Yorkshire actor Tom Wilkinson known for starring role in The Full Monty dies "suddenly", aged 75

Tom Wilkinson, well known for his role in The Full Monty as former steel mill foreman Gerald Cooper, died "suddenly" on Saturday (December 30) at 75 years old.

His death was confirmed in a statement from his family, shared via his agent, which reads: "It is with great sadness that the family of Tom Wilkinson announce that he died suddenly at home on December 30. His wife and family were with him.

"The family asks for privacy at this time."

The Full Monty won an Oscar for best original musical or comedy score and was nominated for three others, including best picture and best director.

The film is set in Sheffield in the 1990s, telling the story of six unemployed men, four of them former steel workers, who form a striptease act to make some money to help protagonist Gaz be able to see his son.

Wilkinson's character, Gerald Cooper, was recruited to help the unemployed Sheffield men dance.

He most recently reunited with his The Full Monty co-stars, Robert Carlyle and Mark Addy, in a Disney+ series of the same name.

In a tweet, Robert Carlyle said: "So sad to hear of the passing of Tom. A wonderful man, he will be sorely missed by everyone who had the pleasure of working with him.

"A brilliant actor, truly one of the greats of not only his but of any generation. RIP Tom Wilkinson."

The Leeds-born Wilkinson took home Best Supporting Actor in the 1998 Baftas for his role in The Full Monty.

He was also twice nominated for Academy Awards, for Best Actor in a Leading Role for In The Bedroom in 2001, and Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Michael Clayton in 2007.

Wilkinson also won a 2009 Golden Globe and 2008 Emmy for his role as founding father Benjamin Franklin in HBO series John Adams.

He was also known for his roles in a BBC adaptation of Charles Dickens novel Martin Chuzzlewit, the 1995 adaptation of Jane Austen's Sense And Sensibility, the 2014 Wes Anderson comedy drama The Grand Budapest Hotel and 2011 ensemble comedy The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

Michael Warburton said on Twitter: "My first sight of Tom Wilkinson was in 1993 when he played the title role in King Lear at the Royal Court. He was of course magnificent.

"I also worked on Stage Door there & he’d often sit down & chat with me & then went on to help me raise funds to go to Drama School. RIP Tom."

Wilkinson became an OBE for services to drama in 2005.

He was born in Yorkshire in 1948 and grew up in Canada and Cornwall, before attending the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in the 1970s.

He and his wife, actress Diana Hardcastle, have two children.

The couple worked alongside each other in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, TV show The Kennedys, 2014 action movie Good People, and most recently in the 2020 period drama series Belgravia.

Fans and former colleagues took to social media, calling Wilkinson an "Actor's Actor", "authoritative presence" and "genius".