LONDON (CelebrityAccess) – British actor Tom Wilkinson, who won a BAFTA for his work in The Full Monty, died suddenly at home on Saturday (December 30). News of his death was confirmed via a statement from his publicist, Nancy Seltzer. No cause of death was given. He was 75.
“It is with great sadness that the family of Tom Wilkinson announce that he died suddenly at home on December 30,” said a statement from his agent. “His wife and family were with him. The family asks for privacy at this time.”
Wilkinson, born in Leeds, England, in 1948, attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art after catching the acting and entertainment bug at just 18 years of age – when he was asked to direct a play.
In 1986, he got his first major screen role in the mini-series First Among Equals, based on Jeffrey Archer’s best-selling novel. Deadline reports it was during that time that he met Diana Hardcastle, and the couple married in 1988. They played husband and wife in The Kennedys in 2011 and in the 2014 action film Good People.
It was his casting in 1997’s The Full Monty that made Wilkinson a household name and a major Hollywood actor.
He received his first Academy Award nomination in 2002 for his leading role opposite Sissy Spacek in the film In the Bedroom. His second Oscar nom was for the film Michael Clayton in 2007 for his supporting role as an unhinged and erratic lawyer opposite George Clooney.
Wilkinson, known for being a renowned character actor and chameleon when taking on roles played numerous historical and political characters during his career, which spans over 130 TV and movie credits.
He won an Emmy for his portrayal of Benjamin Franklin in the mini-series John Adams in 2008 and earned an Emmy nomination for playing JFK’s father in the 2001 mini-series, The Kennedys. He also played President Lyndon B. Johnson in the big screen movie, Selma.
Other TV and film credits include Girl with a Pearl Earring, Duplicity, Wilde, Sense and Sensibility, Batman Begins, Rush Hour, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind with Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey and playing a Nazi officer alongside Tom Cruise in Valkyrie (2008).
The respected actor also received the honor of being appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to drama in 2005.
Wilkinson’s co-star in Michael Clayton, George Clooney released a statement via his representative saying, “Tom made every project better. Made every actor better. He was the epitome of elegance and he will be dearly missed by all of us.”
Wilkinson is survived by his wife Diana and two daughters, Mollie and Alice.
RIP.
