Tom Wilkinson, a talented actor and modest celebrity, passed away at the age of 75. He embodied the characteristics of a beloved raincoat – unpretentious, dependable, and reliable in challenging situations.
Richard Eyre, the director, acknowledged his strong sense of morality and ability to bring depth, attention to detail, and intelligence to his work. Wilkinson described himself as a versatile actor who can tackle any role. He believes that actors should maintain a sense of anonymity. As a result, fame is not something that interests him. He observes that some actors enjoy the spotlight, but he personally has no desire for it.
Instead of making a big show or using unnecessary embellishments, he possessed the skill to fully embody various characters. Throughout his career, he appeared in over 100 movies and TV shows, often portraying men who were struggling with emotional wounds, such as in his first Academy Award-nominated role as a grieving father seeking revenge in the psychological thriller In the Bedroom (2001). At times, these characters were so worn down that they became unhinged, like the principled lawyer he played in Michael Clayton (2007) who has a mental breakdown and removes all his clothes during a deposition. This performance earned Wilkinson his second Oscar nomination.
According to him, luck is the most important factor. It is pointless to be a skilled actor in poorly received projects. The key for an actor is to perform well in a successful production, as that is what truly matters.
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 nurturing character, was the eldest of the five struggling friends in the movie. In order to boost their confidence and finances, they turn to amateur stripping. Gerald’s height, standing at 6 feet and 1 inch, rarely came in handy like it did in this role. As a man who has completely disappeared from his own life, he appears uncomfortable with taking up so much space. Wilkinson, who later played the same character in the 2023 TV spin-off, portrays Gerald as tired and weathered, but still full of wonder and interest.
These attributes were evident in several of his characters, including the clergyman engaging in a gentle romance with his domestic helper (Cathy Tyson) in Antonia Bird’s Priest (1994), scripted by Jimmy McGovern. Additionally, he portrayed a retired homosexual judge who travels to Jaipur to reunite with 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 throughout his career, such as a deceitful financier in the construction of the Uganda-Mombasa railway, a terrifying adversary to Michael Douglas and Val Kilmer in The Ghost and the Darkness (1996), a corrupt crime lord in Rush Hour (1998) alongside Jackie Chan, Lord Cornwallis in The Patriot (2000) which tells the story of the American Revolutionary War with Mel Gibson as the lead, a ruthless mob leader in collusion with the likes of the Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) in Christopher Nolan’s popular reboot Batman Begins (2005), and a greedy railroad tycoon in The Lone Ranger (2013), a comedic western featuring Johnny Depp.
Wilkinson’s portrayals of villainous characters were not limited to Hollywood. In the film Wilde (1997), he delivered a convincing performance as the embittered Marquess of Queensberry, father of Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas (played by Jude Law), opposite Stephen Fry who played the titular role. It was particularly intriguing when he appeared in The Happy Prince (2018) as the priest who gives Oscar Wilde his last rites. Rupert Everett, who wrote, directed, and starred in the film, stated that the connection between these two roles was unintentional. However, for viewers, it was as if Wilde was being attended to in his final moments by both God and the devil simultaneously.
Geoffrey Wilkinson was born into a family of farmers in Leeds. His parents, Marjorie and Thomas, gave him the name Geoffrey, but he decided to use his middle name when he pursued an acting career due to there already being a Geoffrey Wilkinson registered with Equity.
During his childhood, he lived in Kitimat, British Columbia, Canada with his family. They had moved there in hopes of starting a new life 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. His parents ran a pub and he attended Tavistock comprehensive school. After his father passed away when he was 16, his mother relocated them back to Yorkshire.
He received further education at King James grammar school in Knaresborough, where his teacher Molly Sawdon instilled in him a passion for the theatre. He took charge of the school’s performance of Ionesco’s The Bald Prima Donna. In 1994, he stated, “I knew exactly what to do. I knew when the actors should enter and how they should perform. After directing this play, my career path became clear and all other aspirations faded away.”
He attended the University of Kent in Canterbury and focused on English and American literature. During his time there, he was the president of the drama society. Later, he was accepted into Rada in London. He successfully auditioned with Hamlet’s speech to the players and was offered a spot in the ensemble at the Nottingham Playhouse. Eyre, who was impressed by his audition, described it as incredibly genuine and commanding.
During his time at that company, he participated in the first showing of Trevor Griffiths’s play Comedians in 1975, with co-stars Jonathan Pryce, Stephen Rea, and Jimmy Jewel. However, his two years at the Royal Shakespeare Company were not successful and he described it as a disappointment. He believed he was not given the roles he was capable of.
After that, he had a busy career in both stage and television. In 1984, at the Royal Court in London, he portrayed TS Eliot in Tom and Viv and appeared as Helen Mirren’s mistreated lover in the initial season of Prime Suspect (1991). He also made sporadic 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 and earning a weekly salary of £250, he realized his desire for more. He found himself in a financially difficult situation, having to call people and ask if they had any opportunities for him. Seeing his peers and acquaintances working on film projects made him want to join the ranks of the top players in the industry.
According to his agent Lou Coulson, he is driven by ambition, but not for the sake of fame. His goal is to have the opportunity to work on well-written scripts. When he finds one, Wilkinson sees it as a moment of realization, thinking “I have the ability to do this – in fact, I can do it better than anyone else in the world.”
In 1994, he gave a memorable performance as the talkative and deceitful Seth Pecksniff in the BBC adaptation of Martin Chuzzlewit. He quickly figured out how to portray the character and effortlessly brought him to life. Pecksniff’s every action is calculated and for show, with no genuine authenticity when he is alone.
He had roles in several Academy Award-winning films, such as Sense and Sensibility (1995), which was written by Emma Thompson and directed by Ang Lee. Lee also chose him for his film Ride with the Devil (1999), set during the American Civil War. He also appeared in Shakespeare in Love (1998) as a money-lender who is humbled by the opportunity to act on stage. In Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), he played a surgeon who erases painful memories from a lovelorn patient’s brain (Jim Carrey). His subtle performance was unexpected and the revelations about his character’s past packed an emotional punch for audiences.
Newer films are The Grand Budapest Hotel by Wes Anderson and Selma, a civil rights drama by Ava DuVernay, both released in 2014. In these films, he portrayed President Lyndon B Johnson and Guardian reporter Ewen MacAskill in Oliver Stone’s factually-based Snowden, which was released in 2016.
Wilkinson received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance in Normal (2003) on television, where he portrayed a transgender employee. He also won a Golden Globe and an Emmy for his supporting role as Benjamin Franklin in the miniseries John Adams (2008).
In 2011, he appeared in the miniseries The Kennedys as Joseph Kennedy. His spouse, actress Diana Hardcastle, portrayed Kennedy’s wife, Rose. They initially crossed paths in 1986 during the production of the 10-part Jeffrey Archer adaptation First Among Equals (Wilkinson’s opinion: “Not very good”) and tied the knot two years later.
She and their daughters, Alice and Molly, are the ones who survived him.
Source: theguardian.com
