Dennis Waterman

Dennis Waterman
Waterman pictured in London, January 2012.
Born	(1948-02-24) 24 February 1948 (age 68) Clapham, London, England
Occupation	Actor, singer, voice-over artist
Years active	1960–present
Spouse(s)	Penny Dixon (m. 1967–76) (divorced) Patricia Maynard (m. 1977–87) (divorced) Rula Lenska (m. 1987–98) (divorced) Pam Flint (m. 2011)
Children	Hannah Waterman Julia Waterman

Dennis Waterman (born 24 February 1948) is an English actor and singer, best known for his tough-guy roles in television series including The Sweeney, Minder and New Tricks.

His acting career spans over 50 years, starting with childhood roles in film and theatre, and including adult roles in film, television, and West End theatre. He is notable for the range of roles he has played, including for example horror (Scars of Dracula), adventure (Colditz), comedy (Fair Exchange), comedy-drama (Minder), musical (Windy City) and sports (The World Cup: A Captain's Tale), as well as police TV series like The Sweeney. He has appeared in over 25 films.

Waterman was born the youngest of nine children to Rose Juliana (née Saunders) and Harry Frank Waterman in Clapham,London. The family, which included siblings Ken, Peter, Stella, Norma and Myrna, lived at 2 Elms Road, Clapham Common South Side. Harry Waterman was a ticket collector for British Railways. Two older sisters, Joy and Vera, had already left home by the time Dennis was born, and another brother, Allen, had died as a young child.

Boxing was a big part of Waterman's childhood. His father had been an amateur boxer and made all of his sons box. His older brother Ken first took Dennis boxing when he was three years old, and when he was ten Dennis joined Caius Boxing Club. Another older brother, Peter, was a welterweight boxing champion.

Waterman was educated at the Granard Primary School, a state primary school on the Ashburton Estate in Putney, South-West London, followed by Corona Stage School, an independent school at Ravenscourt Park in Hammersmith in West London.