Arthur Dignam

Arthur Dignam
Born	9 September 1939 Lord Howe Island, Australia
Nationality	Australian
Education	Newington College University of Sydney
Occupation	Actor
Spouse(s)	Single; Never married
Children	Nicholas Gledhill

Arthur Dignam (born 9 September 1939) is an Australian actor.

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 is possibly 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 has 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,^[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]

His son is the 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 Woman 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^[7]

Filmography

Arthur Dignam's films include:

• Between Wars (1974) ^[8]
• The Devil's Playground (1976)
• Summer of Secrets (1976)
• The Duellists (1977)
• The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (1978)
• We of the Never Never (1982)
• The Wild Duck (1983)
• The Dismissal (1983; as Eric Robinson)
• Burke & Wills (1985; as Sir William Stawell)
• The Everlasting Secret Family (1988; as The Senator)
• Eden's Lost (1989)
• The Nostradamus Kid (1993)
• Dating the Enemy (1996)
• Oscar and Lucinda (1997)
• Paradise Road (1997)
• Gods and Monsters (1998; as Ernest Thesiger; uncredited)
• Moulin Rouge! (2001)
• Beneath Clouds (2002)
• The Libertine (2006)
• Australia (2008).
• The Great Gatsby (2013)

References

1. Arthur Dignam at the Internet Movie Database
2. Newington College Register of Past Students 1863–1998 (Syd, 1999) pp. 52
3. University of Sydney – Family Matters
4. New York Times Review
5. Theatre Australia (un)limited: Australian Theatre Since the 1950s
6. Sydney Morning Herald review
7. AusStage
8. Oz Movies