Actor Tom Wilkinson – known for roles in The Full Monty and Batman Begins – dies aged 75
British Oscar-nominated actor Tom Wilkinson, best known for his role in The Full Monty, has died aged 75, his family has announced.
The Yorkshire-born star played the character Gerald Cooper in the 1997 comedy, which tells the story of a group of redundant steelworkers from Sheffield on their journey to set up an all-male striptease act.
Wilkinson received a BAFTA for best supporting actor for his performance.
He also featured in the 1998 romcom Shakespeare In Love, the 2005 Christopher Nolan blockbuster Batman Begins, and starred alongside Dame Judi Dench, Dame Penelope Wilton, and Bill Nighy, in the all-British ensemble cast of the 2011 comedy-drama The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.
Wilkinson was at home with his wife and family when he died suddenly on Saturday, his family said in a statement.
Robert Carlye, Tom Wilkinson, Hugo Speer, Steve Huison, and Paul Barber, in The Full Monty. Pic: 20thC.Fox/Everett/Shutterstock
Tom Wilkinson in The Full Monty Pic: Moviestore/Shutterstock
“It is with great sadness that the family of Tom Wilkinson announce that he died suddenly at home on 30 December. His wife and family were with him,” a statement shared by his agent on behalf of the family said.
Peaky Blinders and Dunkirk actor Aneurin Barnard, who starred opposite Wilkinson in Dead In A Week (Or Your Money Back), paid tribute to the star, describing him as a “legend”.
“I am very sad to hear the passing of Tom Wilkinson. I had a very great time getting to know him and working with him,” he wrote in a post on X.
“One of our wonderful legends that we say goodbye to. Bye for now Tom.”
The Strays and All About Eve star, Michael Warburton, described Wilkinson as a “superlative Actor”.
“Very sad news that one of our finest has left us aged 75. RIP Tom Wilkinson,” he wrote on X.
Singer Will Young also paid tribute to a “friend” and “British acting royalty”.
“Goodbye friend. Funny, bloody smart, helped me with auditions along with (Diana Hardcastle) and what a terrific actor,” he wrote on Instagram.
“British acting royalty. I salute you, dear Tom.”
Award-winning actor
Across an illustrious career spanning nearly 50 years, Wilkinson won a host of acting awards, as well as two Oscar nominations.
He starred alongside Dame Judi Dench and Bill Nighy in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Pic: FoxSearch/Everett/Shutterstock
The first was for best actor for his performance in the 2001 drama In the Bedroom.
He was also nominated for best supporting actor for his performance in the 2007 legal thriller Michael Clayton, starring George Clooney.
Wilkinson won a Golden Globe and an Emmy for best supporting actor for his performance as Benjamin Franklin in the 2008 HBO series John Adams.
Tom Wilkinson won a Golden Globe for the 2008 HBO series John Adams
From Yorkshire to Hollywood
Born the son of farmers in the Yorkshire valley of Wharfedale in 1948, Wilkinson moved with his family to Canada as a young boy, but returned five years later.
He studied English and American literature at the University of Kent, where he developed a keen interest in acting after being asked to direct a play.
He later trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London.
Wilkinson got his first break in acting in 1976, going on to make appearances in a number of British television shows – the most notable being the 1986 political drama, First Among Equals, which was based on Jeffrey Archer’s novel of the same name.
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Tom Wilkinson in Shakespeare in Love
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But it was his starring role in The Full Monty for which he gained fame and critical acclaim, playing Gerald Arthur Cooper – a steel factory foreman who attempts to hide his redundancy from his wife.
After seeing Cooper’s wife at a dance class, the film’s two main characters, Gaz and Dave, played by Robert Carlyle and Mark Addy, recruit her to help them learn to dance for their Chippendale-style striptease act.
His BAFTA-winning performance in the film was followed by a string of high-profile acting credits, including the mobster Carmine Falcone in the 2005 Hollywood blockbuster Batman Begins.
Wilkinson was awarded on OBE for services to acting in the 2005 New Year Honours list
In the latter part of his career, Wilkinson starred in a string of high-profile US dramas, including John Adams, while he was awarded an OBE for services to drama in the 2005 New Year Honours list.
For his final screen credit, he was reunited with his Full Monty co-stars, Robert Carlyle and Mark Addy, in a 2023 Disney+ series of the same name.
Away from the screen, Wilkinson married fellow actor Diana Hardcastle in 1988. The couple had two daughters together.
Wilkinson starred alongside his wife in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – though Hardcastle had a supporting role and they did not interact in the film.
The couple did however play husband and wife in the 2014 American thriller Good People.
Two pro-Palestinian demonstrators have thrown red powder on Tower Bridge – just moments before leading runners in the London Marathon went past.
The protesters were arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance and remain in custody, said the Metropolitan Police.
A video shared by Youth Demand, which is calling for a trade embargo on Israel, shows two people jumping over a barrier that separates spectators from the race course.
The pair, wearing t-shirts that say “Youth Demand: Stop Arming Israel”, are then seen standing in the middle of the road on the bridge.
Pic: LNP
They throw red powder in the air as an official marathon car goes past displaying the race time.
A motorbike with a cameraman on board continues along the route, while a second motorbike stops and one of the riders gets off and pushes the pair out of the way, just before the men’s elite runners pass.
Several police officers then jump over the barrier and detain the pair, the footage shows.
There appeared to be no impact on the marathon.
More than 56,000 participants were expected to take part in the 26.2-mile race through the capital.
Sabastian Sawe of Kenya won the men’s elite race in a time of two hours, two minutes and 27 seconds, while Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa shattered the women’s-only world record in two hours, 15 minutes and 50 seconds.
Assefa beat the previous best of two hours, 16 minutes and 16 seconds set last year in London by Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir.
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Pic: LNP
The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “At around 10.38am, two protesters from Youth Demand jumped over barriers at Tower Bridge and threw red paint on to the road.
“Marathon event staff intervened to remove the protesters from the path of the men’s elite race which was able to pass unobstructed.”
The force added that they were “quickly supported by police officers who arrested the protesters on suspicion of causing a public nuisance”.
The Met said the paint “appeared to be chalk-based” and was not expected to “present a hazard to runners yet to pass this point”.
Counter-terrorism police are investigating after an incident involving a crossbow and a firearm left two women injured in Leeds.
Police were called to Otley Road at 2.47pm on Saturday to reports of a “serious incident involving a man seen with weapons”, West Yorkshire Police said.
Officers arrived at the scene to find two women injured – and a 38-year-old man with a self-inflicted injury. All three were taken to hospital, with the man held under arrest, but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
“Two weapons have been recovered from the scene, which were a crossbow and a firearm,” Counter Terrorism Policing North East said in a statement.
The incident happened on the ‘Otley Run’ pub crawl, with one venue saying it was closed for the evening due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
Officers guard one of the crime scenes
Officers inside the cordon in Leeds
Counter Terrorism Policing’s statement added: “Due to the circumstances surrounding the incident, Counter Terrorism Policing North East have taken responsibility for leading the investigation with the support of West Yorkshire Police.
“Extensive enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances and explore any potential motivation.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described it as a “serious violent incident” and said she was being kept updated by police.
“Thank you to the police and emergency services for their swift response,” she said. “My thoughts are with the victims and all those affected by this attack.”
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