Career
Dalton quickly moved to television, working mainly with BBC and, in 1968, made his film debut as Philip II of France in The Lion in Winter. This was the first of several period dramas, which included a remake of Wuthering Heights in 1970 in which he portrayed Heathcliff. After a few more films, Dalton took a break in 1971 to concentrate on the theatre, performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company and other troupes throughout the world. In 1975, Dalton and Vivien Merchant headed the cast of a revival of Noël Coward's The Vortex.
With two notable exceptions, the films Mary, Queen of Scots (1972) and Permission to Kill (1975), he remained a theatre actor until 1978. That year he starred in Sextette as the husband of 85-year-old Mae West, hailing his return to cinema and the beginning of his American career. While in the United States, Dalton worked mainly in television, although he starred in several films. During this time, he played Prince Barin in the 1980 cult science fiction classic Flash Gordon and played Mr. Rochester in the 1983 BBC serial of Jane Eyre. Dalton starred alongside Jonathan Pryce in the 1985 film The Doctor and the Devils. He also co-starred with Joan Collins in the miniseries, Sins (1986).
Dalton was also replaced in two films he'd been signed to appear in. Dalton was offered the role of real-life British Prime Minister William Lamb in the film Lady Caroline Lamb. However, 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. However, the two men did not get along, so Polanski replaced him with Damien Thomas.
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