Tom Wilkinson

Popular British character actor 'Tom Wilkinson' (qv) was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, and comes from a long line of urban farmers. He is the son of Marjorie (Percival) and Thomas Wilkinson. Economic hardships forced his family to move to Canada for a few years when Wilkinson was a child; after he had returned to England, he attended and graduated from the University of Kent at Canterbury with a degree in English and American Literature.Wilkinson first became active in film and television in the mid-1970s, but did not become familiar to an international audience until 1997. That was when he starred as one of six unemployed workers who strip for cash in Best Picture nominee _The Full Monty (1997)_ (qv), and he went on to win a BAFTA for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role. That same year, he was featured in _Oscar and Lucinda (1997)_ (qv) and _Wilde (1997)_ (qv). Wilkinson was also shown to memorable effect as a theatre financier with acting aspirations in Best Picture winner _Shakespeare in Love (1998)_ (qv).Over the next few years, Wilkinson would become more popular, especially with American audiences, with such roles as General Cornwallis alongside 'Mel Gibson' (qv) in the blockbuster _The Patriot (2000)_ (qv) and as the grief-stricken father, Matt Fowler, in the critically acclaimed Best Picture nominee _In the Bedroom (2001)_ (qv). For his role in that movie, he received a nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role.Since then, Wilkinson has made memorable appearances in _Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)_ (qv), _Batman Begins (2005)_ (qv), _The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)_ (qv), _Valkyrie (2008)_ (qv), _Duplicity (2009)_ (qv), _The Ghost Writer (2010)_ (qv), _The Debt (2010)_ (qv) and _The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011)_ (qv), among others. Wilkinson also received his second Academy Award nomination for his acclaimed role in _Michael Clayton (2007)_ (qv).Wilkinson won an Emmy Award for his work as Benjamin Franklin in HBO's _John Adams (2008)_ (qv) mini-series. The same year, he received an Emmy nomination for his role in HBO movie _Recount (2008)_ (qv), and has also received Emmy nominations for _Normal (2003)_ (qv) and _The Kennedys (2011)_ (qv).Wilkinson has two children, Alice and Molly, with wife 'Diana Hardcastle' (qv).::TrendEkiD@aol.com