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
- Slayground as Compere
- The Gathering Seed as Billy Eccles
1981
- Going Gently as Painter
- A Turn for the Worse as (voice)
1980
- The Mirror Crack'd as Man in Village Hall (uncredited)
- Rising Damp as Workman
1978
- Pennies from Heaven as Alf
- Night People as Ted
- Freedom of the Dig as Sid
1977
- BBC2 Play of the Week as Ted
1976
- Bag of Yeast as Teddy
- Beasts: What Big Eyes as Duggie Jeb
- Beasts as Duggie Jebb
1975
- The Sweeney as Charlie Norton
- In Sickness and in Health as Mr Jackson
- Waiting at the Field Gate as Ted
- Flame as Club Owner (uncredited)
- The Wackers as Charlie
- Break In as Dixie
1974
- Playhouse as Painter
- Match of the Day as Father
- Oh No, It's Selwyn Froggitt! as Jack
1973
- Night Watch as Inspector Walker
- The Best Pair of Legs in the Business as Bert
- Speech Day as George
1972
- Bank Holiday as Father
1971
- Family Life as Mr. Baildon
- Justice as Charlie Keen
- Gumshoe as Tommy Wright
- Budgie as Dutchie Holland
- The Rank and File as Billy
- After a Lifetime as Uncle Sid
1970
- Kes as Fish and Chip Shop Man
- Roll On Four O'Clock as Arthur Foster
1969
- The Big Flame as Landlord
1968
- The Expert as Leslie Stevens
- The Golden Vision as John Coyne
1967
1965
- Public Eye as Mr. Steadman