Thomas Geoffrey Wilkinson OBE (5 February 1948 – 30 December 2023) was an English actor.

Known for his role on stage and screen, he received numerous accolades including a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award as well as nominations for two Academy Awards and two Laurence Olivier Awards. In 2005, he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).

Wilkinson trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art before making his West End debut portraying Horatio in Hamlet (1980) for which he received a nomination for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. He returned to the West End playing Dr. Stockmann in the Henrik Ibsen play An Enemy of the People (1988) receiving a Laurence Olivier Award for Actor of the Year in a Revival nomination.

Wilkinson received the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for The Full Monty (1997) as well as two Academy Award nominations, one for Best Actor for In the Bedroom (2001) and Best Supporting Actor for Michael Clayton (2007). He became known as a character actor, acting in numerous films such as In the Name of the Father (1993), Sense and Sensibility (1995), Shakespeare in Love (1998), The Patriot (2000), Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Batman Begins (2005), Valkyrie (2008), The Ghost Writer (2010), The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011), Belle (2013), Selma (2014), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), and Denial (2016).

In 2009 he won a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for playing Benjamin Franklin in the HBO limited series John Adams (2008). His other Emmy-nominated roles were as Roy/Ruth Applewood in the HBO film Normal (2003), James Baker in the HBO film Recount (2008), and Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. in the limited series The Kennedys (2011).

Early life and education

Thomas Geoffrey Wilkinson was born on 5 February 1948 in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, the son of Marjorie and Thomas Wilkinson, a farmer. At the age of 11, he moved with his family to Kitimat, British Columbia, in Canada, where they lived for five years before returning to the United Kingdom and running a pub in Cornwall. Wilkinson graduated in English and American literature from the University of Kent at Canterbury. While at university, Wilkinson became preoccupied with acting and directing with the University of Kent Drama Society (now called T24 Drama Society). After finishing his degree, Wilkinson then attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, graduating in 1973.

Career

1976–1994: Rise to prominence

Wilkinson made his acting debut in 1976 in the Andrzej Wajda directed thriller Smuga cienia adapted from the Joseph Conrad short novel The Shadow Line. He made his West End debut as Horatio in the 1980 revival of William Shakespeare's Hamlet at the Aldwych Theatre for which he received a nomination for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. He went on to act in supporting roles in the British thriller Parker (1984), the biographical film Sylvia (1985), and the mystery Wetherby (1985).[citation needed] He also worked on several British television series, most notably portraying Raymond Gould in the ITV mini-series First Among Equals (1986). In 1988 he played Dr. Stockmann in the West End revival of Henrik Ibsen's An Enemy of the People at the Playhouse Theatre. For his performance he received a nomination for the Laurence Olivier Award for Actor of the Year in a Revival. In 1993 he had a small role as an Appeal Prosecutor, Grant Richardson in Jim Sheridan's biographical crime drama In the Name of the Father starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Emma Thompson. He first gained critical acclaim with his appearance as Seth Pecksniff in the BBC's 1994 adaptation of Martin Chuzzlewit based on the Charles Dickens novel of the same name.

1995–2008: Breakthrough and acclaim

He had a small but important role as the dying father, Mr. Dashwood in the Ang Lee directed Sense and Sensibility (1995), and played a villain in the adventure drama The Ghost and the Darkness (1996). The following year he gained acclaim for his leading role as Gerald Cooper in the ensemble cast comedy drama The Full Monty (1997). For his performance he earned the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. That same year he portrayed Marquess of Queensberry in the biographical drama Wilde and Hugh Stratton in romantic drama Oscar and Lucinda. In 1998 he acted in the British romantic costume drama Shakespeare in Love starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, and Judi Dench. The film received acclaim and Wilkinson with the cast won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. He played the evil British Ambassador/Juntao in the buddy cop movie Rush Hour (1998) starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker and General Lord Cornwallis in the historical war drama film The Patriot (2000) starring Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger.

Wilkinson won wider critical acclaim for his portrayal of a grieving father Matt Fowler, in Todd Field's indie drama film In the Bedroom (2001). He starred opposite Sissy Spacek and Marisa Tomei. For his performance, he was named Best Actor of the Year by the New York Film Critics' Circle, and went on to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. He then took roles in the period films The Importance of Being Earnest (2002), and Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003). For his role as Roy/Ruth Applewood in the HBO film Normal he received a nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award. The following year he played Dr. Howard Mierzwiak in the Michel Gondry directed science-fiction romantic comedy Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. He portrayed Carmine Falcone in Christopher Nolan's superhero film Batman Begins (2005). He also acted in films such as the horror film The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005), Julian Fellowes' drama Separate Lies (2005), and Woody Allen’s Cassandra's Dream (2007).

In 2007, Wilkinson played Arthur Edens, an attorney with bipolar disorder, in Michael Clayton and garnered much critical acclaim with Variety describing his performance as "terrific". He earned a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. In 2008, Wilkinson portrayed American polymath Benjamin Franklin in the HBO mini-series John Adams for his performance he received Primetime Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors' Guild Award nominations. That same year he starred in another HBO project, the political drama Recount where Wilkinson portrayed American political adviser and lawyer, James A. Baker, in Baker's capacity as Chief Counsel to George W. Bush during the 2000 U.S. Presidential Election, receiving an Emmy Award. He portrayed Friedrich Fromm acting alongside Tom Cruise in the World War II thriller Valkyrie and acted in the Guy Ritchie action film RocknRolla (both 2008).

2010–2023: Established actor

During this time Wilkinson starred in a string of thrillers including Duplicity (2009), The Conspirator (2010), and The Debt (2010). Also in 2010 he starred in the John Landis directed horror comedy Burke and Hare and portrayed a covert CIA agent in Roman Polanski's The Ghost Writer. He gained acclaim portraying Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., in the 2011 television miniseries The Kennedys, for which he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. He and his wife portrayed husband and wife Joe and Rose Kennedy. Earlier that year, he appeared in the comedy film The Green Hornet and the action film Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. The following year he acted in the British comedy The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel starring opposite Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Dev Patel, and Maggie Smith. David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter praised his performance writing, "Observed with sensitivity and played with a deep well of sorrow by Wilkinson, this story breathes real tenderness into the movie’s reflections on growing older and making peace with past mistakes".

In 2013 he portrayed Lord Mansfield in the costume drama Belle starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw. The following year Wilkinson portrayed Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th President of the United States, in Ava DuVernay's historical drama film Selma (2014), and had a role in Wes Anderson's comedy The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). He had a lead role alongside Vince Vaughn and Dave Franco in the comedy Unfinished Business (2015). In 2016, he portrayed journalist Ewen MacAskill in Snowden starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and barrister Richard Rampton in Denial acting alongside Rachel Weisz and Timothy Spall. He briefly reprised his role as Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. in The Kennedys: After Camelot (2017). He voiced Threarah in the BBC One series Watership Down (2018), and played Peregrine, Earl of Brockenhurst in the Julian Fellowes historical drama Belgravia (2019).

Personal life

Wilkinson lived in North London with his wife, actress Diana Hardcastle. They had two daughters together, Alice (born in 1989) and Molly (born in 1991).

Wilkinson died at his home on 30 December 2023, at the age of 75.