Timothy Peter Dalton (born March 21, 1946) is a Welsh-born English actor of stage and screen, famous for being chosen as the fourth official James Bond.

Timothy Dalton turned down an offer to play Bond in 1968, feeling he was too young for the role and because of what he felt was an imposing legacy left behind by Sean Connery.

He became interested in acting in his teenage years, and left school in 1964 to enroll in the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and tour with the National Youth Theatre in the summer. He did not complete his RADA studies, leaving the academy in 1966 to join the ensemble of the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. He quickly moved to television, working mainly with BBC, and in 1968 made his film debut in The Lion in Winter, the first of several period dramas.

In 1986, after Roger Moore’s retirement from the role of James Bond, the lean, 6’2″ green-eyed Dalton was approached to replace him, but obligations to the film Brenda Starr and the stage productions of Antony & Cleopatra and The Taming of The Shrew kept him from accepting the role. Sam Neill was then screen-tested for the part of Bond, but was ultimately rejected by Albert R Broccoli. Pierce Brosnan was then approached for the role, but was forced by NBC to turn it down (after initially accepting it) because of his commitment to the television revival of Remington Steele.

Previously, Dalton had been offered the role of James Bond twice. In 1968, he was asked to replace Sean Connery, who declared that he would not do another James Bond film – which became On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) – after You Only Live Twice (1967). Dalton turned the offer down, feeling he was too young for the role and because of what he felt was an imposing legacy left behind by Connery; the role finally went to George Lazenby. During the late 1970s, he was approached again, but he did not favour the direction the films were taking. As he explained, his idea of Bond was different. Dalton was also asked to star in Octopussy (1983) in 1982, but turned down the film not liking the direction of where it was going.

Dalton’s first outing as 007, The Living Daylights (1987) was successful and grossed more than the previous two Bond films with Roger Moore, as well as contemporary box-office rivals such as Die Hard and Lethal Weapon. His second film, Licence to Kill (1989), did not perform as well at the US box office, in large part due to a lacklustre marketing campaign after the title of the film was abruptly changed from ‘Licence Revoked’.

Dalton was the official James Bond until he left the role in April 1994. It was rumoured that he would make The Property of a Lady (one of Ian Fleming’s short stories), but this was never confirmed. It was more believed that the plot would take place in London, Hong Kong, and Japan. However, the film was cancelled due to legal issues between UA and MGM. Dalton was scheduled to star in Goldeneye, with a script all ready written for him as James Bond. But he finally decided to quit the role, feeling that it is time to pursue other projects.

Timothy Dalton’s physical attributes closely matched the result of such a parentage, and he has been described as being the closest genetic composite of James Bond.

James Bond’s parentage in Fleming’s novels is that of the union of a Swiss mother and a Scottish father, both parents dying in a climbing accident in the Alps. In this way, Timothy Dalton’s physical attributes closely match the result of such a parentage, and he has been described as being the closest genetic composite of James Bond.

Dalton’s portrayal of Bond – darker, more grittily realistic and truer to the original character as portrayed in Fleming’s novels – was something of a double-edged sword. Critics and fans of Fleming’s original novels welcomed a more serious interpretation after more than a decade of Roger Moore’s lighthearted approach. However, the reaction of Moore aficionados and those who had grown up with Moore as their Bond during his 12-year tenure (as well as Sean Connery before) was mixed, as most of them were generally unfamiliar with Ian Fleming’s original novels.

After his Bond films, Dalton’s career entered an uncertain period. Successes on stage and television were balanced by indifferent films. He also played Rhett Butler in Scarlett, the television mini-series sequel to Gone with the Wind. In 2003, he played a parody of James Bond named Damian Drake in the film Looney Tunes: Back in Action.

See also:

• Bond, James: Actors