A tall, solid British character actor who segued from the stage to the screen, Tom Wilkinson first made an impression on American audiences as Mr. Dashwood in the Ang Lee-directed adaptation of Jane Austen's novel "Sense and Sensibility" (1995). But it was his turn as the steel mill supervisor turned male stripper in the popular "The Full Monty" (1997) that solidified his stature as a reliable and authoritative screen presence.

Born and raised in Leeds, England, Wilkinson spent five years of his life as a resident of Canada before his family returned to Great Britain and settled in the region around Cornwell. His sojourn in North America had instilled a knowledge of US pop culture and a desire to one day work in the States. Wilkinson originally matriculated at Kent University before enrolling at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in the early 1970s. Within days of his graduation, he was lucky enough to land his first professional work with a company in Camden. By the 80s, the actor had joined the Royal Shakespeare Company and was singled out for his supporting work in a 1981 production of "Hamlet" and for his starring turn as poet T.S. Eliot in the 1983 biographical drama "Tom and Viv" at the Royal Court Theatre. Wilkinson starred opposite Vanessa Redgrave on screen in the 1985 feature "Weatherby" and on stage in an acclaimed revival of Ibsen's "Ghosts" the following year. He was perfectly cast as a butcher's son from Leeds with aspirations to the office of prime minister in "First Among Equals" (1987), an adaptation of Jeffrey Archer's politically-themed novel. By 1988, he was seen on American TV screens on CBS, first as Ernest Simpson, the husband who loses his wife Wallis to the future Duke of Windsor in the movie "The Woman He Loved", and later in "The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank".

Wilkinson was featured as the former husband of Helen Mirren's Inspector Jane Tennison in the first series of the popular detective series "Prime Suspect" (1990; aired on PBS in 1992) and then headlined two installments of "Resnick" (BBC. 1991-92), based on a series of detective novels by John Harvey. In 1994, the performer was seen as an older priest carrying on a clandestine love affair with his housekeeper in the controversial drama "Priest". Following his turn as Mr. Dashwood in "Sense and Sensibility", Wilkinson offered a villainous turn as the brutal head of an engineering project in Africa in "The Ghost and the Darkness" (1996). He followed his award-winning turn as the reluctant choreographer of a motley crew of male strippers in "The Full Monty" with another excellent turn as the nefarious Marquess of Queensberry in the biopic "Wilde" (both 1997).

In 1998, he essayed a rare romantic lead in the period drama "The Governess" (1998, in which he went 'the full monty') and delivered a nice comic turn as a moneylender turned theater producer in the Oscar-winning "Shakespeare in Love". After reuniting with Ang Lee for a small role in "Ride With the Devil" (1999), Wilkinson was the model of restraint as General Cornwallis in "The Patriot" (2000). The actor returned to the London stage for his first major role in more than a decade starring opposite Julia Ormond in "My Zinc Bed" by David Hare. Back on the big screen, he gave a lauded portrayal of a Maine doctor struggling with grief and his disintegrating marriage in the chamber drama "In the Bedroom" (2001). When the film, the directorial debut of actor Todd Field, screened at the Sundance Film Festival in January, it was rapturously received, with Wilkinson and co-star Sissy Spacek cited with a Special Jury Prize for their raw, nuanced performances. Even that early in the year, the buzz on their work was so high it sparked speculation of end-of-the-year critics prizes and possible recognition from the Academy, who duly noted the actor's work and included him on the list of Best Actor Oscar nominees.

Moving from the sublime to the ridiculous, Wilkinson was next seen on screen in the Martin Lawrence comedy "Black Knight" (also 2001) which reduced him to playing a bearded, drunken, down-on-his-luck knight. He fared much better in his next outings, first as Dr. Chausible in the remake of Oscar Wilde's superior comedy "The Importance of Being Earnest" (2002), and then as Sir Robert Vansittart in the acclaimed HBO telepic "The Path to War" (2002). Wilkinson's next television role was a critical to his career as his OScar-nominated turn in "In The Bedroom": In writer-director Jane Anderson's "Normal" (2003) Wilkinson delivered a painfully real performance as Roy, a Midwestern husband and father who sends his family and friends into a tailspin when he announces his intention to undergo a sex change operation, although his shocked wife (Jessica Lange) attempts to support his decision. His performance earned Wilkinson a wealth of critical accolades, including Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. Next up was a turn as the artist Vermeer's wealthy patron Van Ruijven, who has an appetite for paintings of the "Girl With a Pearl Earring" (2003), and a subtle and nuanced performance in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (2004) as the doctor who administers a memory-erasing procedure to remove a failed romance from the mind of a heartbroken patient (Jim Carrey)--and who is not without romantic secrets of his own. He next appeared in "Stage Beauty" (2004) as London theater owner theater owner Thomas Betterton, who embraces the shift from having men play women's roles and is impressed by the stage's first female actress, followed by a turn as the corrupt Gotham City crime boss Carmine Falcone in the hugely popular reboot of the Dark Knight's film franchise "Batman Begins" (2005). His next role was as Father Moore, the priest who performed the controversial exorcism that resulted in the death of a young girl in character -driven thriller "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" (2005).

