Tom Wilkinson

Wilkinson in 2009, photo by Prphotos.com

Birth Name: Thomas Geoffrey Wilkinson

Date of Birth: 5 February, 1948

Place of Birth: Wharfedale, Yorkshire, England, U.K.

Date of Death: 30 December, 2023

Place of Death: London, England, U.K.

Ethnicity: English, as well as distant Scottish

Tom Wilkinson was an English actor. He gained fame largely beginning in his 50s, working in film and television in both the U.K. and the U.S. His extensive roles included the films In the Name of the Father, Sense and Sensibility (1995), The Full Monty, Wilde (1997), Oscar and Lucinda, Rush Hour, Shakespeare in Love, Ride with the Devil, The Patriot (2000), In the Bedroom, Black Knight, The Importance of Being Earnest (2002), Girl with a Pearl Earring, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Stage Beauty, Batman Begins, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Separate Lies, Michael Clayton, RocknRolla, Valkyrie, Duplicity, The Ghost Writer, Burke & Hare (2010), The Green Hornet, The Debt, The Conspirator (2011), Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The Lone Ranger (2013), Belle, Selma, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Little Boy, Snowden, Denial (2016), and The Catcher Was a Spy; the mini-series John Adams (2008) and The Kennedys (2011); and the made-for-tv movies Normal (2003) and Recount.

He was the son of Marjorie and Thomas Wilkinson, a farmer. His family moved to Kitimat, British Columbia, when he was eleven, before moving back to England five years later. They ran a pub in Cornwall. One of his paternal great-great-great-grandmothers, Maria McLean, was Scottish. All/most of the rest of his ancestry was English.

Tom was married to actress Diana Hardcastle, until his death, with whom he had two children.

Tom’s paternal grandfather was William Wilkinson (the son of Robert Wilkinson and Margaret Jane Tebay). Robert was the son of Thomas Wilkinson and Ellen Turner. Margaret was the daughter of Adam Teebay/Tebay and Mary Ann Brownrigg.

Tom’s paternal grandmother was named Grace Taylor (the daughter of John Thomas Taylor and Sarah).

Tom’s maternal grandfather was James Andrew Percival (the son of Andrew Percival and Mary Elizabeth Barrett/Barratt). James was born in Rochdale, Lancashire, England. Tom’s great-grandfather Andrew was the son of James Percival and Eliza Ashworth. Mary Elizabeth was the daughter of John Barrett and Mary Potts.

Tom’s maternal grandmother was Alice Wood (the daughter of Thomas Wood and Martha Ann Eastwood). Alice was boon in Walsden, Lancashire. Thomas was the son of John Wood and Susan. Martha was the daughter of Charles Eastwood and Hannah Fielden.

Sources: Genealogy of Tom Wilkinson – https://www.geni.com

Birth record of Tom’s maternal grandfather, James Andrew Percival – https://www.familysearch.org

Tom’s maternal grandfather, James Andrew Percival, on the 1891 England and Wales Census – https://www.familysearch.org

Tom’s maternal grandmother, Alice Wood, on the 1891 England and Wales Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Alice Wood on the 1901 England and Wales Census – https://www.familysearch.org