‘Grand Budapest Hotel’ actor Tom Wilkinson has died aged 75

Actor Tom Wilkinson passed away on Saturday, December 30, his family confirmed. He was 75.

“It is with great sadness that the family of Tom Wilkinson announce that he passed away suddenly at home on December 30. His wife and family were with him,” his family said in a statement to the BBC on Saturday. “The family requests privacy at this time.”

Wilkinson leaves behind a wife Diana Hard Castlealso an actor, whom he married in 1988. They shared daughters Alice, 34, and Mollie, 31.

The late British actor’s career began with his training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Rada) and began his career in theatre. He began working on screen in the 1970s with appearances in British TV shows and miniseries, but Wilkinson gained international attention when he starred in the 1995 adaptation of S.sensation and sensitivity like Mr. Dashwood opposite Emma Thompson. He then balanced his career with comedic roles in The full Monty And Rush hour while also appearing in prestigious dramas including The patriot, Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind And Girl with a pearl earring.

While Wilkinson starred in several Best Picture nominees, he twice received individual Oscar nominations, first in 2002 for Best Actor in a Leading Role for In the bedroom and then in 2008 for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role Michael Clayton.

He scored four Emmy nominations and won one honor in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie category for his 2008 role as Benjamin Franklin in John Adams. The same role also earned him a Golden Globe in the same category.

He was also appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2005 for services to drama.

Wilkinson and Hardcastle even got a few chances to play married couples. They played real-life duo Joe Kennedy Sr. and wife Rose Kennedy in the 2011 miniseries The Kennedys and then a fictional couple in the 2014 action thriller Good People.

Wilkinson continued to work until the end of his life. He reunited with his The full Monty costars for a six-episode Disney+ miniseries earlier this year. He played opposite Ruby rose And Sam Heughan in 2021 SAS: Red alert. He appeared inside Selma, Belgravia, Snowed And The Grand Budapest Hotel in the last decade of his life.

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Director Scott Derrickson was among the filmmakers who took to social media on Saturday to remember Wilkinson. He wrote via X (formerly Twitter), “Goodbye Tom Wilkinson, an amazing talent and a wonderful human being. Very proud to have worked with him The Exorcism of Emily Rose.”

He then shared his favorite memory of the late actor. “When we packed up The Exorcism of Emily Rose, I went to him to say goodbye. When I went in for a hug, he turned to the side and put an arm around my shoulder. I said, ‘Well, that’s a British hug if I ever had one…’” Derrickson recalled. ‘He looked at me with a frown, then grabbed my face and kissed me on the lips for five seconds, and then declared loudly: ‘Never insult British affection or sense of romance! We invented the stuff!’”