Cast & creator
Bill Dean
Best known for The Wednesday Play, Play for Today, Heartbeat
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
film credits
23
television credits
54
1964–1998 · acting roles
6.8
average across scored titles
Signature credits
Known for
Across film & television
Filmography (54)
Showing 54 of 54 credits
The Wednesday Play
John Coyne
1964
Play for Today
Billy
1970
Heartbeat
Harry Capshaw
1992
Minder
Police Sgt.
1979
Playhouse
Painter
1974
ITV Saturday Night Theatre
Uncle Sid
1969
The Sweeney
Charlie Norton
1975
The Word
1990
New Scotland Yard
Bernard Hobbs
1972
Justice
Charlie Keen
1971
The Expert
Leslie Stevens
1968
BBC2 Play of the Week
Ted
1977
Public Eye
Mr. Steadman
1965
Budgie
Dutchie Holland
1971
Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime
1983Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime
Mr Hove
1983
Man in a Suitcase
1967
Beasts
Duggie Jebb
1976
Pennies from Heaven
Alf
1978
The Mirror Crack'd
Man in Village Hall (uncredited)
1980
Scum
Mr Duke
1979
Oh No, It's Selwyn Froggitt!
Jack
1974
Kes
Fish and Chip Shop Man
1970
Let Him Have It
Foreman of the Jury
1991
The Wackers
Charlie
1975
Priest
Altar Boy
1995
The Gathering Seed
Billy Eccles
1983
Night Watch
Inspector Walker
1973
Rising Damp
Workman
1980Nobody's Perfect
Mr Barrington
1980
Going Gently
Painter
1981
Freedom of the Dig
Sid
1978
Slayground
Compere
1984
Waiting at the Field Gate
Ted
1975
The Best Pair of Legs in the Business
Bert
1973
Family Life
Mr. Baildon
1971
Gumshoe
Tommy Wright
1971
Hillsborough
Additional Cast
1996
Match of the Day
Father
1974
A Turn for the Worse
(voice)
1981
Roll On Four O'Clock
Arthur Foster
1970
The Rank and File
Billy
1971
Bank Holiday
Father
1972
Night People
Ted
1978
Beasts: What Big Eyes
Duggie Jeb
1976
Break In
Dixie
1975Brookside: Friday the 13th
Harold Cross
1998
In Sickness and in Health
Mr Jackson
1975
Flame
Club Owner (uncredited)
1975
The Big Flame
Landlord
1969
Skallagrigg
Old Man
1994
The Golden Vision
John Coyne
1968
Bag of Yeast
Teddy
1976
Speech Day
George
1973