Timothy Dalton

At 78 years old, Timothy Dalton has this physical status:

Career

Dalton's television work primarily for the BBC, and in 1968, he made his film debut as Philip II of France in The Lion in Winter. This was the first of many period dramas, including a recreation of Wuthering Heights in 1970, in which he portrayed Heathcliff, and the English Civil War drama Prince Rupert of the Rhine. Dalton, who appeared in a few more films, took a break in 1971 to concentrate on the theatre, performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company and other troupes around the globe. The cast of Nol Coward's The Vortex, 1975, starring Dalton and Vivien Merchant.

He remained a theatre actor until 1978, with two notable exceptions: Mary, Queen of Scots (1971) and Permission to Kill (1975). He starred in Sextette as the husband of 85-year-old Mae West, lauding his return to cinema and the start of his American career. Dalton starred in several films while living in the United States but mainly in television. He appeared Prince Barin in the science fiction film Flash Gordon (1980) and played Mr. Rochester in a BBC serial of Jane Eyre (1983). In the 1985 film The Doctor and the Devils, Dalton appeared alongside Jonathan Pryce.

In the miniseries Sins (1986), Dalton co-starred Joan Collins. He was also in two films in which he had been invited to appear. In the film Lady Caroline Lamb, he was given the role of real-life British Prime Minister William Lamb. Jon Finch had to be replaced by the filmmakers at the last moment; Dalton sued for non-competence and won an out-of-court deal.

In 1985, Dalton was supposed to play Don Alfonso de la Torré in Roman Polanski's film Pirates. The two guys were unable to get along, so Polanski replaced Dalton with Damien Thomas.

Several times, Dalton was considered a candidate for James Bond's role. According to Inside The Living Daylights, the producers first approached Dalton in 1968 for On Her Majesty's Secret Service, but Dalton himself argues that it was more likely for Live and Let Die, in which Roger Moore appeared as Bond after Sean Connery in Diamonds Are Forever, than the film In which Roger Moore appeared as Bond after Sean Connery in Diamonds Are Forever. Dalton turned down the bid and told the designers that he was still too young for the role. "I did not want to take over from Sean Connery," Dalton said in a 1987 interview. He was a natural performer, and he was a natural performer. I was about 24 to 25, which is too young. But if you've watched Bond from the start, you don't want to take over from Sean Connery." He was approached again in 1979 or 1980, but did not endorse the film's direction, nor did he think the designers were desperate for a new 007. Bond's story was different, as he explained. Dalton played Damien Roth, a millionaire playboy who was portrayed by David Doyle's character as "almost James Bond-ian" in a 1979 episode of Charlie's Angels.

Dalton was offered to play Bond after Roger Moore had resigned, but Pierce Brosnan was unable to appear in August 1986 due to his contractual commitments to the television series Remington Steele. Brenda Starr will begin filming Brenda Starr, and if the Bond creators waited six weeks, they may do The Living Daylights only.

Dalton's debut as 007 in 1987, The Living Daylights (1985) was a huge hit, grossing more than two Bond films with Moore (Octopussy (1983) and A View to a Kill (1985) as well as modern box-office rivals such as Die Hard and Lethal Weapon. Licence to Kill (1989), his second film in the United States, although it was just as good as its predecessor in most markets, did not do as well at the US box office due in large part to a lacklustre marketing campaign in which the film's title was suddenly changed from Licence Revoked. During the summer blockbuster season, the leading reason for the lack of success in the United States was that it was released at the same time as the hugely popular Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Tim Burton's Batman, and Lethal Weapon 2, which were all released at the same time as the tremendously popular Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Tim Burton's Batman. The film in the United Kingdom, one of the country's most important markets, was also hindered by receiving a 15 certificate from the British Board of Film Classification, which severely reduced the film's commercial success. Following the resolution of legal and other issues, future Bond films were scheduled between October 31 and December in order to avoid a summer cancellation, as had occurred with Licence to Kill.

The Living Daylights became the fourth-most-successful Bond film at the time of its introduction, grossing worldwide at $1191 million. The second Deluxe Edition of Bond's soundtracks was released in 1998. The Living Daylights was one of the first soundtracks to receive Deluxe treatment. MGM's quote about The Living Daylights being the fourth most profitable Bond film on record is included in this CD's booklet/poster.

Since Dalton was shot for three Bond films, the pre-production of his third film began in 1990 in order to be released in 1991. What was confirmed was that the story would be about the demise of a chemical weapons lab in Scotland, and that it would take place in London, Tokyo, and Hong Kong. The film was cancelled due to legal issues involving UA/MGM and Eon Productions, which lasted for four years.

