Timothy Dalton never set out to become an object of adulation, but he has. His characters – Rochester, Bond, Philip II – do not need pathos. Behind each of them – the inner fracture. Timothy Dalton always kept apart, did not seek fame, avoided noisy party. He seemed to the viewer at the same time beautiful and aloof, a man with a secret that can not be uttered.
He was born in Wales in the family of an intelligence officer. From childhood he dreamed of flying, was a cadet, brought up strictly. Everything changed ‘Macbeth’ – the play, which he saw at 15. He gives up his military dreams, goes to the theatre, enters the Royal Academy. The study does not finish, but finds himself in the Youth Theatre, where he becomes part of the Shakespearean world.
The first role in the cinema – immediately significant: ‘The Lion in Winter’, where he plays the King of France. In the frame with him – Hepburn and O’Toole. He does not aspire to a Hollywood career, but the roles come: dramatic, deep. It is as if he chooses characters through which you can hide, not open.
The year 1983 becomes a turning point: he – Edward Rochester in ‘Jane Eyre’. His character is not gallant, not seductive, but broken and alive. The voice, the pauses, the look – not technique, but presence. That’s the strength.
Then there’s Bond. His version is a man with a conscience, an agent who cares. But audiences want the show, not the drama. He does two films and then just walks away. No complaints, no conflict. Later he says about himself that looking in the mirror he thinks, ‘Oh my God…’.
He kept quiet about his personal life. For almost 15 years he was together with Vanessa Redgrave, a strong and intelligent woman. She wanted a family, he wanted freedom. Eventually, he just disappeared. Then there were more romances – Joan Collins, Ornella Muti, Brooke Shields – but all ended as soon as the camera switched off.
With the Russian pianist Oksana Grigorieva he had a son. In her he saw warmth and calmness, and for the first time he talked about family. But she left to another, and he silently let go. When the scandal began with Mel Gibson, it was he who first came to her aid. No recrimination, just humanity.
He never got married. He thought being single was a choice. He loved fishing, old books, jazz. His son became his raison d’être. But the letters sometimes showed regret, as if he knew that true intimacy required a different kind of effort than romance.
After a long hiatus, he returned to the screens. It was in 2019 in the series ‘Fatal Patrol’. His character is ambiguous, complex, like himself. Then he disappeared again. In 2025 – again on the screen, in ‘1923’ with Mirren and Ford. Still the same – strict, ironic, alive.
Never asked for the love of the audience. But that’s what attracted. He’s not often quoted, but he’s revisited. Because such actors do not disappear – they just fade into the shadows. And with them, you want to bring back not the frame, but the person.
When Timothy was asked if his son was proud of him, he said that he tried to be honest always and that was the most important thing, of all the roles.
