Arthur Dignam
{{Short description|Australian actor (1939–2020)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2016}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2016}}
{{Infobox person
|name= Arthur Dignam
||image_size=
|caption=
|birth_date= {{birth date|1939|9|9|df=yes}}
|birth_place= Lord Howe Island, New South Wales, Australia
|death_date= {{death date and age|2020|05|09|1939|9|9|df=yes}}
|death_place= Sydney, Australia
|education= Newington College
University of Sydney
|occupation= Actor
|title=
|parents=
|children= Nicholas Gledhill
|nationality= Australian
|website=
}}
Arthur Dignam (9 September 1939 – 9 May 2020) was an Australian actor.
Early life
Dignam was born on Lord Howe Island.{{IMDb name|0226583}} He attended Newington College in Sydney as a boarder in 1955 and 1956Newington College Register of Past Students 1863–1998 (Syd, 1999) pp. 52 and then the University of Sydney.{{Cite web|url=https://sydney.edu.au/alumni-giving.html|title=Alumni & giving|website=The University of Sydney|language=en-AU|access-date=2018-12-28}}
Career
He was best known for one of his early roles, that of Brother Francine in Fred Schepisi's The Devil's Playground (1976).{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/10/30/movies/the-devil-s-playground.html|title='The Devil's Playground'|last=Canby|first=Vincent|date=1981-10-30|work=The New York Times|access-date=2018-12-28|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}} 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.Original Program
During 1980, Dignam was part of A Shakespeare Company,{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KCpEhrdarIMC&dq=Arthur+Dignam+Shakespeare+Company&pg=PA157|title=Theatre Australia (un)limited: Australian Theatre Since the 1950s|last=Milne|first=Geoffrey|date=2004|publisher=Rodopi|isbn=9789042009301|language=en}} 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.{{Cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1301&dat=19801111&id=Sv9jAAAAIBAJ&sjid=N-cDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3975,4511798|title=The Sydney Morning Herald – Google News Archive Search|website=news.google.com|access-date=2018-12-28}}
Personal life
His son together with Bobbie Gledhill – actor Nicholas Gledhill was born in Sydney in 1975.
Death
Dignam died of a heart attack on 9 May 2020, in Sydney at the age of 80.{{Cite web|title=Vale: Arthur Dignam {{!}} TV Tonight|url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2020/05/vale-arthur-dignam.html/|last=Knox|first=David|date=2020-05-12|website=TV Tonight|language=en-AU|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-05-11}}
Theatre
=As actor=
=As producer=
| class="wikitable"
! Year ! Title ! Role ! Venue / Company | |||
| 1964 | Victimes du Devoir | Producer | University of Melbourne |
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable"
! Year ! Title ! Role ! Type |
| 1962
| Lend Me Your Stable | | |
| 1973
| Libido | Father Burn | Feature film, segment: The Priest |
| 1974
| Petersen | Prof. Charles Kent | Feature film |
| 1974
| Peter Avante | Feature film [http://www.ozmovies.com.au/movie/galleries/photos/between-wars Oz Movies] |
| 1976
| Brother Francine |
| 1976
| Doctor Beverley Adams | Feature film |
| 1977
| Captain with Eyepatch | Feature film |
| 1978
| The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith | Man in Butcher Shop | Feature film |
| 1979
| Minister | Feature film |
| 1981
| The Dragon / Beowulf (voice) | Animated film |
| 1981
| Dr. Le Sange / Nagel | Feature film |
| 1982
| Doug Quincey | Feature film |
| 1982
| Aeneas Gunn | Feature film |
| 1983
| The Return of Captain Invincible | Lawyer | Feature film |
| 1983
| Gregory | Feature film |
| 1984
| TV film |
| 1985
| Sir William Stawell | Feature film |
| 1986
| Comrades | Fop | Feature film |
| 1987
| Dr. Redbridge | Feature film |
| 1987
| Those Dear Departed (aka Ghosts Can Do It!) | Producer | Feature film |
| 1988
| The Everlasting Secret Family | The Senator |
| 1988
| Professor Bernard Thornton | Feature film |
| 1991
| Cauvet | Feature film |
| 1993
| Pastor Anderson | Feature film |
| 1996
| Dr. Kamins | Feature film |
| 1997
| Mr. Pike | Feature film |
| 1997
| | Feature film |
| 1998
| Ernest Thesiger (uncredited) | Feature film |
| 2001
| Christian's Father | Feature film |
| 2002
| Old Man in pub / Mercedes driver | Feature film |
| 2006
| The Libertine | Man | Short film |
| 2008
| Father Benedict | Feature film |
| 2010
| The Tree | Uncle Jack | Feature film |
| 2013
| Uncredited | Feature film |
| 2017
| 7 from Etheria | Old Kurt Gödel | Anthology film (segment: "Gödel Incomplete") |
=Television=
| class="wikitable"
! Year ! Title ! Role ! Type |
| 1976
| Dr Graham | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1979
| Maynard Dickens | TV miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 1981
| | TV series |
| 1983
| TV miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 1984
| Arthur Archer | TV series |
| 1984
| Grayson | TV series, 1 episode |
| 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
| Gupta | TV miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 1989
| Heath | TV miniseries |
| 1992
| Royce Phelan DC | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1993
| Minder | Geoffrey Evans | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1994–95
| Professor Ingosol | TV series, 13 episodes |
| 1996
| Marcus (theatrical agent) | TV series |
| 1996
| Athol Pike | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2001
| Father Francis Tyler | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2023
| Father Benedict | TV miniseries, 1 episode |
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dignam, Arthur}}
Category:Australian male film actors
Category:Australian male stage actors
Category:Australian male television actors
Category:People from Lord Howe Island
Category:People educated at Newington College