British Actor Tom Wilkinson, Best Known for The Full Monty, Dead at 75

INA-  sources

Tom Wilkinson, the British actor best known for his role in The Full Monty, died on Saturday. He was 75.

He died at home surrounded by loved ones, his family confirmed in a statement to PEOPLE. The BBC was first to report the news.

“The family asks for privacy at this time,” the statement read.


Wilkinson — who racked up 130 credits throughout his career, per IMDB — was a highly versatile and decorated actor.

Memorably, he starred as Gerald in 1997’s The Full Monty, which follows a group of unemployed steelworkers who “form a male striptease act,” per IMDB.

Wilkinson took home a BAFTA for best performance by an actor in a supporting role in 1998 for the beloved comedy, and reprised his role as Gerald this year after The Full Monty was rebooted by Disney+ for a synonymous six-episode miniseries.

He also earned BAFTA nods for his roles in 2007’s Michael Clayton, 2001’s In the Bedroom and 1998’s Shakespeare in Love, as well as the TV series Cold Enough for Snow and Martin Chuzzlewit.

He was nominated for two Oscars, best performance by an actor in a supporting role for George Clooney-led Michael Clayton and best actor in a leading role for thriller In the Bedroom.

Wilkinson also won an Emmy for supporting actor for his role as Benjamin Franklin in 2008’s John Adams. He also earned three other Emmy nods, including one for portraying another historical figure, John F. Kennedy's father, Joe Kennedy, in 2011’s The Kennedys.

Some of his other notable film credits include Sense and Sensibility, Rush Hour, The Grand Budapest Hotel and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

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According to the BBC, Wilkinson trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and his first major role was 1986’s First Among Equals, which also starred his wife, Diana Hardcastle.

The couple married in 1988, and went on to star in more projects together, including 2014’s Good People and The Kennedys, in which Hardcastle, 74, played Wilkinson’s on-screen wife, Rose Kennedy, per the BBC.

Hardcastle and Wilkinson have two daughters, Alice and Molly.


source: people