Minder, The Sweeney and New Tricks star Dennis Waterman - who also starred in a much-loved North East dramas - has died at the age of 74, it has been announced.
Waterman starred as bodyguard Terry McCann in Minder and he first found fame as tough nut cop George Carter in The Sweeney opposite John Thaw. His role in 2004’s drama New Tricks marked his return to a long-running show for the first time in a decade and saw him star alongside acting North East stalwarts James Bolam and Alun Armstrong.
He also starred in the 1982 TV film The World Cup: A Captain’s Tale, which told the story of how a team of part-time players from West Auckland FC represented England in the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy, sometimes described as the “First World Cup”.
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A statement from his family said: “We are deeply saddened to announce that our beloved Dennis, passed away very peacefully in hospital in Spain, on Sunday afternoon, with Pam by his side. “The family kindly ask that our privacy is respected at this very difficult time.”
Minder brought the criminal underworld of west London to millions of homes up and down the country. Waterman played Gerry Standing in the BBC’s New Tricks, and throughout his career other TV roles included ITV’s Where The Heart Is, The Canterbury Tales and Moses Jones, both for the BBC.
He became well-known for singing the theme songs to many of his shows, and was caricatured by David Walliams in Little Britain as a result.
Born in London, he was educated at the Corona Theatre School, and began his showbiz career at a young age, and following a role for the Children’s Film Foundation, was invited to join Stratford’s Royal Shakespeare Company. A role in the BBC’s adaptation of the Just William books followed, and the actor would, in his later years, reflect on some of the different roles he undertook.
In 2009, he starred in the BBC’s hard-hitting drama Moses Jones, a role which he said at the time, he enjoyed because it cast him in a different light.
“I really enjoyed it, because it was a very different kind of character - and that’s important. On television in Britain, I’m sort of the cheeky chappie, everybody’s mate, but I’ve never played anything like that in the theatre. It’s strange that you get cast as different things in different parts of the media,” he told PA at the time.
He had been married several times, including to the actress Rula Lenska until 1998, and his daughter, Hannah, became a TV star in her own right - landing a role in EastEnders as Laura Beale. Waterman’s extensive career also included numerous stints on the stage and he played Alfred Doolittle in a Royal National Theatre production of My Fair Lady, as well as starring in a tour production of Don’t Dress For Dinner.
He also starred in productions of Twelfth Night, Edward Bond’s Saved at the Royal Court Theatre and Sergeant Musgrave’s Dance. His talents did not end with acting and he had a keen interest in music, having recorded albums and singles, including songs which charted in Australia, New Zealand and Britain.
He was also part of the popular tour, Friends On Tour, which saw him take to the road alongside Sheena Easton and Gerard Kenny.
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