Peter Dean
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Peter Dean | |
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| Born | 2 May 1939 Hoxton, London |
Peter Dean (born 2 May 1939, in Hoxton, London) is a British actor, probably most famous for his role as Pete Beale in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.
Other TV credits include his breakthrough performance as criminal 'Jack Lynn' in Law And Order (1978); 'Jeff Bateman' in Coronation Street (1980); Sergeant Jack Wilding in Woodentop (prequel to ITV police drama The Bill; 1983); Minder (1979); Up Pompeii! (1971), Doctor Who (1977); Shoestring (1979); Hammer House of Horror (1980) and The Chinese Detective (1981).
Film credits include: Sherlock Holmes; Sweet William (1980); Murder by Decree (1979); and playing a bouncer in The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle (1980).
At the invitation of Julia Smith he was offered the role of Pete Beale in the fledgling BBC soap opera, EastEnders, after the actor who originally auditioned for the role (Leslie Grantham) was selected as Den Watts instead.
He played the cockney fruit and veg trader from the shows inception in February 1985 until his departure in May 1993. The character died off-screen in a suspicious road collision in December that year.
In reality, however, Dean was allegedly axed following increased and irreconcilable differences with the show's producers and since his departure he has publicly slammed the producers for culling his character. Co-star June Brown (who plays Dot Cotton in the show) allegedly quit the show in protest following Dean's departure in 1993, but returned soon afterwards.
Since leaving EastEnders, Dean's television credits have been few, although he has made guest appearances on Channel 4 sketch show Bo' Selecta! as well as Banzai. He also appeared in the Five television show Harry and Cosh in 2002. He also regularly appears in seasonal pantomimes.
In 1986, he released a single called "I Can't Get A Ticket To The World Cup" but it failed to make the charts.
Dean is a Buddhist.
