Actor Tom Wilkinson, who starred in “The Full Monty,” dies at 75

2023-12-31 05:53:36

British actor Tom Wilkinson died this Saturday at the age of 75, his family announced to the English media The Telegraph, information confirmed by other British newspapers. He is particularly known for playing the role of Gerald Cooper in the film “The Full Monty”. According to his family cited by The Telegraph, he died “suddenly” at home, in the presence of his wife. “The family asks that their privacy be respected at this time,” she said in the same press release.

During his long acting career, Tom Wilkinson was nominated for two Academy Awards. A first time in 2001 for his role as a main actor in “The Bedroom”, then a second time in 2007 as a secondary actor in “Michael Clayton”, a film in which George Clooney also played. Tom Wilkinson also appeared in films like “Shakespeare in Love” in 1999, “Batman Begins” in 2005 and “The Grand Budapest Hotel” in 2014.

First role in 1986

According to BBC, Tom Wilkinson, born in Leed in the north of England in 1948, obtained his first major role on screen in 1986 in the mini-series “First Among Equals”, adapted from the novel of the same name written by the English writer Jeffrey Archer. His future wife Diana Hardcastle – whom he married in 1988 – starred at the same time as him in this mini-series.

Tom Wilkison discovered his vocation for cinema when he was 18, the age at which he directed a play. “For the first time in my life, I started doing something I knew how to do,” he said at the time, according to the BBC. He was also made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2004 for services to theatre.