RIP Dennis Waterman

Picking his nose, scratching his armpits, swearing a lot, wearing odd socks, these are flaws.
Hitting women is a bit more than having a few flaws.

I liked him in a sit com he played a chauffeur, I remember him saying frequently just the one Mrs Wembley referring to the cooks liking for sherry.

I liked him in New Tricks.

Like many humans he had flaws.

RIP Dennis Waterman

I feel the same as Doodlebug. All because someone has died, they don't suddenly become saints, most people are 'warts and all', but some warts are more unacceptable. He was an ok actor, but it sounds as if he wasn't an ok person, 74 is young though, and it is sad for his family.

I agree Doodledog. I felt the same about Sean Connery.

Oh dear, how the GN posters love to pull men down, examine and highlight their bad points, and generally decide they were an all round 'baddun'.
I don't see it that way at all. Pointing out that someone, far from being the 'cheeky chappie' he portrayed was actually a wife beater, however he liked to remake it, is not 'pulling him down'. It is setting the record straight. I felt the same when Sean Connery died. Both played roles of sexist men who womanised and used violence, and both were violent to women in real life, yet both have women idolising them.

I don't know if DW was an 'all round baddun', and it is sad that he has died comparatively young; but domestic violence is not something that should be shrugged off, IMO.

That's how I see it Chestnut.

Oh dear, how the GN posters love to pull men down, examine and highlight their bad points, and generally decide they were an all round 'baddun'.

Well despite his oh so dreadful flaws I was a big fan of old Dennis. We must have crossed paths many times as I lived and went to school in the same part of London. He was two years older than me and I remember him on TV and movies since childhood, and then for the next 50 years or more, so I feel quite connected to him. Would I like him if I met him, I have no idea. But it doesn't matter, I enjoyed the many characters he played over the years and am really sad he's gone. I kept thinking about him last night and remembering Minder and New Tricks, great British TV. So RIP Dennis and thanks for keeping us happily entertained.

Just because he has died doesn't turn him into a saint. I didn't particularly dislike him as an actor but I definitely disliked him as a human being because of the violence towards women, in deed and word, and his lack of remorse.

Exactly how I felt Meryl.

Sorry BlueBelle, I’ve more or less repeated your post.
At least we’re on the same wavelength on this.
Bad that the tv news are giving him airtime, obviously hitting women isn’t bad enough for some.

Just heard an old interview about his marriage to Rula Lenska.
‘She wasn’t a beaten wife, she was hit, there’s a difference’.
Good actor, lucky with good scripts. Appalling excuse for a man.
Leaves his fourth wife, sad for her I suppose.

BlueBelle

I don’t see why you can’t be truthful about the dead as well as the living if it’s true

How true. From first seeing him on tv i didn’t like him. I’m very good at spotting a wrong’un.

BlueBelle

Perhaps those who thought he was the bees knees need to read up ( he did admit to punching her on at least two occasions)
*Dennis Waterman has been accused of trivialising domestic violence after he described hitting his former wife Rula Lenska but said she was not "a beaten wife”*

He liked to drink, and a couple of times that led to rows and the domestic violence apparently. I think those of his generation think of DV as being a weekly thing, hence the 'not a beaten wife' comment.
Personally any bloke who hit me once, I'd be gone. I'm not trivialising or defending DV in any way.

I remember his daughter Hannah Waterman played one of Ian Beale's wives in Eastenders.
The Sweeney and Minder were two of my favourite programmes.

Never really liked him, not my type, but sorry he has died.

He was also involved with Amanda Redman for a while. Before they did New Tricks.

So he said ‘She wasnt a beaten wife, I hit her, that’s different ‘
Still like him ?
He was on his fourth wife when he died !!!

I wasn’t a fan after what I heard about him and Rula Lenska.

Sad for his family though and 74 is young.

Remember seeing him in the film ‘Up The Junction’ and fancied him, then when he was in ‘The Sweeney’, fancied him all over again.

He didn’t age well, sadly.

ixion

^but he was unexpectedly overshadowed by George Cole.^

Not in my book, FannyCornforth, was he.

I repeated what was said by the producers

I first saw him as William in Just William in the 1960s I’ve always enjoyed him in the roles he played.

But it seems he wasn’t always a nice person.

Well I liked DW in Minder but I thought George Cole was great too.

I did not realise that Dennis, as well as Sean, slapped their wives. Charming.

Many many years ago I saw Dennis walking around the back streets of London, W1. We were fairly close on the pavement but I never said a word and neither did he. He was probably grateful to get some space for once.

A lot of the girls in the office used to fancy him, when I was a teen.
He didn't appeal to me, though.
74 is pretty young to die, though.

I don’t see why you can’t be truthful about the dead as well as the living if it’s true