He is married to Sybil Ramkin, the richest woman in the city. Born into poverty, (as a descendant of disgraced ancient Ankh-Morpork nobility), he became a highly reluctant member of modern Ankh-Morpork nobility, having been made both a knight and a duke, as well as an ambassador. His rise from drunk policeman to respected member of the aristocracy, and the simultaneous growth and development of the Watch under his command, have together been one of the major threads of the Discworld series. Vimes is the Commander of the City Watch, the burgeoning police force of the Discworld's largest city, Ankh-Morpork.

Longtime collaborative artist Paul Kidby, who has worked with Pratchett on several works, portrays him instead as resembling Clint Eastwood. While no detailed description of his physical appearance shows up in any of the Discworld novels, Pratchett says in the companion work, The Art of Discworld, that he has always imagined Vimes as a younger, slightly bulkier version of late British actor Pete Postlethwaite. He first appeared in the novel Guards! Guards!. According to his wife, Sybil, Vimes is recognised by many as Lord Vetinari's right-hand man. When serving as Ambassador for Ankh-Morpork, he is also referred to simply as ' His Excellency', and is also nicknamed ' Blackboard Monitor Vimes', 'Vimes the Butcher/Butcher Vimes' and ' Vetinari's Terrier' (or his hammer, depending upon the occasion). As of his latest promotion, his full name and title is stated as being ' His Grace, His Excellency, The 1st Duke of Ankh Commander Sir Samuel Vimes'.

His appearances throughout the Discworld sequence show him slowly and grudgingly rising through the ranks of both police force and society. Vimes is depicted in the novels as somewhere between an Inspector Morse-type 'old-school' British policeman, and a film noir-esque grizzled detective. His Grace, The Duke of Ankh, Commander Sir Samuel ' Sam' Vimes is a fictional character in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. Fictional character Sir Samuel, The Duke of Ankh

Terry pratchett guards guards series