Life and career

Dalton was born in Powell, Wyoming. Dalton's career began in 1982 when cast as Randy Anderson by Francis Ford Coppola during a nationwide talent search for the ground breaking teen ensemble The Outsiders.

After The Outsiders, Dalton reunited with C. Thomas Howell and Patrick Swayze in Red Dawn, a story of a group of teenagers fighting Soviet Union troops who have invaded the United States. Dalton portrayed Daryl Bates, the son of the mayor.

After Red Dawn, Dalton's first made-for-television movie was Brotherhood of Justice as a rebellious teenager, followed by Daddy and the short-lived, but critically acclaimed TV ensemble drama The Best Times. He has also had numerous TV guest appearances on Highway to Heaven, Quantum Leap, Alien Nation and as General Custer on Doctor Quinn, Medicine Woman. Shortly after, he returned to theatrical releases, such as Dancing in the Forest and The Wolves.

Turning to screenwriting full-time, Dalton did not appear in any other TV shows or movies until 2007's The Stolen Moments of September. After the movie, he fully returned to acting, in War of the Worlds 2, Children of the Hunt, Darkroom (which he also Executive Produced and provided music for), the 3-D zombie thriller Day of the Living and The Day the Earth Stopped which Dalton also wrote and produced, and The Land That Time Forgot, which Dalton adapted from the Edgar Rice Burroughs novel.

Filmography

• The Outsiders (1983)
• National Lampoon's Joy of Sex (1984)
• Red Dawn (1984)
• Brotherhood of Justice (1986)
• Daddy (1987)
• Montana (1990)
• Dancing in the Forest (1991)
• To Protect and Serve (1992)
• Scanner Cop (1994)
• Hourglass (1996)
• Pure Danger (1996)
• Sleeping Dogs (1998)
• The Stolen Moments of September (2007)
• Darkroom (2008)
• War of the Worlds 2 (2008)
• The Day the Earth Stopped (2008)
• Children of the Hunt (2008)
• The Jailhouse (2009)
• The Land That Time Forgot (2009)
• Vault of Darkness (2009)
• The Auctioneers (2010)
• The Cottage (2012)

[ Source: Wikipedia ]