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.
31 movies · 21 shows
Brookside: Friday the 13th
1998·5.5
Hillsborough
1996·7.2
Priest
1995·6.3
Skallagrigg
1994·4.0
Let Him Have It
1991·6.7
Slayground
1984·4.7
Going Gently
1981·7.5
A Turn for the Worse
1981·0.0
Rising Damp
1980·5.6
The Mirror Crack'd
1980·6.1
Scum
1979·7.1
Night People
1978·0.0
Freedom of the Dig
1978·0.0
Beasts: What Big Eyes
1976·7.5
Bag of Yeast
1976·0.0
Break In
1975·0.0
In Sickness and in Health
1975·0.0
Waiting at the Field Gate
1975·0.0
Flame
1975·7.3
Match of the Day
1974·0.0
Night Watch
1973·6.3
Speech Day
1973·9.0
The Best Pair of Legs in the Business
1973·6.3
Bank Holiday
1972·0.0
Gumshoe
1971·6.2
Family Life
1971·7.3
The Rank and File
1971·6.7
Roll On Four O'Clock
1970·6.0
Kes
1970·7.4
The Big Flame
1969·6.7
The Golden Vision
1968·6.3