Biography
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Born
24 February 1948
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Born In
Clapham, Lambeth, London, England, United Kingdom
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Died
8 May 2022 (aged 74)
(24 February 1948 – 8 May 2022)
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 which he played the title role, that of ex-prisoner and dogsbody Terry McCann, alongside George Cole as his "boss", entrepreneur Arthur Daley.
In 1962 he starred as William Brown in the BBC TV series William based on the books of Richmal Crompton.
In the early 1970s he played a victim of Count Dracula (Christopher Lee) in the Hammer film production "The Scars of Dracula".
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. 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.
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 5'9. The caricature is offered but always declines respectable parts because he is not allowed to star in, or "write da feem toon, sing da feem toon" of, the particular production. 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 FC.
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