Acting · Everton, Liverpool, England, UK · Born September 3, 1921
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.
Brookside: Friday the 13th
1998
as Harold Cross
MovieHillsborough
1996
as Additional Cast
MoviePriest
1995
as Altar Boy
MovieSkallagrigg
1994
as Old Man
TVHeartbeat
1992
as Harry Capshaw
MovieLet Him Have It
1991
as Foreman of the Jury
TVThe Word
1990
MovieSlayground
1983
as Compere
TVAgatha Christie's Partners in Crime
1983
TVThe Gathering Seed
1983
as Billy Eccles
MovieGoing Gently
1981
as Painter
MovieA Turn for the Worse
1981
as (voice)
MovieRising Damp
1980
as Workman
MovieThe Mirror Crack'd
1980
as Man in Village Hall (uncredited)
TVMinder
1979
as Police Sgt.
MovieScum
1979
as Mr Duke
MovieNight People
1978
as Ted
MovieFreedom of the Dig
1978
as Sid
TVPennies from Heaven
1978
as Alf
TVBBC2 Play of the Week
1977
as Ted
MovieBeasts: What Big Eyes
1976
as Duggie Jeb
TVBeasts
1976
as Duggie Jebb
MovieBag of Yeast
1976
as Teddy
MovieBreak In
1975
as Dixie
MovieIn Sickness and in Health
1975
as Mr Jackson
MovieWaiting at the Field Gate
1975
as Ted
TVThe Wackers
1975
as Charlie
MovieFlame
1975
as Club Owner (uncredited)
TVThe Sweeney
1975
as Charlie Norton
TVOh No, It's Selwyn Froggitt!
1974
as Jack
MovieMatch of the Day
1974
as Father
TVPlayhouse
1974
as Painter
MovieNight Watch
1973
as Inspector Walker
MovieSpeech Day
1973
as George
MovieThe Best Pair of Legs in the Business
1973
as Bert
TVNew Scotland Yard
1972
as Bernard Hobbs
MovieBank Holiday
1972
as Father
MovieGumshoe
1971
as Tommy Wright
MovieFamily Life
1971
as Mr. Baildon
TVJustice
1971
as Charlie Keen
MovieThe Rank and File
1971
as Billy
TVBudgie
1971
as Dutchie Holland
MovieRoll On Four O'Clock
1970
as Arthur Foster
TVPlay for Today
1970
as Billy
MovieKes
1970
as Fish and Chip Shop Man
MovieThe Big Flame
1969
as Landlord
TVITV Saturday Night Theatre
1969
as Uncle Sid
TVThe Expert
1968
as Leslie Stevens
MovieThe Golden Vision
1968
as John Coyne
TVMan in a Suitcase
1967
TVPublic Eye
1965
as Mr. Steadman
TVThe Wednesday Play
1964
as John Coyne
