About
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...
Known for
Play for TodaySeries • 1970
HeartbeatSeries • 1992
MinderSeries • 1979
The Wednesday PlaySeries • 1964
PlayhouseSeries • 1974
The SweeneySeries • 1975
ITV Saturday Night TheatreSeries • 1969
New Scotland YardSeries • 1972
The ExpertSeries • 1968
BBC2 Play of the WeekSeries • 1977
Public EyeSeries • 1965
JusticeSeries • 1971
Man in a SuitcaseSeries • 1967
BudgieSeries • 1971
Agatha Christie's Partners in CrimeSeries • 1983
ScumMovie • 1979
The Mirror Crack'dMovie • 1980
KesMovie • 1970
PriestMovie • 1995
Rising DampMovie • 1980
Night WatchMovie • 1973
Let Him Have ItMovie • 1991
Family LifeMovie • 1971
GumshoeMovie • 1971