One of Hamilton's best-known roles was that of Max Harte, an agent in the 1988 revival of Mission: Impossible.

His adoptive father was a highly-decorated Australian former fighter pilot who fought in World War II and commanded No.

[1][2][3] From age 10 he attended Scotch College in Adelaide,[4] where he studied dance and ballet and played Australian rules football, cricket, basketball and other sports.

After leaving school, he began a career as a professional dancer with The Australian Ballet Company where he toured Europe and the Soviet Union for two years.

[3][5] In 1973, during a dance tour in Europe with The Australian Ballet, he was discovered by Vladimir Bliokh, a world-famous Russian global photojournalist and premier performing-arts photographer.

"[3][6] After signing with a London modelling agency,[2] he worked extensively as a model in Europe, America, Asia and Africa, becoming a favourite subject of world-famous photographers as Richard Avedon and Bruce Weber, often working with designers such as Gianni Versace, and frequently appearing in magazines such as Vogue and GQ.

While modelling, Hamilton began taking acting classes in an effort to expand his career.

[9] After the cancellation of Cover Up, Hamilton was in talks to replace Roger Moore as the new James Bond in the 007 film series.

[12] In 1986, Hamilton had a small role in the comedy film Jumpin' Jack Flash starring Whoopi Goldberg.