Tom Wilkinson | |
|---|---|
 Wilkinson in 2009 | |
| Born | Thomas Geoffrey Wilkinson (1948-02-05)5 February 1948 Leeds, Yorkshire, England |
| Died | 30 December 2023(2023-12-30) (aged 75) London, England |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1976–2023 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Thomas Geoffrey WilkinsonOBE (5 February 1948 – 30 December 2023) was an English actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen, he receivednumerous accolades including aBAFTA Award, aGolden Globe Award, and aPrimetime Emmy Award as well as nominations for twoAcademy Awards and twoLaurence Olivier Awards. In2005, he was made anOfficer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).
Wilkinson trained at theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art before making hisWest End debut portraying Horatio inHamlet (1980) for which he received a nomination for theLaurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. He returned to the West End playing Dr. Stockmann in theHenrik Ibsen playAn Enemy of the People (1988) receiving aLaurence Olivier Award for Actor of the Year in a Revival nomination.
Wilkinson received theBAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role forThe Full Monty (1997) as well as twoAcademy Award nominations, one forBest Actor forIn the Bedroom (2001) andBest Supporting Actor forMichael Clayton (2007). He became known as acharacter actor, acting in numerous films such asIn 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), andDenial (2016).
In 2009 he won aGolden Globe Award and aPrimetime Emmy Award forOutstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for playingBenjamin Franklin in theHBO limited seriesJohn Adams (2008). His other Emmy-nominated roles were as Roy/Ruth Applewood in the HBO filmNormal (2003),James Baker in the HBO filmRecount (2008), andJoseph P. Kennedy Sr. in the limited seriesThe Kennedys (2011).
Thomas Geoffrey Wilkinson[1] was born on 5 February 1948 inLeeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, the son of Marjorie and Thomas Wilkinson, a farmer.[2][3][4][5][6] At the age of 11, he moved with his family toKitimat, British Columbia, in Canada,[7] where they lived for five years before returning to the United Kingdom and running a pub inCornwall.[8][9] Wilkinson graduated in English and American literature from theUniversity of Kent at Canterbury.[8] While at university, Wilkinson became preoccupied with acting and directing with the University of Kent Drama Society (now called T24 Drama Society). After finishing his degree, Wilkinson then attended theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, graduating in 1973.[10]
Wilkinson made his acting debut on stage at theNottingham Playhouse.[11] In 1976 he was in his first film which was the thrillerSmuga cienia [pl] directed byAndrzej Wajda adapted from theJoseph Conrad short novelThe Shadow Line.[12] He later joined the Royal Shakespeare Company and made hisWest End debut as Horatio in the 1981 RSC production ofWilliam Shakespeare'sHamlet at theAldwych Theatre for which he received a nomination for theLaurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.[13][11] He went on to act in supporting roles in the British thrillerParker (1984), the biographical filmSylvia (1985), and the mysteryWetherby (1985).[14] He also worked on several British television series, most notably portraying Raymond Gould in theITV mini-seriesFirst Among Equals (1986).[15] He was simultaneously appearing in this series on television and on the West End stage inHenrik Ibsen'sGhosts in which he played Pastor Manders.[11] In 1988 he played Dr. Stockmann in aWest End production of Ibsen'sAn Enemy of the People at thePlayhouse Theatre. For his performance he received a nomination for theLaurence Olivier Award for Actor of the Year in a Revival.[13] In 1993 he had a small role as an Appeal Prosecutor, Grant Richardson inJim Sheridan's biographical crime dramaIn the Name of the Father starringDaniel Day-Lewis andEmma Thompson. He first gained critical acclaim with his appearance as Seth Pecksniff in theBBC's 1994 adaptation ofMartin Chuzzlewit based on theCharles Dickensnovel of the same name.[16]
