Bill Dean

Acting

Born September 3, 1921, Everton, Liverpool, England, UK

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

• 1998Brookside: Friday the 13th — Harold Cross
• 1996Hillsborough — Additional Cast
• 1995Priest — Altar Boy
• 1994Skallagrigg — Old Man
• Heartbeat — Harry Capshaw
• 1991Let Him Have It — Foreman of the Jury
• The Word
• 1984Slayground — Compere
• Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime — Mr Hove
• The Gathering Seed — Billy Eccles
• 1981A Turn for the Worse — (voice)
• 1981Going Gently — Painter
• God's Wonderful Railway — Ted Jarvis
• Nobody's Perfect — Mr Barrington
• 1980Rising Damp — Workman
• 1980The Mirror Crack'd — Man in Village Hall (uncredited)
• Minder — Police Sgt.
• 1979Scum — Mr Duke
• 1978Freedom of the Dig — Sid
• 1978Night People — Ted
• Pennies from Heaven — Alf
• BBC2 Play of the Week — Ted
• 1976Bag of Yeast — Teddy
• Beasts — Duggie Jebb
• 1976Beasts: What Big Eyes — Duggie Jeb
• 1975Break In — Dixie
• 1975Flame — Club Owner (uncredited)
• 1975In Sickness and in Health — Mr Jackson
• The Sweeney — Charlie Norton
• The Wackers — Charlie
• 1975Waiting at the Field Gate — Ted
• 1974Match of the Day — Father
• Oh No, It's Selwyn Froggitt! — Jack
• Playhouse — Painter
• 1973Night Watch — Inspector Walker
• 1973Speech Day — George
• 1973The Best Pair of Legs in the Business — Bert
• 1972Bank Holiday — Father
• New Scotland Yard — Bernard Hobbs
• Budgie — Dutchie Holland
• 1971Family Life — Mr. Baildon
• 1971Gumshoe — Tommy Wright
• Justice — Charlie Keen
• 1971The Rank and File — Billy
• 1970Kes — Fish and Chip Shop Man
• Play for Today — Billy
• 1970Roll On Four O'Clock — Arthur Foster
• ITV Saturday Night Theatre — Uncle Sid
• 1969The Big Flame — Landlord
• The Expert — Leslie Stevens
• 1968The Golden Vision — John Coyne
• Man in a Suitcase
• Public Eye — Mr. Steadman
• The Wednesday Play — John Coyne