Wilkinson was born in 1948 in Leeds in northern England and spent part of his childhood in Canada. He began his acting career in the 1970s, his first major work was a role in the political series First Among Equals (1986). Other iconic films with Wilkinson’s participation include Sense and Sensibility (1995), Rush Hour (1998), Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003), Rock n-roller” (RocknRolla, 2008) and “Selma” (Selma, 2014).