30 December 2023 , 17:02
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Two-time Oscar-nominated actor Tom Wilkinson has died aged 75, his family has announced.
The British actor, well known for his role in The Full Monty as former steel mill foreman Gerald Cooper, died "suddenly" on Saturday. His death was confirmed in a statement shared by his agent on behalf of his family.
The statement read: "It is with great sadness that the family of Tom Wilkinson announce that he died suddenly at home on December 30. His wife and family were with him. The family asks for privacy at this time."
Tom's death was confirmed in a statement from his agent (Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock)
Tom's wife Diana Hardcastle was by his side, his agent revealed (Mike Marsland/WireImage)Fans flocked to X, formally Twitter, to pay tribute to the star, with one writing: "Rest in peace, Tom Wilkinson. Once he broke through in Hollywood, late in life, he proved to be masterfully versatile. But for me, his vulnerable, hilarious portrait of a middle-aged, middle class Northerner at the end of his tether in The Full Monty always shone the brightest."
Another penned: "RIP #TomWilkinson. A fine actor and a generous human being. 1948 - 2022." While someone else wrote: "Oh no, Tom Wilkinson died. One of our great actors." A fourth said: "Utterly miserable to hear of the death of Tom Wilkinson, one of my favourite actors. He made anything better by being in it. A magnificent Pecksniff on TV, a menacing (yet hilarious) Marquess of Queensberry and, of course, mighty in In The Bedroom and Michael Clayton."
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Another person said: "Tom Wilkinson’s performance in Michael Clayton made such an indelible impact on me. What a towering, committed actor capable of being tender and terrifying on a dime. RIP to a titan of the acting world," while another fan added: "Oh my god. Heartbreaking news. We've lost a true legend. Never seen a performance where Tom Wilkinson didn't give his 110%. His performance in Todd Field’s In the Bedroom is one of the best of the century. Rest in peace, a genuine great of our time."
Further posts include messages about his role in Batman, with one writing: "RIP Tom Wilkinson, so underrated as mob boss Carmine Falcone in Batman Begins (2005)." Someone else said: "I also got a huge kick out of his faux-New Yawk accent in BATMAN BEGINS. RIP, good sir."
Another X user concluded: "Very sad to learn that actor Tom Wilkinson has left us. Too soon. Incredible actor, who has made us laugh, cry and all spaces between in films like, ‘The Full Monty,’ ‘The Patriot,’ ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ and was dynamite in ‘Michael Clayton.’ You were a diamond actor, Sir."
The Full Monty won a BAFTA for Best Film and took in £154 million at the box office (Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock)Wilkinson was nominated for Academy Awards for actor in a leading role for In The Bedroom in 2001, and actor in a supporting role for Michael Clayton in 2007. He most recently reunited with his The Full Monty co-stars, Robert Carlyle and Mark Addy, in a Disney+ series of the same name.
The original 1997 comedy about an unlikely group of men stripping won an Oscar for best original musical or comedy score and was nominated for three others, including best picture and best director.
Wilkinson’s character played a critical role in the film as he was recruited to help the unemployed Sheffield men dance ahead of them performing to a Tom Jones version of You Can Leave Your Hat On. He would also take home best supporting actor during the 1998 Bafta ceremony for his role in the film.
Wilkinson also won a 2009 Golden Globe and 2008 Emmy for his role as American political figure Benjamin Franklin in HBO series John Adams opposite Paul Giamatti.
He was also known for his roles in a BBC adaptation of Charles Dickens novel Martin Chuzzlewit, the 1995 adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense And Sensibility, the 2014 Wes Anderson comedy drama The Grand Budapest Hotel and 2011 ensemble comedy The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.
Tom died suddenly on Saturday, his heartbroken family confirmed (AFP via Getty Images)"I was simultaneously offered the lead in a TV series and a possible part in a low-budget movie," he previously told The Guardian. "I remember phoning a friend and he said, 'Take the TV, take the TV'. But I didn't follow his advice, and the TV turned out to be crap."
Despite being a low-budget film made for around £2 million, The Full Monty won a BAFTA for Best Film and took in £154 million at the box office following its release. The Full Monty - the original film - is available to stream on Disney+ in the UK.
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Tom was born in Leeds before moving to Canada and then Cornwall in childhood, he found his calling at the age of 18 when he was asked to direct a play. "For the first time in my life, I started doing something I knew how to do," he said previously.
"I realised it wasn't necessarily just these southern middle-class types that got to be actors; it could possibly be people like me. And once I knew, I never changed my mind."
When he portrayed Pecksniff in Martin Chuzzlewit for the BBC in 1994, he said: "I looked at it and I thought, I can't get it any better than that. It came out exactly as I meant it to come out. It won a couple of prizes and I thought, I can act, there's no question."