Thomas Geoffrey Wilkinson OBE (born 5 February 1948) is an English
actor. He has twice been nominated for an Academy Award, for his roles
in In the Bedroom (2001) and Michael Clayton (2007). In 2009, he won
Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy Awards for Best Supporting Actor in a
Miniseries or Film for playing Benjamin Franklin in John
Adams.Wilkinson was born in Wharfedale, West Riding of Yorkshire, the
son of Marjorie and Thomas Wilkinson, a farmer. At the age of four, he
moved with his family to Canada, where they lived for several years
before returning to the United Kingdom and running a pub in Cornwall.
Wilkinson graduated from the University of Kent at Canterbury, where
he was a member of T24 Drama Society (then named UKCD) and attended
the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.Wilkinson made his acting debut in
1976 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. Wilkinson made only the occasional
film, including a brief appearance in 1995's Sense and Sensibility and
a villain in The Ghost and the Darkness (1996). After becoming part of
the ensemble cast of the comedy-drama The Full Monty in 1997, a role
which earned him a BAFTA, he began to take film roles more frequently,
including supporting roles in Oscar and Lucinda, Wilde, Shakespeare in
Love, and The Patriot. He also starred with Jackie Chan in the 1998
film Rush Hour, as the evil British Ambassador/Juntao.
actor. He has twice been nominated for an Academy Award, for his roles
in In the Bedroom (2001) and Michael Clayton (2007). In 2009, he won
Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy Awards for Best Supporting Actor in a
Miniseries or Film for playing Benjamin Franklin in John
Adams.Wilkinson was born in Wharfedale, West Riding of Yorkshire, the
son of Marjorie and Thomas Wilkinson, a farmer. At the age of four, he
moved with his family to Canada, where they lived for several years
before returning to the United Kingdom and running a pub in Cornwall.
Wilkinson graduated from the University of Kent at Canterbury, where
he was a member of T24 Drama Society (then named UKCD) and attended
the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.Wilkinson made his acting debut in
1976 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. Wilkinson made only the occasional
film, including a brief appearance in 1995's Sense and Sensibility and
a villain in The Ghost and the Darkness (1996). After becoming part of
the ensemble cast of the comedy-drama The Full Monty in 1997, a role
which earned him a BAFTA, he began to take film roles more frequently,
including supporting roles in Oscar and Lucinda, Wilde, Shakespeare in
Love, and The Patriot. He also starred with Jackie Chan in the 1998
film Rush Hour, as the evil British Ambassador/Juntao.
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