Timothy Dalton in the film "Lady Caroline Lamb". The filmmakers replaced him with Jon Finch at the last moment; Dalton sued for breach of contract and won an out-of-court settlement. In 1985, Dalton was set to play Don Alfonso de la Torré in Roman Polanski's film "Pirates". The two men did not get along, so Polanski replaced Dalton with Damien Thomas. Dalton had been considered for the role of James Bond several times. According to the documentary "Inside The Living Daylights", the producers first approached Dalton in 1968 for "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" although Dalton himself in this same documentary claims
The Master of Ballantrae (1984 film) an Emmy as Best Supporting Actor for the role. Ian Richardson (who starred as the evil Francis Urquhart in the TV series House of Cards) plays the faithful Mr MacKellar, who manages the estate and becomes Henry Durie's friend and confidant; Finola Hughes plays Alison Graeme; and a youthful Timothy Dalton, later James Bond, stars as Colonel (or Captain) Francis Burke, an Irish adventurer who befriends the Master. The action starts in 1745, when Bonnie Prince Charlie lands in Scotland and the last Jacobite rebellion breaks out. James, the Master of Ballantrae, is a brave but foolish and hot-headed young