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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.


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Born:
Sep 3, 1921 In Everton, Liverpool, England, UK
Movie/TV Credits:
21
First Appeared:
In the movie The Golden Vision 1968-04-17
Latest Project:
Movie Brookside: Friday the 13th 1998-11-14
Known For
Filmography
Movie Brookside: Friday the 13th Harold Cross 1998-11-14
Movie Hillsborough Additional Cast 1996-09-11
Movie Priest Altar Boy 1995-03-24
Movie Let Him Have It Foreman of the Jury 1991-10-04
Series The Gathering Seed Billy Eccles 1983-09-07
Movie Slayground Compere 1983-12-01
Movie Going Gently Painter 1981-06-05
Movie Rising Damp Workman 1980-05-03
Movie The Mirror Crack'd Man in Village Hall (uncredited) 1980-09-19
Movie Scum Mr Duke 1979-09-12
Series Pennies from Heaven Alf 1978-03-07
Movie Law & Order David Shepley 1978-04-06
Movie Flame Club Owner (uncredited) 1975-02-13
Movie The Best Pair of Legs in the Business Bert 1973-02-01
Movie Night Watch Inspector Walker 1973-11-08
Movie The Rank and File Billy 1971-05-20
Movie Family Life Mr. Baildon 1971-11-17
Movie Gumshoe Tommy Wright 1971-12-01
Movie Kes Fish and Chip Shop Man 1970-04-03
Movie The Big Flame Landlord 1969-02-19
Movie The Golden Vision John Coyne 1968-04-17
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