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Bill Dean

Bill Dean

Birthday: 1921-09-03 | Place of Birth: 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.

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Known For

Acting

Year
Title

Role

1998
Brookside: Friday the 13th

as    Harold Cross

1981
A Turn for the Worse

as    (voice)

1980
Rising Damp

as    Workman

1979
Scum

as    Mr Duke

1978
Pennies from Heaven

as    Alf

1978
Freedom of the Dig

as    Sid

1978
Night People

as    Ted

1975
The Wackers

as    Charlie

1975
Break In

as    Dixie

1975
In Sickness and in Health

as    Mr Jackson

1975
1974
Match of the Day

as    Father

1974
1973
Speech Day

as    George

1973
Night Watch

as    Inspector Walker

1972
Family Life

as    Mr. Baildon

1971
The Rank and File

as    Billy

1971
Gumshoe

as    Tommy Wright

1970
Roll On Four O'Clock

as    Arthur Foster

1970
Kes

as    Fish and Chip Shop Man

1969
The Big Flame

as    Landlord