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.
Liverpool have won the Premier League title after a 5-1 victory over Tottenham at Anfield.
Arne Slot’s men did it in impressive style, turning over Spurs in a convincing win.
It was a rocky start for the Reds after Dominic Solanke put the north London side ahead.
However, fortunes quickly changed in the first half as Liverpool scored three times without a response.
Captain Virgil van Dijk (centre) celebrates. Pic: Reuters
Salah on his knees in celebration after the final whistle. Pic: AP
Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott (below) and Jarell Quansah celebrate after full-time. Pic: PA
Slot cheers after the full-time whistle. Pic: AP
In the second half, it took until the 63rd minute for Mohamed Salah to make it 4-1 before a fifth followed.
The Reds have won the title in manager Arne Slot’s first season in charge, and move level with fierce rivals Manchester United on 20 league championships.
But it makes them arguably the most successful English club ever as they have won more European Cup or Champions League titles.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk told Sky Sports after the final whistle: “It’s special and it’s something that we don’t take for granted. It’s amazing.
“A lot of emotions before the game, during the whole week, but we got the job done and we (are) truly deserved champions of England. (Liverpool is) the most beautiful club in the world and I think we deserve all of this. Let’s enjoy the next couple of weeks and let it sink in.”
Liverpool’s Kostas Tsimikas poses with a Premier League trophy cut out. Pic: Reuters
Manager Arne Slot and his team after the final whistle. Pic: AP
Slot took over last summer from Jurgen Klopp, who guided them to their previous and maiden Premier League title triumph in 2020, when the COVID-19 lockdown saw matches played behind closed doors.
He is the first Dutch manager to win the Premier League and the fifth man to do so in a debut campaign after Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Manuel Pellegrini, and Antonio Conte.
Speaking to Sky Sports he said: “They [the players] did an outstanding job today. The main job was to win. Everyone said we had got it already. But we had to make sure and we got over the line.”
Several players, including Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, and Mohamed Salah, played leading roles in both the 2025 and 2020 campaigns.
Van Dijk and Salah recently signed new contracts extending their careers at the club.
Mohamed Salah takes a selfie with fans after scouring the fourth Liverpool goal. Pic: AP
Fans at Anfield during the game. Pic: AP
Fans in the stands at Anfield before full-time. Pic: Reuters
Liverpool will have to wait until the final game of the season – at home to Crystal Palace on 25 May – to be presented with the Premier League trophy.
It will be the first time the club’s fans will have seen their side lift the top-flight title in person since 1990.
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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”.
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