Tom Wilkinson

Infobox actor
birthdate = birth date and age|1948|12|12
birthname = Thomas Jeffery Wilkinson
birthplace = Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
yearsactive = 1976 - present
occupation = actor
baftaawards = Best Actor in a Supporting Role
1997 "The Full Monty"
sagawards = Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture
1997 "The Full Monty"
1998 "Shakespeare in Love"
emmyawards = Best Supporting Actor
(Miniseries or Movie)
2008 "John Adams"
awards = NYFCC Award for Best Actor
2001 "In the Bedroom"
spouse = Diana Hardcastle (1988-)

Thomas Jeffery "Tom" Wilkinson, OBE (born 12 December 1948) is a two time Academy Award-nominated, as well as BAFTA Award-, Emmy Award- and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning actor.

Biography

Personal life

Wilkinson was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, the son of Thomas Wilkinson, Sr., a farmer. [ [http://www.tiscali.co.uk/entertainment/film/biographies/tom_wilkinson_biog.html "Tom Wilkinson Biography"] . Tiscali.co.uk.] [ [http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800019318/bio "Tom Wilkinson biography"] . Yahoo! Movies.] At the age of four, he moved with his family to Canada, where they lived for several years before returning to England and running a pub in Cornwall. [citeweb|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9907E6DC1430F933A25750C0A9649C8B63|title=Oscar Films/View From Abroad; The Actor Next Door Quietly Savors His New Fame|publisher=query.nytimes.com|accessdate=2008-07-24] Wilkinson graduated from the University of Kent, where he was a member of T24 Drama Society (then named UKCD) and attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. [citeweb|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/in_depth/uk/2000/newsmakers/1822481.stm|publisher=news.bbc.co.uk|title=Newsmakers|accessdate=2008-07-24] Wilkinson currently lives in London with his wife, actress Diana Hardcastle, and his two children, Alice, 20 and Mollie, 17.

Career

Wilkinson made his television debut in the mid-1970s and worked on several British television series, first gaining critical acclaim with his appearance as Mr Pecksniff, in the BBC's 1994 adaptation of "Martin Chuzzlewit". He made only the occasional film (including a brief appearance in 1995's "Sense and Sensibility") until he became more prominent with "The Full Monty" in 1997.

That success was followed up by "Oscar and Lucinda", "Wilde", "Shakespeare in Love", "The Patriot", "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", "Normal", "The Exorcism of Emily Rose", "Batman Begins", and Todd Field's "In the Bedroom", for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor, and "Separate Lies." In 2007 Wilkinson played the manic depressive attorney Arthur Edens in "Michael Clayton" and garnered much critical acclaim and a nomination for the academy award for Best Supporting Actor.

He received a Doctor of Letters honorary degree from the University of Kent in July 2001. [http://www.kent.ac.uk/about/hongrads/honorary-grad00.html] In the New Year Honours List published 31 December 2004, he was appointed an OBE for services to drama.

In 2008, Wilkinson portrayed American patriot Benjamin Franklin in the HBO mini-series "John Adams". In the HBO movie, "Recount", Wilkinson also portrays legendary American Statesman and lawyer, James A. Baker, in Baker's capacity as Chief Counsel to George W. Bush during the 2000 U.S. Presidential Election controversy. Both performances received Emmy Award nominations.

Filmography

Awards

###@@@KEY@@@### s-achsuccession box
title=BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
years=1998
for "The Full Monty"
before=Paul Scofield
for "The Crucible"
after=Geoffrey Rush
for "Elizabeth"

References

External links

*
* [http://www.pyroradio.com/index.cfm/act/interview_details/id/67 Tom Wilkinson, Mark Strong and Toby Kebbell talk about Rocknrolla]