Who is Timothy Dalton

07 August 2008

Born in Colwyn Bay, Wales, on March 21, 1946, Timothy Peter Dalton is a Welsh born English actor best known for playing the role of James Bond. He is the eldest of 5 children. His mother was American (the Bronx, New York) of English, Italian, and Irish decent, and his father was an English advertizing executive from Wales.

Dalton grew up in Manchester, England, and joined the National Youth Theatre for 3 summers after leaving school. Dalton also studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art for 2 years. In 1966, Dalton joined the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, where he played numerous leading roles.

In 1968, Dalton landed a role alongside Peter O'Toole and Anthony Hopkins, in the instant hit The Lion in Winter, where he played the King of France. This proved to be Dalton's big break. Dalton then went on to follow Laurence Olivier as Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights.

He also followed Orson Welles as Rochester in Jane Eyre, and Sean Connery and Roger Moore as James Bond. Dalton prides himself an actor, and isn't exclusive to motion pictures. Dalton's lack of films is no doubt due to his eagerness to work in theatre and television, occupying much of his time.

After Bond producers unsuccessfully attempted to land Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond to replace Roger Moore, Dalton was offered the role in 1986. He played Bond twice: The Living Daylights, and License to Kill. His performance of Bond seemed to be more of what author Ian Fleming was after. Though Fleming was convinced Moore was his ideal character, the Bond series started to revert back to the grittier Connery-played character. Dalton provided a more realistic portrayal of the super spy.

Amidst litigation between MGM and EON, production of Dalton's third Bond film was delayed for several years. During that time, rumors started to float around that Dalton would be replaced for the upcoming movie. Dalton officially resigned from the role of James Bond in April of 1994.

The role then went to Brosnan, who was free of all contractual obligations. Dalton again followed in the footsteps of a well-known actor, taking over for Clark Gable as Rhett Butler in a sequel to Gone With The Wind, the TV mini-series Scarlett. The series received mixed reviews, and the majority of Dalton fans didn't appreciate their action hero buckling down to play Rhett. Dalton has since appeared in Hot Fuzz, and a few made for TV movies.

For many years, Dalton was involved in a long-term relationship with famous actress Vanessa Redgrave. He was once married to Ukrainian-born Oksana Grigorieva, who is 26-years younger than Dalton.

The two had a son together in 1997, Alexander Peter. Dalton does a good job of keeping his personal life out of the limelight. While portraying Bond, Dalton was rarely seen, and now that he's no longer adorning the title of 007, Dalton sightings have become a rare commodity.

Tags: 007, timothy dalton, the living daylights, license to kill, the lion in winter, wuthering heights, hot fuzz, oksana grigorieva,
Posted In: Movies, Hollywood,

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