Arthur Dignam (9 September 1939 – 9 May 2020) was an Australian stage and screen actor.
Arthur Dignam | |
---|---|
Born | Lord Howe Island, New South Wales, Australia | 9 September 1939
Died | 9 May 2020 | (aged 80)
Nationality | Australian |
Bildung | Newington College University of Sydney |
Occupation | Actor |
Children | Nicholas Gledhill |
Biography
Dignam was born on Lord Howe Island.[1] He attended Newington College in Sydney as a boarder in 1955 and 1956[2] and then the University of Sydney.[3]
He has been best known for one of his early roles, that of Brother Francine in Fred Schepisi's The Devil's Playground (1976).[4] While he has worked mainly in film and television, he also worked in theatre, including musical theatre. He played Pontius Pilate in the Australian production of Jesus Christ Superstar in 1972–73, and appears on the original Australian cast recording.[citation needed]
During 1980, Dignam was part of A Shakespeare Company,[5] funded by a one-off grant from the Australia Council, and worked with actors Ruth Cracknell, Ron Haddrick and others on two texts for six months and then presented them at the Seymour Centre.[6]
Dignam died on 9 May 2020, at the age of 80.[7]
Family
His son is actor Nicholas Gledhill.
Theatre credits
- The Women of Troy, Merlyn Theatre, Southbank, VIC, 6 November 2008
- The Women of Troy, Wharf 1, Sydney, NSW, 16 September 2008
- Julius Caesar, Wharf 1, Sydney, NSW, 28 June 2005
- The Governor's Family, Belvoir St Theatre Surry Hills, NSW, 1 May 1997
- Sixteen Words for Water, Subiaco Theatre Centre, Subiaco, WA, 27 July 1994
- Mesmerized, Stables Theatre, Darlinghurst, NSW, 8 April 1993
- Life of Galileo, Nimrod Upstairs, Surry Hills, NSW, 27 June 1979
- Hedda Gabler, SGIO Theatre, Brisbane, QLD, 18 April 1979
- Pandora's Cross, Paris Theatre, Sydney, NSW, 29 July 1978
- Ned Kelly, Her Majesty's Theatre (1960-2001), Sydney, NSW, 4 February 1978
- Ned Kelly, Festival Theatre, Adelaide, SA, 30 December 1977
- Big Toys, Parade Theatre, Kensington, NSW, 27 July 1977
- Waiting For Godot, Octagon Theatre, Crawley, WA, 13 November 1975
- Scapin, Recording Hall, Sydney, NSW, 7 March 1975
- Berenice, Recording Hall, Sydney, NSW, 1975
- The Rocky Horror Show, New Art Cinema, Glebe, NSW, 19 April 1974
- The Threepenny Opera, Drama Theatre, Sydney, NSW, 25 September 1973
- Kabul, Parade Theatre, Kensington, NSW, 31 May 1973
- Hamlet, Nimrod Street Theatre, Darlinghurst, NSW, 23 March 1973
- Julius Caesar, Sir John Clancy Auditorium, Kensington, NSW, 28 June 1972
- The Good Man of Setzuan, Parade Theatre, Kensington, NSW, 14 April 1972
- Trelawny of the Wells, Parade Theatre, Kensington, NSW, 28 January 1972
- An Evening of Victorian Music Hall, Paddington Town Hall (No 2 Hall), Paddington, NSW, 26 March 1971
- Doctor Faustus, Southern Highlands Festival Theatre, Mittagong, NSW, 23 February 1971
- The Recruiting Officer, Southern Highlands Festival Theatre, Mittagong, NSW, 5 February 1971
- Macbeth, Nimrod Street Theatre, Darlinghurst, NSW, 1971
- Hadrian VII, Octagon Theatre, Crawley, WA, 25 September 1970
- You Can't Take It with You, The Hole in the Wall Theatre, Leederville, WA, 1970
- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Octagon Theatre, Crawley, WA, 18 September 1969
- War and Peace, New Theatre, Darlinghurst, NSW, 21 September 1968
- The Royal Hunt of the Sun, Bonython Hall, The University of Adelaide, SA, 14 March 1966
- Victimes du Devoir, Union Theatre, Parkville, VIC, 5 September 1964
- Romeo and Juliet, Union Theatre, Camperdown, NSW, 18 April 1963
- The Dumb Waiter & A Slight Ache, Union Theatre, Camperdown, NSW, 5 July 1962
- Coriolanus, Union Theatre, Camperdown, NSW, 4 April 1962
- 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, Wallace Theatre, Camperdown, NSW, 23 June 1961[8]
Filmography
- Lend Me Your Stable (1962)
- Libido (1973) - Father Burn (segment "Priest, The")
- Petersen (1974) - Prof. Charles Kent
- Between Wars (1974)[9] - Peter Avante
- The Devil's Playground (1976)[10] - Brother Francine
- Summer of Secrets (1976) - Doctor Beverley Adams
- The Duellists (1977) - Captain with Eyepatch
- The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (1978) - Man in Butcher Shop
- Cathy's Child (1979) - Minister
- Grendel Grendel Grendel (1981) - The Dragon / Beowulf (voice)
- Strange Behavior (1981) - Dr. Le Sange / Nagel
- Duet for Four (1982) - Doug Quincey
- We of the Never Never (1982) - Aeneas Gunn
- The Dismissal (1983, TV Mini-Series) - Eric Robinson
- The Return of Captain Invincible (1983) - Lawyer
- The Wild Duck (1983) - Gregory
- The Schippan Mystery (1984) - Sir Josiah Symon
- Burke & Wills (1985) - Sir William Stawell
- Comrades (1986) - Fop
- The Right Hand Man (1987) - Dr. Redbridge
- Those Dear Departed (1987) - Producer
- The Everlasting Secret Family (1988)[10] - The Senator
- The Dreaming (1988) - Professor Bernard Thornton
- Shadow of the Cobra (1989, TV Mini-Series) - Gupta
- Edens Lost (1989, TV Movie) - Heath
- Isabelle Eberhardt (1991) - Cauvet
- The Nostradamus Kid (1993) - Pastor Anderson
- Dating the Enemy (1996) - Dr. Kamins
- Paradise Road (1997) - Mr. Pike
- Oscar and Lucinda (1997)
- Gods and Monsters (1998) - Ernest Thesiger (uncredited)
- Moulin Rouge! (2001) - Christian's Father
- Beneath Clouds (2002) - Old Man in pub / Mercedes driver
- The Libertine (2006, Short) - Man
- Australia (2008) - Father Benedict
- The Tree (2010) - Uncle Jack
- The Great Gatsby (2013) - (uncredited)
References
- ^ Arthur Dignam at IMDb
- ^ Newington College Register of Past Students 1863–1998 (Syd, 1999) pp. 52
- ^ "Alumni & giving". The University of Sydney. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
- ^ Canby, Vincent (30 October 1981). "'The Devil's Playground'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
- ^ Milne, Geoffrey (2004). Theatre Australia (un)limited: Australian Theatre Since the 1950s. Rodopi. ISBN 9789042009301.
- ^ "The Sydney Morning Herald - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
- ^ Knox, David (12 May 2020). "Vale: Arthur Dignam | TV Tonight". TV Tonight. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "AusStage". www.ausstage.edu.au. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
- ^ Oz Movies
- ^ a b Michael Ferguson and Michael S. Ferguson Idol Worship: A Shameless Celebration of Male Beauty in the Movies, p. 215, at Google Books