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.
Harry Capshaw
Police Sgt.
Painter
Charlie Norton
Leslie Stevens
Mr. Steadman
Mr. Baildon
Charlie Keen
Ted
(voice)
Dutchie Holland
Duggie Jeb
Altar Boy
Teddy
Compere
Old Man
Landlord
Mr Jackson
Alf
Foreman of the Jury
Man in Village Hall (uncredited)
Duggie Jebb
Additional Cast
Fish and Chip Shop Man
Harold Cross
Inspector Walker
Mr Duke
John Coyne
Bert
Charlie
Jack
Father
Tommy Wright
Billy
Billy Eccles
Uncle Sid
Workman
Painter
Sid
Ted
Ted
Arthur Foster
Father
George
Club Owner (uncredited)
Dixie