British Actor Tom Wilkinson, Star of The Full Monty, Dies at 75

(CTN News) – Tom Wilkinson, a British actor who was known for films such as “The Full Monty,” “Shakespeare in Love,” and “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” passed away at the age of one hundred and five.

In 1997, Tom Wilkinson was awarded a Bafta for his performance in The Full Monty. Twenty-six years later, another Disney+ streaming series revived the characters, and Wilkinson reprised his role as Gerald.

The total number of Bafta nominations he garnered was six, and he was also nominated for two Academy Awards for his work in Michael Clayton and In the Bedroom.

According to a statement, he passed away unexpectedly at home with his wife and family members there.

Explore Wilkinson’s extensive filmography, showcasing his ability to excel in various genres, from period dramas to action films.

Tom Wilkinson was compared to “the epitome of elegance” by George Clooney, who co-starred with Wilkinson in the courtroom thriller Michael Clayton, which was released in 2007.

To pay respect, he stated in an interview with Variety magazine, “Tom improved each and every project.” All of the actors became better.

“He was the epitome of elegance and he will be dearly missed by all of us.”

With a total of more than 130 film and television credits, Wilkinson was equally at ease in historical dramas such as Sense and Sensibility (1995) and Belle (2013), as he was in playing criminal masterminds in films such as Rush Hour (1998), in which he starred opposite Jackie Chan, or RocknRolla (2008), which was directed by Guy Ritchie.

After that, he was nominated for an Emmy for his role as John F. Kennedy’s father Joe in The Kennedys and won an Emmy for his portrayal of Benjamin Franklin, a political figure from the United States, in the miniseries John Adams, which aired in 2008.

The film Selma, which was released in 2014, featured him in the role of President Lyndon B. Johnson. He also had roles in The Grand Budapest Hotel and Girl with a Pearl Earring.

Within a statement that was distributed by his agency on behalf of his family, it was confirmed that he had passed away on Saturday.

The Encyclopaedia of British Film describes Wilkinson as “a major character star, with a remarkable gift – one among several – for conveying inner pain.” Wilkinson was a well-known actor in the United Kingdom.

Wilkinson was referred to be “a huge performer, a real titan of an actor, one of the greats of not only his generation, but of any generation,” by Robert Carlyle, who also featured opposite Wilkinson in the film The Full Monty.

Phil Davis, a British actor, paid tribute to him on X, which was then known as Twitter. Davis characterized him as “powerful and delicate and enormously intelligent – one of the very best.” Will Young, a musician and actor, also paid respect to him, describing him as “British acting royalty.”

A film director from the United States named Scott Derrickson referred to Tom Wilkinson as “an amazing talent” and recalled an incident in which the actor surprised him by kissing him on the lips when they were working on the set of The Exorcism of Emily Rose.

When he was 18 years old, he was asked to direct a play, and that was the moment he realized that directing was his true calling. He was born in Leeds, but spent his childhood in Canada and Cornwall.

“For the first time in my life, I started doing something I knew how to do,” according to him.

After some reflection, I came to the realization that it was not necessarily only people from the middle class in the south who were able to become performers; it might also be someone like myself. Moreover, once I was aware of it, I never altered my mind.

In order to prepare himself for a career in theater and television, he first attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Rada), which is a well-established institution. His first major movie part was in the miniseries First Among Equals, which was based on Jeffrey Archer’s best-selling novel. This role was his first major screen role.

Diana Hardcastle was also playing beside him at the time. In addition to their marriage in 1988, the couple went on to play husband and wife roles in the films The Kennedys (2011) and Good People (2014), both of which were action films. Alice and Molly were the couple’s name for their two daughters.

Tom Wilkinson said the following about his performance as Pecksniff in Martin Chuzzlewit for the BBC in the year 1994: “When I looked at it, I came to the conclusion that I couldn’t possibly get it any better than that.”

Everything turned out precisely how I had intended it to turn out. I thought to myself, “I can act; there’s no question about it.” It ended up winning a handful of prizes.

After three years, he was cast in the role of a former manufacturing foreman who, along with other unemployed coworkers, participates in the production of a strip show in the film The Full Monty.

“I was simultaneously offered the lead in a TV series and a possible part in a low-budget movie,” he told the newspaper The Guardian.

The last time I called a friend, he told me to “Take the TV, take the TV.” I will never forget that. On the other hand, I did not take his recommendation, and the television ended up being a dump.

While this was going on, the low-budget film ended up becoming the highest-grossing British film up to that moment, and it catapulted his career to a new level on both sides of the Atlantic.

In the domestic drama In the Bedroom, which was directed by Todd Field and released in the United States in 2001, Tom Wilkinson played the role of a father who had recently lost his child. One of the Oscar nominations that he received was for best actor.

Exploring Tom Wilkinson’s down-to-earth personality and his OBE recognition in the 2005 New Year Honours

Later on, he expressed his desire that the movie would accomplish two things for him. I need to demonstrate that I am capable of playing the lead role in a film. Two, I have the ability to perform a leading role in an American production. It was able to do both of those objectives.

The actor received his second nomination for an Academy Award nomination for his supporting part in the legal thriller Michael Clayton, which was directed by Tony Gilroy and starred George Clooney in 2007.

The following are some of the other films that Tom Wilkinson has worked on: Batman Begins, The Patriot, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Gathering Storm, Black Knight, Valkyrie, The Lone Ranger, and Denial.

In addition, he gave the voice of the fox in the television adaptation of the children’s book the Gruffalo, which was a huge success.

He has been referred to as “one of the best” in interviews by his long-term agent, Lou Coulson.

Outside of the spotlight, Tom Wilkinson was noted for his straightforward demeanor and his ability to maintain a low profile. In the course of an interview, he expressed his preference for going to Waitrose without being recognized.

Tom Wilkinson was honored with the title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the New Year’s Honours list of 2005 for his contributions to the field of drama.