Dennis Waterman (born February 24, 1948 in Clapham, London) is an English actor and singer, best known for his tough-guy roles in television series such as The Sweeney and Minder. In the latter, he played the title role, that of ex-prisoner and dogsbody Terry McCann, alongside George Cole as his "boss", entrepreneur Arthur Daley.
Waterman's career began in childhood. In 1961, at the age of 13, he played the part of Winthrop Paroo in the Adelphi Theatre production of The Music Man. A year later, he starred as William Brown in the BBC TV series William based on the Just William books of Richmal Crompton.
In the early 1970s, he played a victim of Count Dracula (Christopher Lee) in the Hammer film production "Scars of Dracula" (1970), and the boyfriend of Susan George in "Fright" (1971).
He became well-known and something of a pin-up as DS George Carter in The Sweeney, during the 1970s. As well as starring in Minder, he sang the theme tune, "I Could Be So Good For You", which was a top three UK hit in 1980, and had a brief singing career. He recorded a song with George Cole "What are we gonna get for 'er indoors". It is sometimes incorrectly believed that he wrote "I Could Be So Good For You", due to the song being credited to 'Waterman/Kenny'. In fact, it was his then wife Patricia Waterman who co-wrote the song with fellow songwriter Gerard Kenny.
In 1981, Waterman starred in a Television film made by Tyne Tees Television entitled "A Captain's Tale". It was the true story of West Auckland F.C., a part-time side who won the 'first' World Cup, known as the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy. Waterman played the part of Bob Jones , the Club Captain. It cost £1.5 million to make and shooting took place in the North East and in Turin in Italy. Scenes were shot in Durham pit villages and in Ashington where goal posts and a grandstand were erected in a public park with a colliery headframe in the background. Local players took part , donning long pants and high sided boots of the day, and even suffering "short back and sides" haircuts. The production has several amusing sequences, not least a hilarious meeting of the club committee and a meeting of the Football Association Council when the suggestion of an English team participating in the new competition received a luke warm and cynical response from the members. Also on the agenda is the F.A. cup draw which is done in the conventional manner and immediately dispatched direct from the council chamber to the clubs – "by carrier pigeons", let out of the windows
Waterman also sang the theme tunes to three more programmes in which he appeared: the comedy drama "Stay Lucky" with Jan Francis (ITV 1989), sitcom On the Up (BBC 1990) and crime drama New Tricks (Wall to Wall television for BBC, 2003). His foray into the world of music started earlier with his first album in 1976 titled Downwind of Angels, arranged and produced by Brian Bennett. A single "I Will Glide" was released from the album but did not enter the top 40. The backing singers on "I Will Glide" are the Belmont School choir, where Brian Bennett's son, Warren, was a pupil.
He appeared on stage as Alfred P. Doolittle in the 2001 London revival of My Fair Lady. He currently narrates the TV programme, Bad Lads Army.
He was married to Penny Dixon (1967–1976); the actress, Patricia Maynard (1977–1987), and thereafter to the actress Rula Lenska (1987–1998). He had two daughters by his second wife, including the actress Hannah Waterman, who played Laura Beale in the BBC1 soap opera EastEnders from 2000 until 2004.
He has been caricatured by David Walliams in the radio and TV comedy series Little Britain, in sketches where he visits his agent (played by Matt Lucas) looking for parts. Most of the jokes in these sketches are about Waterman being a midget, but the real Dennis Waterman is in fact five foot nine. The caricature is offered but always declines respectable parts because he is not allowed to star in, or "write the theme tune,sing the theme tune" (pronounced as "write da feem toon, sing da feem toon") of, the particular production. This joke is because Waterman sang and is believed to have written many of the themes for programmes he featured in.
Waterman was initially bemused by the caricature. But in November 2006, Waterman made a guest appearance in a Little Britain stage show, alongside the comedy character version of himself.
Waterman is a fan of Chelsea Football Club. His love of football was reflected in him being chosen to present Match of the Seventies from 1995 to 1996, a nostalgic BBC show celebrating the best football action from the 1970s. Waterman has a double-jointed left elbow.
References
^ "Model Moss joins Little Britain". BBC News Online (2006-11-23). Retrieved on 2006-11-24.
External links
Dennis Waterman at the Internet Movie Database
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Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Waterman"
Categories: 1948 births | Living people | English actors | English film actors | English television actors | English stage actors | English male singers | People from Clapham | Royal Shakespeare Company members
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