Tom Wilkinson, the Oscar-nominated British actor known for his roles in âThe Full Monty,â âMichael Claytonâ and âThe Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,â has died, his family said. He was 75. A statement shared by his agent on behalf of the family said Wilkinson died suddenly at home on Saturday. It didnât provide further details. , he received numerous accolades including a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award as well as nominations for two Academy Awards and two Laurence Olivier Awards. In 2005, he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).Wilkinson was nominated for a best actor Academy Award for his work in 2001âs family drama âIn The Bedroomâ and in the best supporting actor category for his role in âMichael Clayton,â a 2007 legal thriller that starred George Clooney.
He is remembered by many in Britain and beyond for playing former steel mill foreman Gerald Cooper in the 1997 comedy âThe Full Monty,â about a group of unemployed steel workers who formed an unlikely male stripping act. Wilkinson was born in Yorkshire in northern England in 1948 and spent part of his childhood in Canada. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in the 1970s. He starred in dozens of other TV dramas and movies, from âRush Hourâ and âBatman Beginsâ to âShakespeare in Love,â âEternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mindâ and âValkyrie.â
He became known as a character actor, acting in numerous films such as In the Name of the Father (1993), Sense and Sensibility (1995), Shakespeare in Love (1998), The Patriot (2000), Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Batman Begins (2005), Valkyrie (2008), The Ghost Writer (2010), The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011), Belle (2013), Selma (2014), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), and Denial (2016). He portrayed Carmine Falcone in Christopher Nolan’s superhero film Batman Begins (2005). He also acted in films such as the horror film The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005), Julian Fellowes’ drama Separate Lies (2005), and Woody Allenâs Cassandra’s Dream (2007).
Wilkinson lived in North London with his wife, actress Diana Hardcastle. They had two daughters together, Alice (born in 1989) and Molly (born in 1991). Wilkinson died suddenly at his home on 30 December 2023, at the age of 75.