Timothy Dalton's Real Name: Timothy Peter Dalton

Quick answer: Timothy Dalton's documented full name is Timothy Peter Dalton. Encyclopedia.com lists that form and dates his birth to March 21, 1944, in Colwyn Bay, Wales, while noting that some sources cite 1946. TV Guide also uses the birth name Timothy Peter Dalton and the Colwyn Bay place, without giving a year. A BBC Derby profile independently records a Colwyn Bay birth and a childhood in Derbyshire (Encyclopedia.com; BBC).

Real name and early life

He is known professionally as Timothy Dalton. Encyclopedia.com and TV Guide agree on Timothy Peter Dalton and on Colwyn Bay, Wales, as the birthplace. The year is disputed: Encyclopedia.com uses March 21, 1944, but says some sources cite 1946; TV Guide gives no year. The BBC profile does not give a date, but says that despite being born in Colwyn Bay he grew up in Milford, near Belper, while his father worked in advertising in Manchester. BBC says a performance of Macbeth at 16 decided him on acting, that he finished high school in 1964, joined Michael Croft's National Youth Theatre, and enrolled at RADA before leaving short of two years to join the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. Encyclopedia.com independently records National Youth Theatre membership from 1964 to 1966 and training at RADA.

Career highlights

Encyclopedia.com documents early stage work, including Coriolanus for the National Youth Theatre in 1964 and the title role in Richard III at Birmingham Rep in 1966, plus later tours with the Prospect Theatre Company and the Royal Shakespeare Company. On screen he is widely known as James Bond in The Living Daylights (1987) and Licence to Kill (1989), both recorded by Encyclopedia.com. The BBC profile likewise frames him as a Bond who brought a tougher, more serious edge to the role. TV Guide notes that he was first approached to play Bond in 1968 but did not appear as the character until 1987. Among other screen credits, Encyclopedia.com lists Wuthering Heights. The BBC, in a 2003 profile, also mentions later work including Looney Tunes: Back in Action. Other Bond portrayers with live name pages on this site include Sean Connery and Daniel Craig.

Name notes for searchers

Timothy Peter Dalton is the documented full name; the professional name is Timothy Dalton. Searchers looking for the Bond films The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill are usually aiming at the same person.