Bill Dean
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- September 3, 1921
- Died
- April 20, 2000
- Birthplace
- 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
- Brookside: Friday the 13th
Brookside: Friday the 13th 1998
as Harold Cross
Hillsborough 1996
as Additional Cast
Priest 1995
as Altar Boy
Skallagrigg 1994
as Old Man
Let Him Have It 1991
as Foreman of the Jury
Slayground 1984
as Compere
Going Gently 1981
as Painter
A Turn for the Worse 1981
as (voice)
Rising Damp 1980
as Workman
The Mirror Crack'd 1980
as Man in Village Hall (uncredited)
Scum 1979
as Mr Duke
Night People 1978
as Ted
Freedom of the Dig 1978
as Sid
Beasts: What Big Eyes 1976
as Duggie Jeb
Bag of Yeast 1976
as Teddy
Break In 1975
as Dixie
In Sickness and in Health 1975
as Mr Jackson
Waiting at the Field Gate 1975
as Ted
Flame 1975
as Club Owner (uncredited)
Match of the Day 1974
as Father
Night Watch 1973
as Inspector Walker
Speech Day 1973
as George
The Best Pair of Legs in the Business 1973
as Bert
Bank Holiday 1972
as Father
Gumshoe 1971
as Tommy Wright
Family Life 1971
as Mr. Baildon
The Rank and File 1971
as Billy
Roll On Four O'Clock 1970
as Arthur Foster
Kes 1970
as Fish and Chip Shop Man
The Big Flame 1969
as Landlord
The Golden Vision 1968
as John Coyne
Credits from TMDB.