Bill Dean
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.
Movies 31
Kes
as Fish and Chip Shop Man
1970
The Mirror Crack'd
as Man in Village Hall (uncredited)
1980
Priest
as Altar Boy
1995
Scum
as Mr Duke
1979
Night Watch
as Inspector Walker
1973
Let Him Have It
as Foreman of the Jury
1991
Slayground
as Compere
1984
Hillsborough
as Additional Cast
1996
Roll On Four O'Clock
as Arthur Foster
1970
Family Life
as Mr. Baildon
1971
The Rank and File
as Billy
1971
Flame
as Club Owner (uncredited)
1975
In Sickness and in Health
as Mr Jackson
1975
The Best Pair of Legs in the Business
as Bert
1973
Gumshoe
as Tommy Wright
1971
Match of the Day
as Father
1974
Night People
as Ted
1978
Going Gently
as Painter
1981
Rising Damp
as Workman
1980
Beasts: What Big Eyes
as Duggie Jeb
1976
The Big Flame
as Landlord
1969
Waiting at the Field Gate
as Ted
1975
A Turn for the Worse
as (voice)
1981
Brookside: Friday the 13th
as Harold Cross
1998
Break In
as Dixie
1975
The Golden Vision
as John Coyne
1968
Speech Day
as George
1973
Skallagrigg
as Old Man
1994
Freedom of the Dig
as Sid
1978
Bank Holiday
as Father
1972
Bag of Yeast
as Teddy
1976TV Shows 24
Play for Today
as Billy
1970
Heartbeat
as Harry Capshaw
1992
Minder
as Police Sgt.
1979
The Wednesday Play
as John Coyne
1964
ITV Saturday Night Theatre
as Uncle Sid
1969
Playhouse
as Painter
1974
The Sweeney
as Charlie Norton
1975
The Expert
as Leslie Stevens
1968
Public Eye
as Mr. Steadman
1965
The Word
1990
New Scotland Yard
as Bernard Hobbs
1972
Justice
as Charlie Keen
1971
BBC2 Play of the Week
as Ted
1977
Man in a Suitcase
1967
Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime
1983
Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime
as Mr Hove
1983
Budgie
as Dutchie Holland
1971
Beasts
as Duggie Jebb
1976
Pennies from Heaven
as Alf
1978
Oh No, It's Selwyn Froggitt!
as Jack
1974
God's Wonderful Railway
as Ted Jarvis
1980
The Gathering Seed
as Billy Eccles
1983
The Wackers
as Charlie
1975
Nobody's Perfect
as Mr Barrington
1980