Popular British actor, comedian, and screenwriter Simon Pegg has shared a nostalgic look back at his days as a student in the late 1980s — and it’s every bit as nerdy as you’d expect it to be.
Pegg, 56, is living the nerd’s dream. Having grown up as a huge fan of popular culture — particularly sci-fi, horror, and comic books — he has now acted in adaptations of all three of those things.
Having started his entertainment career in the late 1990s on British television, in comedy shows like “Big Train” and “Spaced,” he has now achieved the holy trinity of nerd-dom appearances. He played Montgomery “Scotty” Scott in the first three instalments of the “Star Trek” reboot movie series, Unkar Plutt in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” and The Editor in the “Doctor Who” episode “The Long Game.”
Moreover, he starred in the iconic comedy horror movie “Shaun of the Dead,” and appeared as a supporting character in the superhero series “The Boys.” Of course, he has also played Benji Dunn in no less than six instalments of the iconic “Mission Impossible” film franchise. Most recently, he has voiced the Balrog in the fantasy television series “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.” It’s the stuff nerd dreams are made of.
In a new photograph shared by Pegg on social media, he looks every bit the quintessential nerd as a teenage university student.
Simon Pegg Was a Huge Nerd at University
Self-confessed nerd Simon Pegg shared two university throwback images with the 1.8 million followers on his Instagram account.
In the second snap, he looks quite thoughtful. However, it’s the first one in which his nerdiness shines through. Pegg is doing a silly pointing pose, wearing very ripped jeans, alongside a friend in some woodland. He looks like he could be the illustration under the word “nerd” in any given dictionary.
Pegg’s caption on his post reads, “1989. I’m in my second year at Bristol University, I either can’t afford jeans or having a shredded crotch was a thing back then. Also pictured, my friend and flatmate, Jon Carnall @jonathangeorgec with my other flatmate, @richardstokes7 taking the pics. Jon was a featured zombie in Shaun of the Dead. Rich went on to become a producer at the BBC and recently published his first novel, Galileo Storm which is totally awesome. Rich and I were sci-fi nerds back then. He was one of the first people I told when I was cast as Scotty.”
The Sundays’ 1990 alternative indie track “Joy” plays over the post.
The comments section of Pegg’s post is full of messages from his fans, followers, and famous friends who loved the throwback shots.
Pegg’s Fans Love His ‘Great Photos’
People flocked to the comments section of Simon Pegg’s post to leave him messages about it.
One of Pegg’s followers noted, “Hahahah somebody did his best to look like Johnny Rotten 😂😂😂.”
Another follower flatteringly commented, “You don’t seem old enough Simon. Ha I frickin love pics like these 👌.”
“Shaun of the Dead” director Edgar Wright, who recognized Pegg’s friend from his zombie cameo in the brilliant movie, wrote, “Jon with hair! Legendary!”
“Great photos, young man 👏🙌,” said one Instagram user.
Similarly, someone else simply posted, “Great pics x.”
A particularly polite follower said, “Good evening all! Thanks for the pic @simonpegg these were the greatest days.”
Meanwhile, one individual echoed what several others thought, writing, “I honestly thought it was a candid young shot of the Proclaimers when I first glanced at this pic!”
Finally, another user commented, “Wow! The 80s vibes are strong here! (Great choice of song btw ❤️).”
We love posts like these. It’s so great to get an insight into the pre-fame lives of celebrities. Pegg duly oblliged here.
Pegg’s 2026 has been a busy one. In addition to the aforementioned “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” his other television credits have included the miniseries “Rosanjin’s Stove” and thriller series “The Undeclared War.” His only movie credit came in Jamie Adams’ drama “Only What We Carry.”
His upcoming credits are also plentiful. He will star in miniseries “Hunting Alice Bell,” reprise his voice role as Buck Wild in 2027’s “Ice Age: Boiling Point,” and appear in an as-yet-untitled “Star Trek” instalment, the mystery film “Dr. Mason Miller,” and the drama movie “Angels in the Asylum.”
We’ll look forward to watching them all.
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Simon Pegg Shares Nostalgic Teenage Throwback Photo That’s Just as Delightfully Nerdy as You’d Expect