Bill Dean
Born: 1921-09-03 in Everton, Liverpool, England, UK
Died: 2000-04-20
Known For: Acting
Biography
Bill Dean was a British actor who was born in Everton, Liverpool, Lancashire. He was born Patrick Anthony Connolly, but took his stage name in honour of Everton football legend William 'Dixie' Dean. After a atring of jobs, it was his work as a Lancashire club comedian that saw him spotted by Ken Loach who gave him his breakthrough role in his TV play The Golden Vision. Famous for his flat but penetrating Scouse tones, Dean went on to star as miserable pensioner Harry Cross in the long running Channel 4 soap Brookside from its inception in 1983 to 1990. He briefly returned to the series in 1999 for three episodes, when his character re-appeared in Brookside Close suffering from Alzheimer's disease and wrongly believing that he still lived there. The same character was the inspiration behind the 1980s group 'Jegsy Dodd and the sons of Harry Cross' who hailed from the Wirral and Dean himself appeared in the video of the Liverpudlian band The Farm's Groovy Train as Cross, who was a former train driver. He did of a heart attack aged 78 in 2000.
Filmography
1998
- Brookside: Friday the 13th as Harold Cross
1996
- Hillsborough as Additional Cast
1995
- Priest as Altar Boy
1994
- Skallagrigg as Old Man
1992
- Heartbeat as Harry Capshaw
1991
- Let Him Have It as Foreman of the Jury
1983
- Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime
- The Gathering Seed as Billy Eccles
- Slayground as Compere
1981
- A Turn for the Worse as (voice)
- Going Gently as Painter
1980
- The Mirror Crack'd as Man in Village Hall (uncredited)
- Rising Damp as Workman
1978
- Pennies from Heaven as Alf
- Freedom of the Dig as Sid
- Night People as Ted
1977
- BBC2 Play of the Week as Ted
1976
- Beasts as Duggie Jebb
- Beasts: What Big Eyes as Duggie Jeb
- Bag of Yeast as Teddy
1975
- The Sweeney as Charlie Norton
- The Wackers as Charlie
- Flame as Club Owner (uncredited)
- In Sickness and in Health as Mr Jackson
- Waiting at the Field Gate as Ted
- Break In as Dixie
1974
- Playhouse as Painter
- Oh No, It's Selwyn Froggitt! as Jack
- Match of the Day as Father
1973
- Night Watch as Inspector Walker
- The Best Pair of Legs in the Business as Bert
- Speech Day as George
1972
- New Scotland Yard as Bernard Hobbs
- Bank Holiday as Father
1971
- Justice as Charlie Keen
- Budgie as Dutchie Holland
- Gumshoe as Tommy Wright
- Family Life as Mr. Baildon
- The Rank and File as Billy
1970
- Kes as Fish and Chip Shop Man
- Roll On Four O'Clock as Arthur Foster
1969
- ITV Saturday Night Theatre as Uncle Sid
- The Big Flame as Landlord
1968
- The Expert as Leslie Stevens
- The Golden Vision as John Coyne
1967
1965
- Public Eye as Mr. Steadman