His loved ones broke the news to the BBC Saturday, with a statement from the family reading, "It is with great sadness that the family of Tom Wilkinson announce that he died suddenly at home on December 30. His wife and family were with him."

The exact circumstances of his death weren't immediately clear, as no further details were provided. In any case, it's a huge blow to the film community, in which he was beloved.

Wilkinson will likely best be remembered for his role as Gerald in "The Full Monty" -- a popular '90s comedy about a bunch of middle-aged men starting an all-male strip joint. Fact is, though ... he'd been in plenty of other films over the years that were equally as great.

He played Arthur Edens opposite George Clooney in "Michael Clayton," as well as Matt Fowler in 2001's "In the Bedroom" ... plus, the author in Wes Anderson's "The Grand Budapest Hotel."

Wilkinson starred in countless other films over the years, including ... "Batman Begins," "Shakespeare in Love," "Rush Hour," "Wilde," "The Ghost and the Darkness," "The Patriot," "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," "Valkyrie," "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol," "The Lone Ranger," "Selma," "Snowden," "The Titan," "The Samaritan" ... and many, many more.

All told, he had 129 acting credits to his name ... and 2 projects on standby, with one already in post-production -- presumably his last role before he died. Wilkinson was 75.