Mark Dignam was born in London on 20th March 1909 as Cuthbert Mark Dignam and grew up in Sheffield due to his father’s career as a steel salesman. He was educated at Mount St Mary’s College, a private school situated at Sprinkhill, Derbyshire. Here he had an early taste of treading the boards when he appeared in college stage productions of Shakespeare. After training and working for a short period as a journalist for the Sheffield Telegraph Dignam was promoted to the position of the theatre critic for the newspaper. This prompted an interest in acting and he found work as an amateur actor with the Sheffield Repertory Company. Dignam then toured Britain and America with impresario Sir Philip Barling Greet’s Shakespeare Company from 1929 at the age of just twenty one.
His older brother, Basil Dignam, was also an actor of considerable merit and had a lengthy career playing authority figures such as policemen, doctors and military men. Notable appearances include the Hammer film The Quatermass Xperiment (1955) and The Prisoner episode 'Checkmate'.
By the 1930s Mark Dignam was a popular actor in West End theatre productions after making his London theatre debut in 1930 in a production of
Lonely House. He would go on to carve a niche specialising in playing roles older than his actual years. Following the establishment of the actor’s union Equity in 1930 Dignam was one of the very first actors to become a member. Soon afterwards Dignam he also joined the Communist Party and he would remain a member of both organisations until his death.
Dignam made hundreds of stage appearances during the 1930s. Highlights for this period included the dual roles of the Duke of Gloucester and the Duke of Clarence for a production of
King Henry V during January and February 1934 at The Alhambra theatre, London. In January 1936 he took part in the first English language presentation of the Iblsen play
Catiline for Croydon Rep. Further productions for Croydon Repertory took in
Too Famous For Words over February, the comedic play
The Rabbit Roared during March 1936, playing Nicholas Dalziel in
Rain Before Seven in April and Sir John Chester in
The Honourable Mr Tawnish in July 1936.
Dignam’s earliest television appearance was in a BBC production live from Alexander Palace,
Two Diminutive Dramas (14th July 1937), written by Maurice Baring. The twenty five minute programme presented two short drama pieces, “The Rehearsal” and “Medea Goes Shopping”, with Dignam appearing in both. Next was
The Marvellous History of St Bernard (17th April 1938), playing the character Richard de Menthon, and then followed by the half hour drama
Bardell Against Pickwick (6th July 1938) with Dignam portraying Mr Skimpin. Next was the short drama
In the Dentist’s Chair (30th July 1938). 1939 would bring two further television credits starting with the play
The Fame of Grace Darling (9th July 1939), which saw Wendy Hillier playing Grace Darling, and Dignam supporting as her husband William.
Just over a week later was the play
The Parnell Commission (18th July 1939), with Dignam taking the titular role of Mr Parnell, followed by a staging of
Dusty Ermine alongside his wife Georgia later in July 1939. December saw Dignam perform the role of Bill Walker in a revival of the Bernard Shaw play
Major Barbara at the Westminster Theatre. Dignam made his film debut with
Who Killed Jack Robins? (1940) and this would be his last movie role before undertaking time in the army during World War Two. During 1941 Dignam appeared in
A Month in the Country (11th January 1941), a specially adapted for television production of the Ivan Turgenev play, which also starred Peggy Ashcroft.
During the Second World War Dignam served with the 67th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery for three years until he was invalided out of the army in 1944 following injuries sustained during the Battle of Anzio. On demob Dignam subsequently joined the Arts Theatre Group and was also a keen supporter of the Unity Theatre
[1] in Liverpool. The organisation gathered a reputation for staging classics alongside contemporary left wing productions with an aim to make theatre accessible to the working class. Towards the end of 1947 Dignam took up a residency with The Old Vic Theatre Company in a series of productions staged at the New Theatre in London. From November 1947 until January 1948 he acted in Shakespeare’s
The Taming of the Shrew. Later, during January 1948, he was a cast member of a new production of
Saint Joan. Further productions during this period included
The Government Inspector during February and March,
Coriolanus in April and
Doctor Faustus in October. Dignam was also back on the relaunched BBC television service playing the role of Abraham Johnson in
The Words upon the Window Pane (26th July 1946), adapted from the play by W B Yeats. This was followed by
The Rose and Crown (27th August 1946), a version of the play by J B Priestley.
Next was a two-part adaptation of Eugene O’Niell’s 1931 play Mourning Becomes Electra (30th May and 10th April 1947) with Dignam starring as one of the central characters, Brigadier-General Ezra Mannon. His remaining television work for the year included the Ibsen play Rosmersholm (17th July 1947) and Jim the Penman (August 1947) where Dignam appeared as the central character James T Saward. His only onscreen credit for 1948 was a BBC adaptation of the Ben Johnson play Volpone (27th June 1948), with Dignam undertaking the role of Voltore, the Vulture. Dignam was more active treading the boards as a member of the Old Vic Theatre Company led by Sir Cedric Hardwicke and Dame Edith Evans. Other company members included Peter Copley, Harry Andrews. Productions included Twelfth Night, Dr Faustus, The Way of the World and The Cherry Orchard during the winter of 1948.
