sequel to the 1996 comedy Ewan starred in.

“T2 Trainspotting starring yours truly as ‘man on tram’ and some other bloke who vaguely resembles him as Renton,” Colin quipped on Instagram, posting a screenshot of his cameo.

He’s a father of two

Colin and his wife, Sarah McGregor, are parents to two kids: Jamie and Kathryn.

Jamie is a creative who has dabbled in music production and sound engineering, as well as filmmaking. He posts snippets of his beats on his Instagram account.

Colin has shown his support for his son’s music-making, sharing an EP he released in 2019 on Instagram and writing “My boy,” instructing followers to find the link on Jamie’s Instagram page.

Likewise, Jamie’s uncle Ewan has supported his filmmaking endeavors. In 2017, he invited Colin and Jamie to the set of the Trainspotting sequel, which he was filming at the time.

“Uncle Ewan has given me some advice and tips but he is more used to being in front of the camera rather than behind it,” Jamie shared, speaking about the experience to Scotland's The Sunday Post.

Colin is also a proud uncle to brother Ewan’s five kids: Clara, Esther, Jamyan, Anouk and Laurie.

He’s an Ironman competitor

As someone who enjoys an active lifestyle, Colin also likes to participate in different triathlons.

In August 2023, he competed in his first Ironman competition in Copenhagen.

“Ironman Copenhagen done! Six months training paid off,” he wrote on Instagram. “Amazing experience but one I won’t be repeating! Fantastic city with amazing support,” he added, tagging his wife and kids to thank them for their support.

Sarah has participated alongside him in a few triathlons, making for some healthy competition.

“Still Top Dog in the McGregor household! Turriff Sprint Triathlon...done!” he wrote alongside a photo of himself and Sarah posing with their medals after a race.

His wife isn’t the only one he beats out in triathlons. In July 2022, he shared a photo of himself after the Nairn Sprint triathlon, writing that he’d placed 10th for everyone in his age category.

He’s an avid biker

Colin is an ardent bike rider who loves to take his bicycle out on trails and document his journeys. Sarah often joins him on his bike rides and sometimes, the whole family rides together.

His cycling adventures don’t stop when he’s on vacation, either. Colin and Sarah were happy to take in some “autumnal views” along the Mediterranean coastline on a trip they took in October 2022.

Similarly, Ewan is an avid motorcyclist who has had his own journeys documented, including a three-month excursion he embarked on in December 2019 from Patagonia, Argentina, to California for a Long Way Up, a docuseries that debuted on Apple TV+ in 2020.

He supports charity through his exercise

While Colin loves to bike for the sake of biking, he also does it for good causes, like the My Name’s Doddie foundation, which funds research to find a cure for Motor Neuron disease.

In May 2023, Colin, Sarah, Jamie and Kathryn all ran the Edinburgh Marathon to raise funds for the Epilepsy Society in honor of Colin’s late friend and college roommate Addy Ganguli, who died from complications due to epilepsy in 2022.

“Addy was one of my closest friends here at Kingston University and I was living in the same flat as Addy,” Jamie shared in the post for the marathon fundraiser.

“His last hours alive were in my room producing music, which we loved,” he added.