Tom Wilkinson, a beloved British stage actor who, in his middle years, honed his acting chops and became a supporting star in several critically acclaimed American films, such as “The Full Monty,” “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” and “Shakespeare in Love,” passed away on Saturday. His age was 75.
His agent confirmed in a statement that he passed away unexpectedly at home. Other details were not supplied. Mr. Wilkinson avoided being typecast and convincingly inhabited a wide diversity of characters despite the fact that he was barely a household figure among American moviegoers. Even now, many of them are remembered.
The courtroom thriller “Michael Clayton” (2007) and the drama “In the Bedroom” (2001), in which he played the lead role for the first time, both garnered him nominations for Academy Awards. Both “The Full Monty” (1997) and “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” (2011) were comedies in which he thrilled viewers.
His other successful films featuring villains driven by avarice include “Rush Hour” (1998) and “Batman Begins” (2005), in addition to “Shakespeare in Love” (1998).
His performance as an American was so lifelike that he was cast as numerous famous Americans, such as Benjamin Franklin in the 2008 HBO miniseries “John Adams,” Joseph P. Kennedy in the 2011 Reelz miniseries “The Kennedys,” and President Lyndon B. Johnson in the 2014 film “Selma.”
He had the opportunity to collaborate with renowned actors such as Ben Affleck, George Clooney, and Sissy Spacek. His 2002 interview with The New York Times revealed his self-perception as a “utility player” capable of handling any task thrown his way. “A certain level of anonymity has always seemed appropriate for actors,” the author says.
His most beloved role, according to many Britons, is in “The Full Monty,” in which he plays a cynical, jobless steelworker in Sheffield, England, who plans to launch a striptease act for the community as a means to earn some money and fix their pride.
Mr. Wilkinson portrayed Gerald Cooper, a retired foreman who enlists with the cadre in an effort to get away from the garden gnomes that his wife had put up. His performance was hailed as “winning” by Janet Maslin, a former film reviewer for the New York Times.
Fans were especially effusive in their praise of his performance in “In the Bedroom,” in which he portrayed the role of a wealthy and cunning doctor whose son’s infidelity leads to his murder. “As Matt, Tom Wilkinson continues to build a career of largely ignored astonishments,” observed reviewer Stanley Kauffmann in The New Republic.
“He is one of those acting gems who appear satisfied to continue being underappreciated so long as they get enough good roles.” The film’s director, Todd Field, has stated that Mr. Wilkinson’s relatability was a major pull for him.
“You don’t typically think that Robert Redford is going to live next door,” Mr. Field told The Times. “Yet you think Tom Wilkinson could reside in the house next door. There’s a distinction.
The roles that Mr. Wilkinson played occasionally garnered more acclaim than the actual plays he had appeared in. According to Stephen Holden, a former critic for The Times, who reviewed the British drama “Separate Lies” (2005), Mr. Wilkinson “nails every detail” of an arrogant lawyer.
“This profound portrayal, comparable to Mr. Wilkinson’s sorrowful father in ‘In the Bedroom,’ propels ‘Separate Lies’ halfway toward the esteemed category of that 2001 picture,” Mr. Holden elaborated. “However, it falls well short of elevating this fascinating yet cold moral conundrum to a truly remarkable level.”
On February 5, 1948, Geoffrey Thomas Wilkinson came into this world in Yorkshire, England. At the age of four, he and his parents, Thomas and Marjorie Wilkinson, emigrated to Canada in search of greater economic opportunities than farming.
His father worked as an aluminum smelter for the brief six years that they were there. In Britain, Geoff’s parents managed a tavern in Cornwall until Geoff was a teenager, when his father passed away, sending him and his mother back to Yorkshire.
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