The following year’s screen roles started with a two-part television production of
Macbeth (20th and 24th February 1949). Dignman played Macduff with the cast including such luminaries as Patrick Macnee, Stephen Murray, Kenneth More and Patrick Troughton. Dignam's other television role for the year was playing Leonarda Da Vinci in the BBC play
Behold the Man (17th April 1949). His sophomore film appearance was the interesting portmanteau drama film
Train of Events (1949) which tells the story of a train accident from the different perspectives of the people involved. His next film role was in another British film with a cult following,
Murder in the Cathedral (1951), which was based on the 1935 TS Eliot play and turned into a screenplay by Eliot himself. Dignam appears as one of the knights
[2] in the production which details the struggles against temptation experienced by Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, before his murder. Whilst making these appearances on television and in films Dignam was also busy with stage work for the Old Vic Theatre Company between 1950 and 1951. During January 1950 he appeared in a production of
The Miser at the Old Vic before moving on to play Claudius in
Hamlet at the New Theatre during February. He stayed at the Old Vic during March in a version of
Love’s Labour’s Lost.
May 1950 saw Dignam as a cast member of a new version of
Hamlet at the Opera House Theatre in Manchester. He then featured in a version of Ben Jonson’s
Bartholomew Fair during December 1950. At the Old Vic he played the Duke of Exeter in a version of
King Henry V during January and February 1951. Still with the Old Vic Company Dignam then starred in a production of Bernard Shaw’s
Captain Brassbound’s Conversion at the King’s Theatre, Glasgow during March 1951. June saw him cast in
The Merry Wives of Windsor during June 1951 with Dignam took the role of Sir Hugh Evans. During October and November 1951 he could then be seen in the play
His Excellency top billed as H E The Governor. The play was written by Dorothy and Campbell Christie.
Dignam was also cast as the pharaoh Seti the Second in a production of Christopher Fry’s play
The Firstborn at the start of February 1952 at the Winter Garden theatre in London. After a break of a couple of years Dignam returned to work for the BBC when he appeared in
The Star Maiden (13th March 1952), a short single drama, which also starred Erik Chitty as a character called Horned Owl. Dignam was seen as Chief Gentle Thunder. Just over a fortnight later he was back in front of BBC viewers with the role of Brigadier-General Ezra Mannon in 'Mourning Becomes Electra' (30th March 1952), his first appearance in a
BBC Sunday Night Theatre production. He would return to the series several times over the coming years.
Happy and Glorious was a BBC series based on the life and times of Queen Victoria, played by Renee Asherson, and Prince Albert played by Michael Aldridge. Dignam appeared in the episode '1837' (13th September 1952), the first of six episodes, in the role of the King of Hanover. Rudolph Cartier, who the following year would team up with Nigel Kneale to produce the first Quatermass television series, produced and directed
The Dybbuk (21st October 1952) based on the 1914 play by Sholom Ansky. This was a tale of the supernatural which featured a young bride possessed by a malicious spirit – a dybbuk. Dignam appeared as Rabbi Azrael of Miropol. The cast also included Donald Pleasence, Peter Wyngarde and Yvonne Micthell.
Dignam was first elected as member of the Equity’s council in June 1953 and would remain active in the association’s running throughout the rest of his life. The year would also bring two television appearances, both in single play productions, starting with a version of the Margery Sharp play
The Foolish Gentlewoman (21st April 1953), which featured Dignam in the role of Simon Brocken, and
A Time To Be Born (24th December 1953), a version of the Nativity written by P D Cummins. Dignam was cast as a shepherd. 1954 would be Dignam’s most active year in cinema so far with several credits including the Ealing Studios comedy
The Maggie (1954) as a Scottish laird, a small cameo in
Doctor in the House (1954) and the more substantial role of Mr Burke in the MGM film
Beau Brummell (1954) starring Stewart Granger in the eponymous role. This streak of film roles continued with the Robert Donat Ealing Studios vehicle
Lease of Life (1954) as Mr Black, crime drama
The Passing Stranger (1954), which saw Dignam undertake the first of many policeman roles, and the popular David Niven starring film
Carrington VC (1954), which cast Dignam as a lawyer. His television work for the same period encompassed another episode of
BBC Sunday Night Theatre – 'Rebecca' (10th October 1954) which once more saw Dignam paired with producer/director Rudolf Cartier. Dignam appeared in the role of Colonel Julyan in the production.
Dignam continued to be a popular choice in cinema with a run of character roles during 1955.
The Prisoner (1955) was a controversial for his its time film and starred Alec Guiness as a cardinal who is imprisoned for crimes against the state. All the characters have no names and instead are identified by their roles and jobs with Dignam playing the prison governor along with Jack Hawkins as the interrogator. Cold War comedy
Escapade (1955) featured John Mills as pacifist. Dignam had a small role as the character Sykes. For the second time in a year Dignam played a prison governor this time for director Val Guest’s crime thriller
They Can’t Hang Me (1955). Dignam also appeared in the MGM production
Quentin Durward (1955), a swashbuckling historical romp. Dignam has an uncredited cameo as an innkeeper. During the year Dignam had three roles on television including 'Cruel Test' (11th March 1955), an episode of crime drama
The Vise, and 'The Apollo of Bellac' (12th August 1955), an episode of BBC drama anthology series
Appointment with Drama. Some filmographies for Dignam include the cinema release
Three Cornered Fate (1955), but this is actually a compendium of three episodes of
The Vise edited together to form a feature. His third role for the year was another instalment of the
BBC Sunday Night Theatre. Dignam played Doctor Harvester in 'The Sacred Flame' (10th July 1955) which was adapted from the W Somerset Maugham play.
