In 1985, Roger Moore’s final James Bond film, A View To A Kill, was released to a critical drubbing, with a common criticism being that Moore, 57 at the time of the film’s release, was far too old to realistically play the role of the world’s greatest spy.
Having initially wanted to retire from the role after For Your Eyes Only in 1981, Moore agreed and stepped down from the role, leading to a media frenzy about who would replace him. Candidates ranged from the likes of Sam Neill, who would later become known for his role in the Jurassic Park series, to Australian model Finlay Light, who would later become known for nothing at all, not even having a Wikipedia page to his name.
Eventually, an Irish actor by the name of Pierce Brosnan was confirmed for the role, but was forced to back out after NBC, capitalising on the media attention the man was receiving, decided to revive the television series on which he was contractually obliged to star, Remington Steele.
This turned out to a blessing in disguise, both for Brosnan (who would later play the role of Bond in four films, starting with Goldeneye) and producer Albert R. Broccoli, who approached an actor that had turned down the role on numerous occasions in the past, believing himself to be too young (having only been 24 when approached for the role following Sean Connery’s departure) or having pre-existing commitments to other projects.
This actor was Timothy Dalton, who was finally in a position to accept the role, paving the way for a brief but brilliant era in the Bond series.
This article contains heavy spoilers for those who are not familiar with Dalton’s Bond films. Click “next” to continue…
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20 Comments
totally agree
Glad to see I’m not the only one.
allways been my fave since i was a kid
Apologies for this but…couldn’t disagree more. Perhaps from the fact that I never read the books and also grew up during the Roger Moore era, I’ve always considered Dalton as the low man on the Bond totem pole. A few reasons:
-Bond has always been portrayed as cold calculating and “the end justifies the means” attitude. Dalton was way too emotional for a Bond character.
-I never bought Dalton as a ladies man but all of the others (maybe Lazenby a little less)had the charm and suave-ness that emulates Bond.
-The other actors (maybe not Connery) I’ve seen in other movie rolls and I said to myself “That’s James Bond up there and he doesn’t fit this character”. I’ve enjoyed Mr. Dalton MUCH more in other roles such as The Rocketeer and his stint in the American TV show “Chuck”.
Daniel Craig nailed it in Skyfall and is my current favorite. They have changed over the years but I’m afraid Timothy Dalton always falls short on my list. This of course is my own personal opinion and I admire your courage for putting this article out there. It certainly got my attention! :)
“Perhaps from the fact that I never read the books and also grew up during the Roger Moore era,”
This is makes you a different class of Bond fan. A true fan would read the books.
i agree the best james bond actor ever is tim and the 2 movies are the best of the series even though i like like the rest too apart from George
Just yesterday I found myself debating this very topic. From his first scene in The Living Daylights, i have firmly believed Dalton to be the ultimate screen Bond. No one else captures Fleming’s Bond so realistically.My God…that face! Without a word spoken Dalton smoothly conveys Bonds passion, ruthlessness, and determination.
I’m not a big fan of James Bond but out of the few movies I’ve seen I liked Dalton the most.
Timothy Dalton has been my favorite Bond from the time that Licence To Kill came out. He had that rough around the edges style that Daniel Craig has used so well, but Dalton also had a more sophisticated demeanor – he was more of a gentleman than Craig is. Dalton managed to be both edgy and classy at the same time. Sean Connery did that to a degree, but never as well as Dalton did. And Dalton was the only Bond actor prior to Daniel Craig that really came across as an assassin (which is a large part of what a Double 0 is all about). Ultimately, Dalton should have been given at least one more Bond movie, but legal battles got in the way. Still, the two movies he did are among the very best in the series.
Well said…. Dalton’s term as Bond was ” brief but brilliant “. Bond fans should be thankful he finally said yes to the role. He brought on authenticity and timelessness to the franchise.
Growing up, Roger Moore was THE one and only James Bond. He was everywhere!
But as I grew up, became an adult, and had the time to read some of Flemings works, my vote goes to Dalton.
So nice to see Dalton getting his due. As one of those “Fleming purists” (I’ve read all the books, from Fleming to Deaver) Licence to Kill is without a doubt the closest interpretation ever to Fleming’s James Bond, and IMO, the scene in the hotel room between Bond and Pushkin is the best and most intense scene in the history of the franchise.
