Tom Wilkinson, a skilled actor who passed away at the age of 75, was both successful and hesitant in his fame. He embodied the traits of a reliable raincoat – unassuming, dependable, and able to withstand unfavorable circumstances.
Richard Eyre, the director, acknowledged his strong moral character and ability to bring depth, precision, and intelligence to his work. Actor Wilkinson described himself as a versatile performer, capable of tackling any role. He believes that actors should maintain a level of anonymity and therefore, fame is not something he seeks. Unlike some of his peers who enjoy the spotlight, Wilkinson has no interest in celebrity.
Instead of making a big show or being flashy, he had a talent for embodying different characters. Throughout his career, he appeared in over 100 movies and TV shows, portraying men who were often struggling with their emotions. This was evident in his first Oscar-nominated role as a father seeking revenge in the psychological thriller In the Bedroom (2001). Sometimes, his characters were even pushed to the brink of insanity, like the principled lawyer he played in Michael Clayton (2007) who has a breakdown and removes all his clothes during a deposition. This performance also earned Wilkinson his second Oscar nomination.
According to him, luck plays a major role in an actor’s success. It is pointless to be a talented actor in a poorly received production. The most important moment for an actor is to shine in a successful project.
That moment came with his Bafta-winning turn as Gerald Cooper, an ex-foreman at a Sheffield steel mill who conceals his unemployment from his wife in the comedy-drama The Full Monty (1997). An international hit, the film arrived more than two decades into Wilkinson’s career and made him a household face, if not name.
Gerald, the friendly and paternal figure, was the eldest among the group of five struggling friends in the film. In order to boost their confidence and finances, they turned to amateur stripping. Gerald’s height of 6 feet 1 inch proved to be advantageous in this role, as he portrayed a man who had disappeared from his own life and was now uncomfortable with occupying too much space. Even after reprising his role in the 2023 TV spin-off, Wilkinson continued to portray Gerald as tired and weathered, yet still full of curiosity.
In various roles, he displayed these characteristics, such as playing a priest who has a romantic relationship with his housekeeper (Cathy Tyson) in Antonia Bird’s Priest (1994), written by Jimmy McGovern. He also portrayed a retired gay judge who travels to Jaipur to find his lost love before passing away peacefully in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011).
Not that he was all twinkle. A Hollywood career for any middle-aged British actor invariably involves an embarrassment of wretches, and Wilkinson played more than his share.
He played various villainous roles such as a ruthless investor for the Uganda-Mombasa railway, a menacing crime lord in Hong Kong in the film Rush Hour (1998), Lord Cornwallis in the drama The Patriot (2000) which depicted the American War of Independence, a corrupt mob leader in cahoots with monstrous characters like the Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins (2005), and a greedy railroad magnate in the comedic western The Lone Ranger (2013) alongside Johnny Depp.
Wilkinson’s portrayal of villainous characters was not limited to Hollywood. In the 1997 film, Wilde, he delivered a compelling performance as the bitter Marquess of Queensberry, father of Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas (Jude Law), opposite Stephen Fry as Oscar Wilde. In The Happy Prince (2018), he reappears as the priest who gives Oscar Wilde his last rites. Rupert Everett, who wrote and directed the film in addition to starring as Wilde, stated that the coincidence of this casting was unintentional. However, for viewers, it added a fascinating layer to see Wilde being tended to in his final moments by both God and the devil.
Wilkinson was born into a farming family in Leeds. His mother, Marjorie, and father, Thomas, named him Geoffrey; he later promoted his middle name when he began acting professionally and found that Equity already had a Geoffrey Wilkinson on its books.
During his childhood, he lived in Kitimat, British Columbia, Canada, as his family sought a new start after selling their farm. However, when his father’s job in aluminium smelting didn’t pan out, they returned to the UK and settled in Cornwall. There, his parents ran a pub and he attended Tavistock comprehensive school. After his father passed away when he was 16, his mother relocated them to Yorkshire.
He received further education at King James grammar school in Knaresborough, where his teacher Molly Sawdon instilled in him a passion for theatre. He oversaw the school’s performance of Ionesco’s The Bald Prima Donna. In a 1994 interview, he stated, “I had a knack for it. I knew the timing for entrances, how to act. After directing this play, I was certain of my future path. Any other pursuits were no longer of interest.”
He received his education in English and American literature from the University of Kent in Canterbury, where he held the position of president in the drama society. He was later admitted to Rada in London. After showcasing his talent with a performance of Hamlet’s speech to the players, he secured a spot in the ensemble at Nottingham Playhouse. Eyre fondly remembered the audition as the most impressive he had witnessed, noting its genuine and commanding nature.
During his time there, he was involved in the first showing of Trevor Griffiths’s play “Comedians” in 1975, with co-stars Jonathan Pryce, Stephen Rea, and Jimmy Jewel. However, he faced difficulties during his two years at the Royal Shakespeare Company and felt disappointed with the roles he received. He even claimed it nearly ended his acting career.
After that, he had a successful career on stage and television. He portrayed TS Eliot in Tom and Viv at the Royal Court in London in 1984 and was also seen as Helen Mirren’s troubled lover in the initial season of Prime Suspect (1991). He made occasional appearances in films such as David Hare’s Wetherby (1985) and the medical thriller Paper Mask (1990).
In 1993, while performing as King Lear at the Royal Court, he realized he desired more than his weekly salary of £250. He was financially struggling and found himself in a new situation where he had to reach out to people and inquire about potential opportunities. Seeing his peers and acquaintances involved in the film industry motivated him to strive for a seat at the table with the top players.
According to his agent Lou Coulson, he is driven by ambition, but not for the sake of fame. He desires to pursue projects with strong scripts. When he encounters one, Wilkinson sees it as a moment of realization and affirmation: “I am capable of this – in fact, I can do it better than anyone else in the world.”
An example of this was seen in the 1994 BBC adaptation of Martin Chuzzlewit, where he gave a brilliant performance as the talkative and hypocritical Seth Pecksniff. He quickly grasped how to portray the character and brought him to life effortlessly. Pecksniff’s actions are always calculated and for show; when he is alone, he is essentially non-existent.
He appeared in several Academy Award-winning films, including Sense and Sensibility (1995), written by Emma Thompson and directed by Ang Lee, who also cast him in Ride with the Devil (1999), a civil war drama. He also had a role in Shakespeare in Love (1998), playing a moneylender who becomes humbled when offered a stage role. In Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), he played a surgeon who erases painful memories from the brain of a lovesick patient (Jim Carrey), but his subtle performance left audiences unprepared for the emotional impact of revelations from the doctor’s own past.
Some of the newer films that he has appeared in include The Grand Budapest Hotel by Wes Anderson and Selma, a civil rights drama directed by Ava DuVernay (both released in 2014). In these films, he played the role of President Lyndon B Johnson and Guardian reporter Ewen MacAskill in the factually-based movie Snowden, directed by Oliver Stone (released in 2016).
Wilkinson received a Golden Globe nomination for his role in the film Normal (2003), where he portrayed a transgender employee, and also won a Golden Globe and an Emmy for his supporting performance as Benjamin Franklin in the miniseries John Adams (2008) on television.
In 2011, he appeared in a miniseries called The Kennedys, portraying Joseph Kennedy. His wife, actress Diana Hardcastle, also had a role as Kennedy’s wife, Rose. The couple originally met in 1986 while working on the 10-part series First Among Equals, based on a Jeffrey Archer novel (according to Wilkinson, it was not very good). They tied the knot two years later.
She and their two daughters, Alice and Molly, are his surviving family members.
Source: theguardian.com
