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.

Minder

Police Sgt.

Heartbeat

Harry Capshaw

Playhouse

Painter

The Rank and File

Billy

The Best Pair of Legs in the Business

Bert

Night Watch

Inspector Walker

The Expert

Leslie Stevens

The Sweeney

Charlie Norton

Public Eye

Mr. Steadman

Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime

BBC2 Play of the Week

Ted

The Mirror Crack'd

Man in Village Hall (uncredited)

Justice

Charlie Keen

Priest

Altar Boy

Budgie

Dutchie Holland

Kes

Fish and Chip Shop Man

Man in a Suitcase

Pennies from Heaven

Alf

Roll On Four O'Clock

Arthur Foster

Hillsborough

Additional Cast

Family Life

Mr. Baildon

Scum

Mr Duke

Waiting at the Field Gate

Ted

Slayground

Compere

In Sickness and in Health

Mr Jackson

Going Gently

Painter

Skallagrigg

Old Man

Oh No, It's Selwyn Froggitt!

Jack

Let Him Have It

Foreman of the Jury

Beasts

Duggie Jebb

Brookside: Friday the 13th

Harold Cross

Rising Damp

Workman

Gumshoe

Tommy Wright

Bag of Yeast

Teddy

The Gathering Seed

Billy Eccles

The Wackers

Charlie

The Golden Vision

John Coyne

Bank Holiday

Father

The Big Flame

Landlord

Beasts: What Big Eyes

Duggie Jeb

Night People

Ted

Flame

Club Owner (uncredited)

Match of the Day