Arthur Dignam

Arthur Dignam (9 September 1939 – 9 May 2020) was an Australian actor.

Early life Dignam was born on Lord Howe Island. He attended Newington College in Sydney as a boarder in 1955 and 1956 and then the University of Sydney.

Career He was best known for one of his early roles, that of Brother Francine in Fred Schepisi's The Devil's Playground (1976). 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.

During 1980, Dignam was part of A Shakespeare Company, 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.

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.

Theatre

As actor Year Title Role Venue / Company 1961 'Tis Pity She's a Whore University of Sydney 1962 The Dumb Waiter and A Slight Ache Gus / Edward Old Dolphin Theatre, Perth & University of Sydney 1962 Coriolanus University of Sydney 1963 Romeo and Juliet Romeo University of Sydney 1966 The Royal Hunt of the Sun University of Adelaide 1968 War and Peace New Theatre, Sydney with Melbourne Theatre Company 1969 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead Guildenstern Octagon Theatre, Perth 1969 The Man of Mode Octagon Theatre, Perth 1970 The Pope's Wedding Old Dolphin Theatre, Perth 1970 You Can't Take It with You Hole in the Wall Theatre, Perth 1970 The Haunted House / Black Comedy Callidamates / Brindsley Miller Octagon Theatre, Perth 1970 Twelfth Night, or What You Will Orsino Octagon Theatre, Perth 1970 Othello Cassio Octagon Theatre, Perth 1970 Brecht on Brecht Old Dolphin Theatre, Perth 1970 The Seagull Octagon Theatre, Perth 1970 Hadrian the Seventh Octagon Theatre, Perth 1970 Narrow Road to the Deep North Old Dolphin Theatre, Perth 1970 What the Butler Saw Playhouse Theatre, Perth 1971 The Recruiting Officer Southern Highlands Festival Theatre 1971 Doctor Faustus Southern Highlands Festival Theatre 1971 Macbeth Nimrod Street Theatre 1971 An Evening of Victorian Music Hall Paddington Town Hall with Nimrod Theatre Company 1972 Trelawny of the 'Wells' UNSW with Old Tote Theatre 1972 The Good Man of Setzuan UNSW with Old Tote Theatre 1972 Jesus Christ Superstar Pontius Pilate Capitol Theatre, Sydney 1972 Julius Caesar UNSW with Old Tote Theatre 1973 Hamlet Nimrod Street Theatre & Playhouse, Canberra 1973 Kabul UNSW with Old Tote Theatre 1973 The Threepenny Opera Sydney Opera House with Old Tote Theatre 1974 Antony and Cleopatra Antony New Fortune Theatre for Perth Festival 1974 The Rocky Horror Show Narrator New Art Cinema, Sydney 1975 Berenice Sydney Opera House with Old Tote Theatre 1975 Scapin Sydney Opera House with Old Tote Theatre 1975 Waiting for Godot Octagon Theatre, Perth 1975 Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Potiphar / Simeon Seymour Centre 1976 T.Zee The Beast Royal Court Theatre, London 1977 Big Toys Ritchie Bousanquet UNSW, Comedy Theatre, Melbourne & Canberra Theatre with Old Tote Theatre 1977–78 Ned Kelly Superintendent Hare Adelaide Festival Centre & Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney 1978 Pandora's Cross The Goose Paris Theatre, Sydney 1979 The Lady of the Camellias Baron de Varville Sydney Opera House with Sydney Theatre Company 1979 Hedda Gabler Judge Brack SGIO Theatre with QTC (left before opening night) 1979 Life of Galileo Cardinal Barberini Nimrod Upstairs 1980 The Two Gentlemen of Verona Launce / Lucetta / Host / Outlaw Seymour Centre 1980 Measure for Measure Duke of Vienna Seymour Centre 1986 Hedda Gabler Wharf Theatre with Sydney Theatre Company 1993 Mesmerized Stables Theatre 1993–94 The Temple Sir Thomas Burchett / Henry / Freddie Arrow Wharf Theatre with Sydney Theatre Company 1994 The Crucible Judge Hathorn His Majesty's Theatre, Perth, Riverside Theatres Parramatta, Monash University 1994 Sixteen Words for Water Subiaco Theatre Centre 1997 The Governor's Family Belvoir St Theatre 2005 Julius Caesar Julius Caesar Wharf Theatre, Sydney with Sydney Theatre Company 2008 The Women of Troy Menelaus Wharf Theatre, Sydney with Sydney Theatre Company & Merlyn Theatre

As producer Year Title Role Venue / Company 1964 Victimes du Devoir Producer University of Melbourne

Filmography

Film 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 Between Wars Peter Avante Feature film Oz Movies 1976 The Devil's Playground Brother Francine Feature film 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 Australia Father Benedict Feature film 2010 The Tree Uncle Jack Feature film 2013 The Great Gatsby Uncredited Feature film 2017 7 from Etheria Old Kurt Gödel Anthology film (segment: "Gödel Incomplete")

Television Year Title Role Type 1976 The New Avengers Dr Graham TV series, 1 episode 1979 Water Under the Bridge Maynard Dickens TV miniseries, 2 episodes 1981 Tickled Pink TV series 1983 The Dismissal Eric Robinson TV miniseries, 2 episodes 1984 Five Mile Creek Arthur Archer TV series 1984 Special Squad 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 Shadow of the Cobra Gupta TV miniseries, 2 episodes 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