Wilkinson had a small but important role as the dying father, Mr. Dashwood, in theAng Lee-directedSense and Sensibility (1995), and played a villain in the adventure dramaThe Ghost and the Darkness (1996). The following year he gained acclaim for his leading role as Gerald Cooper in theensemble cast comedy dramaThe Full Monty (1997). For his performance he earned theBAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.[17] That same year he portrayedMarquess of Queensberry in the biographical dramaWilde and Hugh Stratton in the romantic dramaOscar and Lucinda.[18] In 1998 he acted in the British romantic costume dramaShakespeare in Love starringGwyneth Paltrow,Joseph Fiennes,Geoffrey Rush, andJudi Dench. The film received acclaim and Wilkinson with the cast won theScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. He played the evil British Ambassador/Juntao in the buddy cop movieRush Hour (1998) starringJackie Chan andChris Tucker andGeneral Lord Cornwallis in the historical war drama filmThe Patriot (2000) starringMel Gibson andHeath Ledger.[19]
Wilkinson won wider critical acclaim for his portrayal of grieving father Matt Fowler inTodd Field's film,In the Bedroom (2001),[20] with co-starsSissy Spacek andMarisa Tomei. For this performance, he was namedBest Actor of the Year by the New York Film Critics' Circle, and was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Actor.[21] He then took roles in the period filmsThe Importance of Being Earnest (2002) andGirl with a Pearl Earring (2003). For his role as Roy/Ruth Applewood in theHBO filmNormal he received a nominations for thePrimetime Emmy Award andGolden Globe Award.[22] The following year he played Dr. Howard Mierzwiak in theMichel Gondry directed science-fiction romantic comedyEternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) starringJim Carrey andKate Winslet. He portrayedCarmine Falcone inChristopher Nolan's superhero filmBatman Begins (2005). He also acted in films such as the horror filmThe Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005),Julian Fellowes' dramaSeparate Lies (2005), andWoody Allen'sCassandra's Dream (2007).[23]
In 2007, Wilkinson played Arthur Edens, an attorney withbipolar disorder, inMichael Clayton. The performance, whichVariety described as "terrific", earned him anAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor nomination.[24] In 2008, Wilkinson portrayed American polymathBenjamin Franklin in the HBO mini-seriesJohn Adams, for which he received aPrimetime Emmy Award andGolden Globe Award,[13] as well as aScreen Actors Guild Award nomination.[25] That same year he starred in another HBO project, the political dramaRecount, in which Wilkinson portrayed American political adviser and lawyer,James A. Baker, in Baker's capacity as Chief Counsel toGeorge W. Bush during the2000 U.S. Presidential Election, receiving anEmmy Award nomination.[26][27] He portrayedFriedrich Fromm, acting alongsideTom Cruise, in theWorld War II thrillerValkyrie and acted in theGuy Ritchie action filmRocknRolla (both 2008).[18]
During this time Wilkinson starred in a string of thrillers includingDuplicity (2009),The Conspirator (2010), andThe Debt (2010). Also in 2010 he starred in theJohn Landis directed horror comedyBurke and Hare and portrayed a covertCIA agent inRoman Polanski'sThe Ghost Writer.[28] He gained acclaim portrayingJoseph P. Kennedy Sr., in the 2011 television miniseriesThe Kennedys, for which he was nominated for aPrimetime Emmy Award.[29] He and his wife portrayed husband and wifeJoe andRose Kennedy. Earlier that year, he appeared in the comedy filmThe Green Hornet and the action filmMission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. The following year he acted in the British comedyThe Best Exotic Marigold Hotel starring oppositeJudi Dench,Bill Nighy,Dev Patel, andMaggie Smith. David Rooney ofThe Hollywood Reporter praised his performance writing, "Observed with sensitivity and played with a deep well of sorrow by Wilkinson, this story breathes real tenderness into the movie's reflections on growing older and making peace with past mistakes".[30]
