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if there's one franchise loved in

Britain and around the world it's the

James Bond series and people will get

pretty vocal if they don't like a

particular actor playing 007 perhaps

that's why George Lazenby only survived

one film but another actor took on the

role and had a more serious approach but

even he only lasted two films join facts

first UK to learn about the real reason

why Timothy Dalton left James Bond

Timothy Dalton was born March 21st in

1946 in colwin Bay Wales he's the son of

an English advertising executive who

spent time in Special Operations during

the second world war and his mother was

American his grandfathers were both

involved in Vaudeville acting and this

helped shape his early interest in

acting he was also heavily encouraged by

his parents to pursue a career as an

actor after leaving school at age 16 he

decided to study acting at Rada

Timothy's acting career began in the

late 1960s with a series of roles on

British television shows he made his

debut in the BBC drama play of the month

and quickly gained recognition for his

talent and skill as an actor his early

roles included appearances in Cromwell

weathering Heights and the Lion in

Winter the 1960s were kind to him as he

appeared in a slew of great films and

shows and it wasn't long until he became

a star as well as a respected leading

man in the 1970s Dalton continued to

work in television but also began to

Branch out into film and theater he

gained recognition for his work on stage

appearing in Productions of Romeo and

Juliet and Henry IV part 1 at the Royal

Shakespeare company in the 1980s

Dalton's film career gained momentum and

he began to take more prominent roles he

played Prince Baron in the 1980 cult

classic Flash Gordon and it seemed his

career was just going from strength to

strength a mention should be made of

some of his other successful films and

movies during this era these included

Agatha Anthony and Cleopatra Hawks and

channel Solitaire his TV work included

roles such as Centennial Charlie's

Angels the master of Ballantrae

mistral's daughter and sins but of

course his stardom really made an impact

when he was cast as James Bond in the

1987 film The Living Daylights

Timothy Dalton as James Bond

when Timothy Dalton took on the role of

James Bond in 1987's The Living

Daylights he brought a darker grittier

Edge to the character that had been

missing in the previous films he

continued this approach in his second

and final Bond film 1989's license to

Kill both films were received with mixed

reviews upon release but have since

gained a cult following among Bond fans

while he's not seen as one of the best

bonds he's certainly not seen as the

worst and his work is appreciated but

it's getting more appreciated today than

in the past The Living Daylights sees

Bond on a mission to protect a Russian

Defector with the help of a beautiful

cellist played by Miriam Diablo the film

is notable for its thrilling action

sequences including a gripping opening

scene that sees Bond parachuting from a

plane onto a moving truck Dalton's

performance is intense and brooding with

a sense of vulnerability that makes him

a more complex character than previous

Bond actors Licensed to Kill takes bond

in a different direction with a Revenge

plot that sees him seeking Vengeance

against a villain who attacks his friend

Felix lighter whom we had seen in many

Bond films before and became attached to

as a character the film is darker and

more violent than previous Bond films

with some critics noting that it feels

more like a generic action movie than a

Bond film but Dalton's performance as a

vengeful bond is electric and the film's

action sequences are some of the most

intense and exciting in the franchise

one of the strengths of both films is

their supporting casts The Living

Daylights features a memorable villain

in general Georgie koskoff played by

Geron krabe as well as a scene-stealing

turn from John Rhys-Davies as a Russian

general Licensed to Kill features a

standout performance from Robert Davi as

drug lord Franz Sanchez as well as

appearances from Future Stars Benicio

del Toro and Carrie Lowell another

notable aspect of both films is their

soundtracks The Living Daylights

features a memorable theme song by aha

as well as a score by John Barry

incorporates elements of Russian

classical music Licensed to Kill

features a theme song by Gladys Knight

and a score by Michael Cayman that

incorporates Latin and Caribbean Rhythms

to reflect the film's setting in South

America with all these factors that made

these Great Bond films one wonders why

they weren't appreciated at the time and

why Dalton left after only two films

life after Bond

after Timothy Dalton's two film stint as

Bond he continued to work steadily in

film television and on stage he became

known for his versatility as an actor

taking on a range of roles that

showcased his dramatic range and skill

one of Dalton's most memorable post-bond

performances came in the 1994 film The

Beautician and the Beast in which he

starred opposite Fran Drescher the film

was a romantic comedy where Drescher

played a New York City hair stylist who

becomes the tutor for the children of a

dictatorial Eastern European dictator

played by Dalton the film was a

commercial success and Dalton's

performance as the gruff and unyielding

dictator was praised by critics it was a

departure from Bond but it showed

audiences that Dalton couldn't be boxed

into a role he also appeared in a number

of notable television shows in the Years

following his Bond films he had a

recurring role on the British series

Penny Dreadful in 2016. he also became

known for playing Mr Pricklepants in the

Toy Story films he played Peter Townsend

in one episode of the crown and Donald

Whitfield in four episodes of the show

1923. he's in his 70s now and as busy as

ever something tells us we'll see more

films and TV shows from him in the

coming years one of his most recent

roles was the greatly appreciated Chief

in the DC Comics superhero film Doom

Patrol in 2019. the character was a

recurring villain in the Show's first

season and Dalton's performance was

praised by critics for his ability to

bring nuance and depth to a character

who could easily have been one

dimensional as you can see he's had many

successes outside of the bond franchise

but for some fans Dalton's portrayal of

James Bond remains a defining moment in

his career many feel that his darker and

more complex take on the character paved

the way for future Bond actors like

Daniel Craig and for making it

acceptable for future Bond films to be

more darker and complex

the real reason why Timothy Dalton left

James Bond

when it comes to James Bond actors

Dalton is often overlooked in favor of

more popular or iconic performers like

Sean Connery Roger Moore or Daniel Craig

while these films are appreciated today

they were among the least financially

successful Bond films ever they were

successful but not majorly successful

when released it was possible for him to

appear in a third Bond film but there

had been illegal dispute with the

franchise that caused the delay of

production eventually Timothy Dalton

moved on to other projects and Pierce

Brosnan was chosen as the next James

Bond in hindsight Dalton stated he

didn't particularly care for the role

and didn't enjoy it as much as he

thought he would but as time has passed

fans have gained a greater appreciation

for Dalton and for the two Bond films he

starred in he's always gotten

recognition as a great actor but now

he's also gotten his appreciation as one

of the great James Bond actors

nevertheless the fact remains Dalton is

a talented and versatile actor and one

of the best British actors of all time

now it's time to hear from you what do

you think about Timothy Dalton's

portrayal of James Bond who was your

favorite James Bond let us know in the

comments section below