Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Wilkinson OBE (born 12 December 1948) is an English actor.

Personal life

Wilkinson was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, the son of Thomas Wilkinson, Sr., a farmer.Tom Wilkinson Biography. Tiscali.co.uk.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. 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. Wilkinson currently lives in London with his wife, actress Diana Hardcastle and his two children, Alice, 21, and Mollie, 18.

Career

Wilkinson made his television debut in the mid-1970s and worked on several British television series, most notably the mini-series First Among Equals (1986). He first gained 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). After becoming part of the ensemble cast of the smash hit The Full Monty in 1997, a role which earned him a BAFTA, he began to take film roles more frequently including supporting parts in Oscar and Lucinda, Wilde, Shakespeare in Love, and The Patriot.