Actor Dennis Waterman, who was famously known for his roles in TV shows Minder, The Sweeney and New Tricks, has died aged 74, his family said in an announcement today. They confirmed the actor passed away with his wife by his side at his home in Spain.
In a written statement on Sunday (May 8), they said: "We are deeply saddened to announce that our beloved Dennis, passed away very peacefully at his home in Spain, on Saturday evening, with Pam by his side.
"The family kindly ask that our privacy is respected at this very difficult time," they added.
READ MORE ITV Britain's Got Talent duo Ant and Dec 'split up' as contestant leaves Ant 'raging' backstage
Born in London, Dennis Waterman first began his career with the Children’s Film Foundation and, aged just 12, joined the Royal Shakespeare Company at Stratford. He found fame in his teens starring in BBC drama William and was a familiar face on TV screens starring in the highly successful series The Sweeney, as Detective Sergeant George Carter alongside John Thaw.
He later went on to play a lighter role in The Minder throughout the 1980s and starred as Gerry Standing in twelve series of the BBC’s New Tricks, which ran from 2003 to 2014. Throughout his career he also took other TV roles, including ITV’s Where The Heart Is, The Canterbury Tales and Moses Jones, both for the BBC.
His last film role was in Never Too Late in 2020, which was filmed in Australia. Actor and comedian Matt Lucas has paid tribute to Dennis Waterman on Twitter, saying: “I grew up watching Dennis Waterman’s iconic performances in The Sweeney and Minder.
“His guest appearance in our Little Britain Live show at Hammersmith Apollo – in which he hilariously duetted with David’s absurd impersonation of him – remains the absolute highlight of my career.”
