Timothy Dalton out and about in West Hollywood

In his days as James Bond his hair was sleek, his suits were sharp and he usually carried a Walther PPK pistol.

Fifteen years on, things have changed for Timothy Dalton, reports ThisIsLondon.

Now the hair is greying, the clothes are decidedly comfy - and he's carrying a plastic bag full of beer and wine bought from an off licence.



The 58-year-old British actor was spotted near his West Hollywood home as he stocked up on provisions for America's Thanksgiving celebration.

And with no evil megalomaniacs to save the world from while simultaneously sweeping glamorous women into bed, he has clearly decided that he can afford to relax.

He was wearing a baggy jumper, jogging trousers held up by a drawstring and a zip-up fleece.

A pair of glasses perched on the end of his nose left him looking more like gadget inventor Q than 007, while another pair dangled on a cord around his neck.

Dalton was first offered the role of James Bond when Sean Connery left the series in 1968, but the then 22-year-old

actor considered himself too young for the role and turned it down.

Eventually he took over from Roger Moore in 1986 and starred in two films, Licence To Kill and The Living Daylights, giving the secret agent a brooding quality in place of his predecessor's one-liners and raised eyebrow.

Pierce Brosnan had been lined up for the role but was unable to get out of a television contract at the last minute.

Dalton's imposing 6ft 2in frame, his chiselled jaw and dimpled chin made him one of the most desirable leading men of the time. But since handing in his licence to kill in 1989 he has not had such a high profile.

Recently he has recorded voice- over roles in two TV series and appeared in the animated film Looney Tunes: Back In Action, which flopped at the box office.

The former Royal Shakespeare Company actor has also returned to the stage, givinga memorable performance as the villain Lord Asriel in the National Theatre's adaptation of children's fantasy His Dark Materials.

For that role, sources say, he will have been paid around £1,000 a week - for Licence To Kill he earned in the region of £3.5million.

The actor, who as well as his place in California also has a home in Chiswick, West London, is about to appear in a U. S. television mini- series about the mythological Greek character Hercules.

Welsh-born Dalton, who once dated Vanessa Redgrave, is married to Ukranian actress and model Oksana Grigorieva, 26 years his junior. They have a son, Alexander Peter, seven.

Thanks to `JP` for the alert.

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