Tristan Gemmill was born on 6th June 1967 in Kensington, London. At the age of fifteen his family immigrated to Australia where he studied Drama at Melbourne University, remaining in that country for the next ten years. Upon his return to Britain, one of his first television roles was in 1998 in The Mrs Bradley Mysteries and two years later in January 2000 he appeared in Coronation Street as Will Griffiths, Leanne Battersby's drugs counsellor.
After this he went on to have a series of starring and regular roles in Nancherrow, Sam's Game, The Bill, London's Burning, Grass, Distant Shores, Strictly Confidential, Cape Wrath and Casualty.
He returned to Coronation Street in the role of Tracy Barlow's ex-husband Robert Preston in July 2015, taking over the part from Julian Kay.
He was raised in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent and is married to actress Emily Hamilton.