Arthur Dignam (9 September 1939 – 9 May 2020) was an Australian stage and screen actor.
Arthur Dignam | |
|---|---|
| Born | 9 September 1939 Lord Howe Island, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 9 May 2020 (aged 80) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| 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 was best known for one of his early roles, that of Brother Francine in Fred Schepisi's The Devil's Playground (1976).[4] While he 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.[5]
During 1980, Dignam was part of A Shakespeare Company,[6] 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.[7]
Dignam died on 9 May 2020, at the age of 80.[8]
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 the Seventh, 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[9]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Titel | Role | Typ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Lend Me Your Stable | ||
| 1973 | Libido | Father Burn | Feature film, segment: The Priest |
| 1974 | Petersen | Prof. Charles Kent | Feature film |
| 1974 | Between Wars | Peter Avante | Feature film Oz Movies |
| 1976 | The Devil's Playground | Brother Francine | Feature film[10] |
| 1976 | Summer of Secrets | Doctor Beverley Adams | Feature film |
| 1977 | The Duellists | Captain with Eyepatch | Feature film |
| 1978 | The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith | Man in Butcher Shop | Feature film |
| 1979 | Cathy's Child | Minister | Feature film |
| 1981 | Grendel Grendel Grendel | The Dragon / Beowulf (voice) | Animated film |
| 1981 | Strange Behavior | Dr. Le Sange / Nagel | Feature film |
| 1982 | Duet for Four | Doug Quincey | Feature film |
| 1982 | We of the Never Never | Aeneas Gunn | Feature film |
| 1983 | The Return of Captain Invincible | Lawyer | Feature film |
| 1983 | The Wild Duck | Gregory | Feature film |
| 1984 | The Schippan Mystery | Sir Josiah Symon | TV film |
| 1985 | Burke & Wills | Sir William Stawell | Feature film |
| 1986 | Comrades | Fop | Feature film |
| 1987 | The Right Hand Man | Dr. Redbridge | Feature film |
| 1987 | Those Dear Departed (aka Ghosts Can Do It!) | Producer | Feature film |
| 1988 | The Everlasting Secret Family | The Senator | Feature film[10] |
| 1988 | The Dreaming | Professor Bernard Thornton | Feature film |
| 1991 | Isabelle Eberhardt | Cauvet | Feature film |
| 1993 | The Nostradamus Kid | Pastor Anderson | Feature film |
| 1996 | Dating the Enemy | Dr. Kamins | Feature film |
| 1997 | Paradise Road | Mr. Pike | Feature film |
| 1997 | Oscar and Lucinda | Feature film | |
| 1998 | Gods and Monsters | Ernest Thesiger (uncredited) | Feature film |
| 2001 | Moulin Rouge! | Christian's Father | Feature film |
| 2002 | Beneath Clouds | Old Man in pub / Mercedes driver | Feature film |
| 2006 | The Libertine | Man | Short film |
| 2008 | Australien | Father Benedict | Feature film |
| 2010 | The Tree | Uncle Jack | Feature film |
| 2013 | The Great Gatsby | Uncredited | Feature film |
| 2013 | Gödel Incomplete | Old Kurt Gödel | Short film |
| 2017 | 7 from Etheria | Old Kurt Gödel | Film |
Television
| Year | Titel | Role | Typ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | The Dismissal | Eric Robinson | TV miniseries |
| 1984 | Bodyline | Mr Jardine (Douglas Jardine's father) | TV miniseries |
| 1987 | The Storyteller: Greek Myths | King Acrisius | TV series, episode: Perseus and the Gorgon |
| 1989 | Shadow of the Cobra | Gupta | TV miniseries |
| 1989 | Edens Lost | Heath | TV miniseries |
| 1992 | The Flying Doctors | Royce Phelan DC | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1993 | Minder | Geoffrey Evans | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1994-95 | Escape from Jupiter | Professor Ingosol | TV series, 13 episodes |
| 1996 | Pacific Drive | Marcus (theatrical agent) | TV series |
| 1996 | Heartbreak High | Athol Pike | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2001 | All Saints | Father Francis Tyler | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2023 | Faraway Downs | Father Benedict | TV miniseries, 1 episode |
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.
- ^ Original Program
- ^ 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.
- ^ "AusStage". www.ausstage.edu.au. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
- ^ a b Michael Ferguson and Michael S. Ferguson Idol Worship: A Shameless Celebration of Male Beauty in the Movies, p. 215, at Google Books