Tom Wilkinson

Born: 12 December 1948
Where: Leeds, England

The Oscar-nominated actor is probably best known to international audiences as the steelworks supervisor-turned-stripper in The Full Monty.

However, he aso garnered an Academy Award nod for his portrayal of a grief-stricken husband in Todd Field's In The Bedroom opposite Sissy Spacek.

Born and raised in Leeds, he spent five years in Canada before returning to England and studying at Kent University before landing a place at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

After working with a Camden theatre group he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company and was singled out for his supporting work in Hamlet and a starring turn as the poet TS Eliot at the Royal Court.

He made his feature debut in the little-seen Bones but concentrated on TV work (he was TV cop Resnick) with the odd big screen role such as In The Name of the Father and Priest.

Wilkinson first made an impression on audiences in 1995 as Mr Dashwood in the Ang Lee-directed adaptation of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility.

Next up was Smilla's Sense of Snow but it was his BAFTA-winning performance in Peter Cattaneo' The Full Monty that confirmed his status as a reliable screen presence.

Roles followed in Wilde alongside Stephen Fry and Oscar and Lucinda and his profile was raised higher with the box office smash Rush Hour with Jackie Chan.

He also starred in John Madden's Oscar-winning Shakespeare in Love (for which he received a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor) and Mel Gibson's The Patriot.

He went on to win the 2001 Sundance Festival Special Jury Prize for his performance in In The Bedroom and, in a rare lapse, starred in the lame comedy Black Knight.

In 2002, he starred in a lukewarm The Importance of Beng Earnest and appeared alongside Julie Walters in the comedy Before You Go.

The following year he delivered an impressive portrayal of a lecherous merchant in Peter Webber's acclaimed Girl With A Pearl Earring.

In 2004, he starred in Charlie Kaufmann's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind alongside Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet.

He was also awarded an OBE by the Queen for services to the arts.

The same year he also appeared in the period romance Stage Beauty and Mike Barker's adaptation of Wilde's Lady Windermere's Fan, A Good Woman.

Wilkinson starred opposite Emily Watson in Julian Fellowes' middle class thriller Separate Lies and also appeared alongside Laura Linney in the horror-thriller The Exorcism of Emily Rose.

Recent work includes the role of an unhinged corporate lawyer opposite George Clooney in the slick thriller Michael Clayton.