Dennis Waterman, Actor in ‘The Sweeney’ and ‘Minder’ Dies at 74

Dennis Waterman, a stage and screen actor best known for The Sweeney and Minder, has died. He was 74.

The actor’s manager Derek Webster told The Hollywood Reporter that Waterman’s wife Pam called with news of his death on Sunday, noting that Waterman died at a hospital in Spain. A cause was not given.

The actor was born in 1948 in Clapham, London, and educated at the Corona Theatre School. He began his screen career as a child in 1960 in the drama Night Train for Inverness. In 1962 at the age of 14, Waterman took the role of William Brown in the BBC TV series William, which was based on the Just William books by Richmal Crompton.

He followed this up with recurring roles in CBS comedy Fair Exchange and family series The Barnstormers, and films such as Peter Collinson’s Up the Junction and Piers Haggard’s Wedding Night.

In 1974, Waterman began playing the character of Deputy Sergeant George Carter in Ian Kennedy Martin’s action crime series The Sweeney. He later took the role of former boxer and bodyguard Terry McCann in Leon Griffiths’ Minder, and, also sung its theme song “I Could Be So Good For You.”

Subsequent screen credits include BBC1 comedy series On the Up and Stay Lucky and The Knock for ITV. More recently, Waterman starred as Gerry Standing in Nigel McCrery and Roy Mitchell’s police procedural New Tricks.

Waterman released three albums during his career, including Downwind of Angels in 1976 and So Good For You in 1980.

Waterman’s last credit was in Mark Lamprell’s Australian dramedy Never Too Late, about a group of seniors who plan to break out of their retirement home. The movie also starred Jacki Weaver, Shane Jacobsen and James Cromwell.

The actor is survived by his wife Pam and children Hannah, who is an actress; and Julia Waterman.