In 1993, the court war came to an end, and Dalton was supposed to reprise as James Bond in the next Bond film, which later became GoldenEye. Since his employment had come to an end, he and his employer started talks to revive it. Dalton surprised everyone on April 12, 1994, announcing that he would not return as James Bond. At this moment, he was shooting Scarlett, the miniseries. Brosnan, Moore's original intended replacement, was named as the new Bond two months later. Dalton said in 2007, "I was supposed to make one more but it was cancelled because MGM and the film's designers filed a court fight that lasted for five years." "I didn't want to do it anymore" after that.

In The Living Daylights (1987) and Licence to Kill (1989), the fifteenth and nineteenth entries in the series, Dalton played Bond. Dalton's portrayal of Bond was both darker and more serious than Moore, who had portrayed Bond as more of a lighthearted playboy. Rather than fantasy plots and humour, Dalton pressed for renewed emphasis on Ian Fleming's novels.

Dalton, a literary character reader who is often seen rereading and referring to the books on set, is determined to approach the role and play truer to Fleming's original character. His 007 came across as a reticent agent who didn't always love the assignments he was given, something he did not enjoy doing on screen before, but only in George Lazenby's On Her Majesty's Secret Service. As an example, Bond tells a naught colleague, Saunders, "stuff my orders!" ... Tell M what you want. I'll thank him for it if he fires me." When he read the script, Dalton was attracted to this feature. He resigns from the Secret Intelligence Service in Licence to Kill in order to pursue his own cause of revenge.

This was a double-edge sword. After more than a decade of Moore's theory, film critics and followers of Fleming's original novels applauded a more modern interpretation. However, Dalton's films were criticized for their relative lack of humour. Dalton's serious interpretation went beyond just presenting the character, but also in executing the majority of the action scenes himself. "Tim is a very convincing James Bond," John Glen's producer said. You would think he would have a weapon in his hand if he has one. I don't think that was ever the case with Roger Moore."

Dalton has been compared to Daniel Craig by some modern commentators. While Gwladys Fouché of The Guardian was cool, Brosnan was brilliant, but only Dalton could show the dark side of Fleming's feared agent [...] they want Bond to be closer to the original Ian Fleming image. They want him to be tougher, older, and less mocking. According to reports, they really want Dalton to return to their homeland." Daniel Craig's Bond films, according to Dalton himself, are "believable" in the way he wanted his own Bond films to be:

Of his time as Bond, Dalton recalled:

Bond's time as Bond enabled him to work on programs that were of concern to him; "Hawks" is about a mysterious: why does it take a tragedy to show you how bloody precious life is? Sadly, it's about cancer, which is not a term that the film industry sees as being particularly commercial. Despite that, making the first Bond film helped me to get Hawks made. The O'Neill film helped the O'Neill film find an audience. This is a commercial company. If you're a success in business, you have boosted resiliability."

Dalton specialized in script, television, and films after his Bond films, and diversified the roles he played. This helped him to ban the 007 typecasting that had followed him throughout the previous period. Dalton was also in the Bond film GoldenEye for a specific period. Rather, he appeared in The Rocketeer (1991) and Rhett Butler in Scarlett, the television miniseries sequel to Gone with the Wind. Eddie Myers, a criminal informant, appeared in the acclaimed British television film Framed (1992). He appeared in an episode of Tales From the Crypt.

He appeared in many cable films in the second half of the 1990s, most notably the Irish Republican Army drama The Informant and the action thriller Made Men. Julius Caesar appeared in the TV film Cleopatra (1999). In the film Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003), he played Damian Drake, a parody of James Bond. He returned to theater in the stage version of His Dark Materials at the end of the year and the beginning of 2004. In the action/comedy film Hot Fuzz, which was released in 2007, Dalton played Simon Skinner, who owned the local supermarket.

Dalton appeared on British television once more in a guest role for the Doctor Who 2009–10 two-part series "The End of Time," starring Rassilon. He was first seen in the role of narrating a preview clip at the 2009 Comic Convention. Alexei Volkoff appeared in numerous episodes of the fourth season of the American spy comedy Chuck in 2010 and 2011.

In Toy Story 3, which was released on June 10, and then in the television specials Toy Story of Terror, Dalton portrayed Mr. Pricklepants. Toy Story (2003) and Toy Story 4 (2019), Toy Story 4 (2013), and Toy Story (2014). As part of the Disney Fairies franchise and the fourth film direct-to-DVD instalment of the Tinker Bell film series, Dalton performed Lord Milori in Secret of the Wings in 2012.

Sir Malcolm Murray appeared in three seasons of Showtime's original television series Penny Dreadful from 2014 to 2016.

Dalton has played the Chief in the DC Universe/NBC Max superhero series Doom Patrol since 2019.

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