Fred above me mentioned that Dalton was less of a ladies man in his films that other Bonds. I would agree. However, Dalton’s tenure came at a time when the AIDS scare was very prevalent, one of the underlying reasons Dalton’s Bond only has two ladies per film. In the case of “TLD”, it didn’t make much sense for Bond to be shagging everything that walked. He was busy actually being a spy. While it’s a tad against the norm that Bond doesn’t woo every lady out there, it’s much more believable than the idea that Roger Moore, especially after “For Your Eyes Only” could get all these women half his age to throw themselves at him. I’m not trying to be critical of Moore, I thought he was a great Bond, and I enjoyed all of his films, but he’s not the best-looking guy to have ever played the part, that’s for sure. When it happened to Connery, you bought it, because, well, he’s Sean Connery.
I would also agree that for the most part, when I see Dalton in another project, I’m not reminded of James Bond (Though he has Bond-like undertones in Hot Fuzz, and his guest appearance in “Werewolf Concerto” in Tales From the Crypt.) Personally though, I don’t think that’s because Dalton was an unconvincing Bond, it’s just that Dalton is versatile enough as an actor to disappear into a role.
I loved the emotion he brought to the character. His reaction to the death of Saunders is spectacular. In other films, a character like Saunders being killed would result in Connery or Moore arching an eyebrow and then moving on. Here though, it’s enough to enrage the man (I pity that balloon), especially since he’s figured out the villains are playing him and MI-6 for suckers and they basically wasted a good agent to try and sucker him some more.
He nails it again in the wake of finding Della dead and Felix maimed in LTK. The film hinges entirely on Bond being affected enough to quit MI-6 and go on a revenge spree. Again, the arched brow approach wouldn’t have worked here. Couple that with the knowledge that Bond is basically seeing his own wedding day replayed before his eyes with a different cast of characters (Good friends, no less) and you’ve really got a powderkeg in Bond. To me, LTK is the film Diamonds are Forever should have been. Connery seems largely disinterested throughout, and there’s no tension at all when he meets face-to-face with Charles Gray’s Blofeld. Hey, James, you do remember that this is the guy who machine-gunned your wife to death in the film before, right?
Dalton was, and still is, criminally underrated as Bond. It’s a bit annoying to me that when polls are done of the best Bond, Dalton is always ranked low (Sometimes under Lazenby. Really? Lazenby wasn’t terrible, but there’s no universe where Dalton shouldn’t be at least in 4th place) Hopefully Craig’s Dalton-like interpretation of Bond allows for re-evaluation of Dalton’s tenure, and those critical of him can take a step back and see that he had it right, audiences just weren’t ready. My top 4 Bonds would be, in order, Dalton, Connery, Craig, and Moore. When the credits begin, and list ______ as Ian Fleming’s James Bond 007, only Dalton, to me, has given us that 100%
THANK YOU for this most excellent post! I never tire of reading articles on Dalton’s Bond and I rate him as my FAVORITE BOND of all time. Though I like Craig in Casino Royale and Skyfall, I still rate Dalton’s portrayal far above him, as Dalton was excellent even in lesser material and production quality of the newer Bond films. I mean imagine how fantastic he’d be in CR, acting opposite fellow Shakespearean actors like Judi Dench! I like what the above commenter said, Dalton has the right balance of edgy and classy, in other words, the PERFECT Bond!
Excellent article and it’s great to see Dalton given the credit he deserves.
One small error however, Milton Krest was played by Anthony Zerbe but has been labelled as played by Robert Davi. Just an editing snafu I’m sure, but I thought I’d point it out.
Hear, hear. I have long been in the minority of praising Timothy Dalton for his portrayal of Bond. Although I like what Daniel Craig is doing with the character now I still think TD pips him for the closer portrayal to the Bond that Fleming wrote in the books.
A good article.
“Although I like what Daniel Craig is doing with the character now I still think TD pips him for the closer portrayal to the Bond that Fleming wrote in the books.”
Agreed. Even in “Casino Royale”, the novel, Bond wasn’t that rough around the edges. He certainly wouldn’t have offed an enemy just because he didn’t want to turn him over to the embassy. (Though I like the scene) Dalton got the chance to play Bond at the burn-out stage, which he was regularly at in the book series. And Dalton looks more like Fleming’s Bond, eye color notwithstanding. Bond was over 6′ and about 170 pounds, which is definitely not the way Craig appears. Dalton’s much more of a match physically than Craig, though I like Craig in the role.
An excellent piece by Alex and Nick’s reply was also very much on point. I have read a lot of Fleming’s James Bond novels and I agree that Dalton set the bar for playing the most realistic James Bond, followed by Craig. Sean Connery is still my favourite James Bond because he is… well, Sean Connery. But when I examine all the James Bond actors objectively, my vote goes to Dalton.