from movies.yahoo.com

  Michael Clayton (2006) (pre-production)
The Last Kiss (2006) (post-production) .... Stephen
The Night of the White Pants (2006) (post-production) .... Max Hagan

Separate Lies (2005) .... James Manning
The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005) .... Father Moore
Batman Begins (2005/II) (VG) (voice) .... Carmine Falcone
Batman Begins (2005) .... Carmine Falcone
... aka Batman Begins: The IMAX Experience (USA: IMAX version)
Ripley Under Ground (2005) .... John Webster
A Good Woman (2004) .... Tuppy
Stage Beauty (2004) .... Betterton
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) .... Dr. Howard Mierzwiak
If Only (2004) .... Taxi Driver
Piccadilly Jim (2004)
Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003) .... Van Ruijven
Normal (2003) (TV) .... Roy
An Angel for May (2002) .... Sam Wheeler
Before You Go (2002) .... Frank
The Importance of Being Earnest (2002) .... Dr. Chasuble
... aka Importance d'être constant, L' (France)
The Gathering Storm (2002) (TV) .... Sir Robert Vansittart
Black Knight (2001) .... Sir Knolte of Marlborough
Another Life (2001) .... Mr. Carlton
In the Bedroom (2001) .... Matt Fowler
Chain of Fools (2000) .... Bollingsworth
Essex Boys (2000) .... John Dyke
The Patriot (2000) .... Gen. Lord Charles Cornwallis
... aka Patriot, Der (Germany)

David Copperfield (1999) (TV) .... Narrator
Ride with the Devil (1999/I) .... Orton Brown
Molokai: The Story of Father Damien (1999) .... Brother Joseph Dutton
... aka Damiaan (Belgium: Flemish title)
... aka Father Damien
... aka Molokai: The Forbidden Island (UK: DVD title)
Shakespeare in Love (1998) .... Hugh Fennyman
Rush Hour (1998) .... Thomas Griffin/Juntao
The Governess (1998) .... Mr. Charles Cavendish
Cold Enough for Snow (1997) (TV) .... Hugh Lloyd
Oscar and Lucinda (1997) .... Hugh Stratton
Wilde (1997) .... Marquess of Queensberry
... aka Oscar Wilde (Japan: English title)
The Full Monty (1997) .... Gerald
Smilla's Sense of Snow (1997) .... Prof. Loyen
... aka Fräulein Smillas Gespür für Schnee (Germany)
... aka Fröken Smillas känsla för snö (Sweden)
... aka Frøken Smillas fornemmelse for sne (Denmark)
... aka Smilla's Feeling for Snow
Jilting Joe (1997) .... Wyatt
The Ghost and the Darkness (1996) .... Robert Beaumont
Eskimo Day (1996) (TV) .... Hugh
... aka Interview Day (USA)
Crossing the Floor (1996) (TV) .... David Hanratty
Sense and Sensibility (1995) .... Mr. Dashwood
"Martin Chuzzlewit" (1994) (mini) TV Series .... Seth Pecksniff
Priest (1994) .... Father Matthew Thomas
A Business Affair (1994) .... Bob
... aka Astucias de mujer (Spain)
... aka D'une femme à l'autre (France)
... aka Liebe und andere Geschäfte (Germany)
Prince of Jutland (1994) .... Hardvendel
... aka Amled, prinsen af Jylland (Denmark)
... aka Prinsen af Jylland (Denmark: video title)
... aka Royal Deceit (USA)
All Things Bright and Beautiful (1994) .... Father McAteer
Measure for Measure (1994) (TV) .... Duke Vincentio
A Very Open Prison (1994) (TV) .... Home Secretary
In the Name of the Father (1993) .... Appeal Prosecutor
Resnick: Rough Treatment (1993) (TV) .... D.I. Charlie Resnick
An Exchange of Fire (1993) (TV) .... President Slajek
"Shakespeare: The Animated Tales" (1992) (mini) TV Series (voice) .... Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham
Resnick: Lonely Hearts (1992) (TV) .... Det. Insp. Charlie Resnick
Underbelly (1992) (TV) .... Paul Manning
Prime Suspect (1991) (TV) .... Peter Rawlins
... aka Prime Suspect 1
Paper Mask (1990) .... Dr. Thorn

First and Last (1989) (TV) .... Stephen
Shake Hands Forever (1988) (TV) .... Robert Hathall
The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank (1988) (TV)
The Woman He Loved (1988) (TV) .... Ernest Simpson
"First Among Equals" (1986) (mini) TV Series .... Raymond Gould
Sharma and Beyond (1986) .... Vivian
A Pocket Full of Rye (1985) (TV) .... Detective Inspector Neele
... aka Miss Marple: A Pocketful of Rye (UK: series title)
Wetherby (1985) .... Roger Braithwaite
Sylvia (1985/I) .... Keith Henderson
Sakharov (1984) (TV)
Strangers and Brothers (1984) (TV) .... George Passant
Bones (1984) .... Tom
... aka Parker
Squaring the Circle (1984) (TV) .... Rulewski
"Spyship" (1983) (mini) TV Series .... Martin Taylor

"Crime and Punishment" (1979) (mini) TV Series .... Cadet