Bill Dean
Known for
Bill Dean has spent most of a working life as a British actor who arrived well before the current crop and stayed. The single most recognizable credit is 'Kes', playing Fish and Chip Shop Man. 'Scum' belongs on any short list of his work. Casting directors have gone to him for drama more than for anything else. 36 credits sit on the filmography.
Bill Dean
18 Movies
18 Series
Bill Dean has spent most of a working life as a British actor who arrived well before the current crop and stayed. The single most recognizable credit is 'Kes', playing Fish and Chip Shop Man. 'Scum' belongs on any short list of his work. Casting directors have gone to him for drama more than for anything else. 36 credits sit on the filmography.
Movies
Plays Altar Boy
Priest
1995
Plays Mr Duke
Scum
1979
Plays Fish and Chip Shop Man
Kes
1970
Plays Workman
Rising Damp
1980
Plays Inspector Walker
Night Watch
1973
Plays Foreman of the Jury
Let Him Have It
1991
Plays Mr. Baildon
Family Life
1971
Plays Tommy Wright
Gumshoe
1971
Plays Bert
The Best Pair of Legs in the Business
1973
Plays Compere
Slayground
1984
Plays John Coyne
The Golden Vision
1968
TV Shows
Plays Jack
Oh No, It's Selwyn Froggitt!
1974
Plays Charlie
The Wackers
1975
Plays Billy Eccles
The Gathering Seed
1983
Plays Alf
Pennies from Heaven
1978
Plays Harry Capshaw
Heartbeat
1992
Plays Duggie Jebb
Beasts
1976
Plays Leslie Stevens
The Expert
1968
Plays Painter
Playhouse
1974
Plays Police Sgt.
Minder
1979
Plays Charlie Keen
Justice
1971
Plays Mr. Steadman
Public Eye
1965
Plays Charlie Norton
The Sweeney
1975
Plays Dutchie Holland
Budgie
1971
Plays Ted
BBC2 Play of the Week
1977
Plays Uncle Sid
ITV Saturday Night Theatre
1969
Plays Bernard Hobbs
New Scotland Yard
1972
Plays John Coyne
The Wednesday Play
1964
Plays Billy
Play for Today
1970
Latest Trailers
Watch Trailer
Hillsborough
Full Filmography
Priest
Altar Boy
1995
Film
Heartbeat
Harry Capshaw · 1 episode
1993
TV
Let Him Have It
Foreman of the Jury
1991
Film
Slayground
Compere
1984
Film
The Gathering Seed
Billy Eccles · 6 episodes
1983
TV
Playhouse
Painter · 1 episode
1980–1981
TV
Minder
Police Sgt. · 1 episode
1980
TV
Rising Damp
Workman
1980
Film
The Mirror Crack'd
Man in Village Hall (uncredited)
1980
Film
Photos
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bill Dean still alive?
Bill Dean passed away on April 20, 2000 at age 78.
What are the most famous roles of Bill Dean?
Bill Dean is best known for roles in Kes, The Mirror Crack'd, Scum.
How many movies has Bill Dean been in?
Over a 32-year career (since 1968), Bill Dean has appeared in 18 movies and 18 TV shows.
What was Bill Dean's first movie?
The career of Bill Dean began with The Golden Vision (1968).
What is Bill Dean's most recent movie or series?
Bill Dean's most recent release is Brookside: Friday the 13th, which premiered on November 14, 1998.
What TV shows has Bill Dean appeared in?
On television, Bill Dean has appeared in Heartbeat, Minder, The Sweeney, Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime.
Bill Dean
1921-09-03 · Everton, Liverpool, England, UK
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.