In Nigeria, most people who were used to Moore’s comic interpretation were horrified at the dark menace Dalton brought to the movie, The Living Daylights. His rage at the death of fellow MI6 agent Saunders, his stripping Pushkin’s mistress almost completely naked as a diversion, his cutting his shoe lace so that Necros falls from a plane despite the latter’s pathetic pleas for mercy. It is not that other Bonds have not exhibited brutal acts before, (Sean Connery shooting a defenceles man in Dr. No or Roger Moore pushing a car over a cliff with a killer trapped inside in FYEO. In FYEO, Moore dumps a wheel chair “Blofeld” in a large hole but it was so comically done, that you feel no sense of violence, just hilarity).
But in Dalton, you see the darkness, the violence, and you are hit with the realization that Dalton’s Bond is no different from the people he killed. They are all the same ruthless murderers who just found themselves on different sides of the coin.
In Licensed to Kill, he became a hell spawn, an angel of vengeance. Nothing could satify him but the death of the drug baron who killed the wife of Felix Leither on their wedding day, a brutal re-echo of his own wife’s death. With the execption of Craig, I cannot see Connery, Moore or Brosnan carrying out the role of a pyschologically damaged rouge agent bent on killing for the sole purpose of killing.
Its a pity Dalton did not carry on the franchise. I would have loved to see the directions the franchise would have taken. Still Craig, despite his blond hair and not so good looks, is a worthy sucessor.
:) glad to see i am also really not the only one praising Dalton as James Bond.
Compared to all 4 brosnan’s i think only “day another day” worth watching twice, a very good movie.the previous three box office are very much helped by his good looks well known to all ladies in the world i think …:)…but still Brosnan is a very good actor of course, I always watch his movies. I like his non Bond much better. I blame the story not the actor.
Well James Bond Series is like Musics, more people tend to enjoy easy listening pop music than ‘heavier’ kind of jazz , classic or heavy metal. So Moore And Pierce’s styles are easier to enjoy for most people .
But those who read Ian Fleming and watch more aspects and details would appreciate Dalton’s Works. “Living Daylight” is a very very good movie in everything. The bond’s character, the love story. The action, and the songs by aha and pretender. Can nev3r get bored to watch
Sean/Dalton/Craig vs Moore/Roger all are good and will vary from each viewer’s taste and preference. Lazenby had been great , its his destiny to only play one movies. I cant imagine if he had continued and roger moore never played bond ? Would you guys prefer it that way ? :))
Finally some like-minded people on a thread who understand the magic of Dalton – if Bond existed in real life, he would be Dalton. Like someone below pointed out, Bond is an assassin and out of all the Bonds he’s the one who I could imagine killing someone. It’s very annoying that Craig gets (rightly) praised for doing what Dalton is widely criticised for i.e. harder, less quips when in mortal danger see etc. I see Dalton and Craig’s character as being cut from the sane cloth but Dalton being Bond with more years on the job and therefore more in control of his emotions, but you still see flashes of rage like when Saunders was killed. I like my Bond realistic, still with great stunts but less about space age gadgets, hence why no Bond film will ever come close to LTK in my eyes, almost perfect and realistically brutal. Thank you Tim!
It’s good to know that there are so many Dalton adherents out there! The man is clearly the best performer ever to portry Bond, when judged solely in terms of attention to the craft of acting. His take on the character was ahead of its time, as shown by the enthusiastic reception that Craig’s hard-edged portrayal has received. Dalton’s fidelity to Ian Fleming’s original conception is highly respected by many Bond fans, and it’s about time that he received his due! Consider this: Fleming himself described Bond as having a facial resemblance to jazz musician Hoagy Charmichael. Anyone who has seen a photo of Carmichael knows: Dalton’s got the look! Sure, I’m one of those classicists who insist that Connery’s the definite Bond; and Craig’s interpretation gets high marks from me as well…but Dalton may well be the closest thing we’ll ever see to Fleming’s character put onscreen.
Timothy Dalton is James Bond, with every release of a new film I have the same discussions with people about LTK’S gritty realism. They normally say “I didn’t like the Dalton as bond” followed by “I don’t remember the film”. The public believes the press who still wanted an old campy Roger Moore film. Personally I would have loved to see Dalton back in the role but would settle for him playing a villain!
For the record those who actually go back and watch his films generally admit to being wrong!