Bill Dean
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.
Acted in
Brookside: Friday the 13th
1998
as Harold Cross
Hillsborough
1996
as Additional Cast
Priest
1995
as Altar Boy
Skallagrigg
1994
as Old Man
Heartbeat
1992
as Harry Capshaw
Let Him Have It
1991
as Foreman of the Jury
Slayground
1983
as Compere
Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime
1983
The Gathering Seed
1983
as Billy Eccles
Going Gently
1981
as Painter
A Turn for the Worse
1981
as (voice)
The Mirror Crack'd
1980
as Man in Village Hall (uncredited)
Rising Damp
1980
as Workman
Minder
1979
as Police Sgt.
Scum
1979
as Mr Duke
Night People
1978
as Ted
Freedom of the Dig
1978
as Sid
Pennies from Heaven
1978
as Alf
Beasts: What Big Eyes
1976
as Duggie Jeb
Beasts
1976
as Duggie Jebb
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
The Wackers
1975
as Charlie
Flame
1975
as Club Owner (uncredited)
The Sweeney
1975
as Charlie Norton
Oh No, It's Selwyn Froggitt!
1974
as Jack
Match of the Day
1974
as Father
Playhouse
1974
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
Justice
1971
as Charlie Keen
After a Lifetime
1971
as Uncle Sid
The Rank and File
1971
as Billy
Budgie
1971
as Dutchie Holland
Roll On Four O'Clock
1970
as Arthur Foster
Kes
1970
as Fish and Chip Shop Man
The Big Flame
1969
as Landlord
The Expert
1968
as Leslie Stevens
The Golden Vision
1968
as John Coyne
Man in a Suitcase
1967
Public Eye
1965
as Mr. Steadman