In 2013 he portrayedLord Mansfield in the costume dramaBelle starringGugu Mbatha-Raw. The following year Wilkinson portrayedLyndon B. Johnson, the 36th President of the United States, inAva DuVernay's historical drama filmSelma (2014), and had a role inWes Anderson's comedyThe Grand Budapest Hotel (2014).[14][18] He had a lead role alongsideVince Vaughn andDave Franco in the comedyUnfinished Business (2015). In 2016, he portrayed journalistEwen MacAskill inSnowden starringJoseph Gordon-Levitt and barristerRichard Rampton inDenial acting alongsideRachel Weisz andTimothy Spall.[18][31] He briefly reprised his role as Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. inThe Kennedys: After Camelot (2017).[32] He voiced Threarah in theBBC One seriesWatership Down (2018), and played Peregrine, Earl of Brockenhurst in theJulian Fellowes historical dramaBelgravia (2019).[18] His final appearance was in a television version ofThe Full Monty.[11]
Wilkinson lived inNorth London with his wife, actressDiana Hardcastle.[33][8] They had two daughters: Alice (born in 1989) and Molly (born in 1991).[34]
Wilkinson died ofcardiac arrest at his home in London, on 30 December 2023, at the age of 75.[35][36]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Crime and Punishment | Cadet | Episode: "Part 1"[37] |
| 1983 | Panorama | Czuma | Episode: "Two Weeks in Winter: How the Army Took Over Poland"[39] |
| Spyship | Martin Taylor | Miniseries[40] | |
| 1984 | Strangers and Brothers | George Passant | 2 episodes[41] |
| Sharma and Beyond | Vivian[14][37] | Television film | |
| Squaring the Circle | Rulewski[42][43] | ||
| 1985 | A Pocket Full of Rye | Detective Inspector Neele[18][37] | |
| Happy Families | Jack | Episode: "Cassie"[44] | |
| 1986 | First Among Equals | Raymond Gould | Miniseries[18][37] |
| 1988 | The Woman He Loved | Ernest Aldrich Simpson[14][37] | Television film |
| The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank | Silberbauer[14][37] | ||
| The Ruth Rendell Mysteries | Robert Hathall | 3 episodes[45] | |
| 1989 | First and Last | Stephen | Television film[18][37] |
| 1990 | Inspector Morse | Jake Normington | Episode:"The Infernal Serpent"[46] |
| TECX | Hugo Gillon | Episode: "The Wine Business"[47] | |
| 1990–1996 | Screen Two | David Hanratty / Father McAteer / Dr. Middleton | 4 episodes[48][49][50][51] |
| 1991 | Parnell & the Englishwoman | Sir Charles Russell | Episode: "The Libel"[14] |
| Lovejoy | Ashley Wilkes | Episode: "One Born Every Minute"[18][37] | |
| Prime Suspect | Peter Rawlins | 2 episodes[14][18] | |
| 1992 | Underbelly | Paul Manning | Miniseries[52] |
| Resnick: Lonely Hearts | Detective Inspector Charlie Resnick | Television film[18] | |
| 1993 | Resnick: Rough Treatment | ||
| Stay Lucky | Allon | Episode: "Gilding the Lily"[44] | |
| 1994 | The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries | Gerald Lacklander | Episode: "Scales of Justice"[14][18] |
| Shakespeare: The Animated Tales[53] | Buckingham (voice) | Episode: "King Richard II" | |
| Performance | Duke Vincentio | Episode: "Measure for Measure"[54][55] | |
| Martin Chuzzlewit | Seth Pecksniff | Miniseries[14] | |
| 1996 | Eskimo Day[18][56] | Hugh Lloyd | Television film |
| 1997 | Cold Enough for Snow[18] | ||
| 1999 | David Copperfield | Narrator (OldDavid Copperfield)[14][37] | |
| 2002 | The Gathering Storm | Sir Robert Vansittart[14][18] | |
| An Angel for May | Sam Wheeler[18][37] | ||
| 2003 | Normal | Roy/Ruth Applewood[14][18] | |
| 2008 | John Adams | Benjamin Franklin | Miniseries[18][37] |
| Recount | James Baker[14][18] | Television film | |
| A Number | Salter[14][18] | ||
| 2009 | The Gruffalo | Fox (voice)[18][37] | |
| 2011 | The Gruffalo's Child[57] | ||
| The Kennedys | Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. | Miniseries[18][37] | |
| 2017 | The Kennedys: After Camelot | Cameo[32] | |
| 2018 | Watership Down | Threarah (voice) | Miniseries[18] |
| 2020 | Belgravia | Peregrine, Earl of Brockenhurst | 6 episodes[18][37] |
| 2023 | The Full Monty | Gerald Arthur Cooper | 6 episodes; final TV role[18][37] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Hamlet | Horatio | Aldwych Theatre, West End[13] |
| 1988 | An Enemy of the People | Dr. Stockmann | Playhouse Theatre, West End[13][58] |
| Year | Title | Voice role |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Batman Begins | Carmine Falcone[59] |
| 2012 | Sleeping Dogs[60] | Superintendent Thomas Pendrew |
Wilkinson received aDoctor of Letters honorary degree from theUniversity of Kent in July 2001.[1] In the2005 New Year Honours, he was appointedOfficer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) "for services to Drama".[61]
