Timothy Dalton is a Welsh actor.
Biography
Born in Colwyn Bay, Denbighshire, Dalton began his acting career in the theatre, performing at The Old Vic and beginning his studies at RADA before leaving to join Birmingham Repertory Theatre. He spent much of his early career balanced between theatre (frequently in Shakesperian roles, including the eponymous lead in Richard III) and television, with the occasional motion picture appearance, such as his debut role as Philip of France in The Lion in Winter. Notable was his role as Heathcliff in the 1970 film version of Wuthering Heights.
But Dalton's biggest role came in 1987, when he succeeded Roger Moore as James Bond, a role he played for two films in a style that was praised for being darker and grittier than Moore's portrayal. After Bond, he continued to be successful in theatre, playing Lord Asriel in the stage adaptation of His Dark Materials, and played several bombastic villains, the gleefully hammy Simon Skinner in Hot Fuzz and the Time Lord President Rassilon in Doctor Who. Dalton also became an active voice performer, narrating several audiobooks and playing Mr Pricklepants, a toy hedgehog with delusions of Shakesperian grandeur, in Toy Story 3.
Singing
On two occasions in his career Dalton has sang on screen, firstly in the romantic comedy Sextette, in which he plays Sir Michael Barrington, beloved of the octogenarian movie star Marlo Manners (Mae West) with whom he sings the duet "Love Will Keep Us Together". Several decades later he sang the classic "Danny Boy" in an episode of Chuck in 2011.
Film
Sextette (1978)
- Love Will Keep Us Together (duet)
Television
Chuck (2011)
- Danny Boy (solo)
