The Full Monty actor Tom Wilkinson dies | Ents & Arts News

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 Arthur 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, and 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.

“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.

Award-winning actor

Across an illustrious career spanning nearly 50 years, Wilkinson won a host of acting awards, as well as two Oscar nominations.

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.

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.

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 and directing.

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.

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But it was his starring role in The Fully 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.

In the latter part of his career, Wilkinson starred in a string of credits in 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 The 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.