Dignam appears to have made no film or television appearances during 1956 and instead found himself still much in demand on the stage. A highlight of his theatre work during the year included Love’s Labour’s Lost directed by Peter Hall at Stratford-Upon-Avon’s Shakespeare Memorial Theatre during June and July 1956. Also in the cast was Patrick Wymark, father of Jane Wymark who was the central star of the Beasts episode 'Baby'. This was followed during August by a production of Measure for Measure with Dignam in the role of Provost. During January 1957 Dignam was much once again cast alongside Patrick Wymark in a stage production of Toad of Toad Hole. Dignam played Badger whilst Wymark was seen as Toad. April 1957 saw Dignam take roles in the theatre productions King John and As You Like It from the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford Upon Avon. Later roles with the proto-Royal Shakespeare Company took in Pisanio in a version of Cymbeline during July 1957.
Dignam returned to the screen in the role of Councillor Albert Parker in the BBC production of
When We Are Married (25th December 1957), a version of the comedy play by J B Priestley. This was followed by another BBC adaptation of a popular playwright with a version of George Bernard Shaw’s 'Heartbreak House' (2nd February 1958), an episode of the drama anthology series
Television World Theatre. During June Dignam played Claudius in Hamlet as part of a cast that also included Michael Redgrave, Googie Withers, and Edward Woodward.
The Stage felt that “Mark Dignam is miscast as Claudius, a part he plays with far too little vocal variation.
[3]” July saw Dignam playing Simonides in
Pericles for the director Tony Richardson. Later in the year, as part of the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company, he made a month long tour of Russia during December 1958 with performances in Leningrad and Moscow.
Back on television Dignam was cast as Douglas Marmion, QC the counsel for defence in the BBC single drama
Result of an Accident (22nd January 1959). This was followed by 'Walk on the Grass' (26th March 1959) an episode of the BBC drama anthology
Television Playwright. His fourth, and final, appearance in a BBC
Sunday Night Theatre production was next. 'The Fortrose Incident' (10th May 1959) was written by J B Priestley and saw Dignam reunited with his old colleague Michael Aldridge in a cast that also included
Beasts cohort Elizabeth Sellers. Dignam was then cast as the grandfather in a six-part version of
Heidi (19th May – 9th June 1959) adapted and directed by Joy Harington. This was followed by playing Canon Ronder, opposite Donald Wolfit’s Archdeacon Brandon, in the
Saturday Playhouse instalment 'The Cathedral' (15th August 1959), based on the 1922 novel by Hugh Walpole. His final television role for the year was a guest slot in the
Four Just Men story 'Their Man in London' (26th November 1959). Also during November Dignam could be seen in a revival of the Ibsen play
Rosmersholm presented by the English Stage Company at the Royal Court. Future
Beasts actor Patrick Magee also featured in the cast.
As a new decade dawned Dignam continued to be a popular character actor on stage, television and film. 1960 saw him pop up in the classic war film Sink the Bismarck! (1960) as a naval captain, play another lawyer in The Pure Hell of St Trinian’s (1960) and appear in the quota quickie Conscience Bay (1960). His television work for the year took in Twentieth Century Theatre: Justice (3rd January 1960), 'The Dennison Case' (13th March 1960), an episode of the independently produced crime drama series International Detective, and playing the High Priest in the first episode of the BBC’s Paul of Tarsus – 'The Feast of Pentecost' (16th October 1960). The episode was directed by Joy Harington who cast Dignam on the strength of his role in her previous project Heidi. A highlight of his stage work for the year was portraying Auda Abu Tayi, an Arab chieftan, in Terence Rattigan’s play Ross at the Royal Court theatre in Liverpool during April and May 1960. The play examined the life of the enigmatic Lawrence of Arabia.
Dignam had an uncredited cameo in the film
No Love for Johnnie (1961) and was cast as yet another lawyer in the film
Four Winds Island (1961). On the small screen he could be seen as Nutkins in 'Pickwick’s Dilemma' (24th December 1961), an episode of the independently produced anthology series
Tales from Dickens. His biggest role for the year was playing Claudius in ATV’s ambitious retelling of
Hamlet (14th September – 30th November 1961).
Man of the World was an early ITC adventure series which starred Craig Stevens as a globetrotting photo journalist. Dignam was featured in the first episode of the series – 'Death of a Conference' (29th September 1962). His biggest TV role for the year was in the BBC science fiction series
The Monsters (8th – 29th November 1962) which saw him play the recurring character Hopkins. His only film role for the year was a small cameo as a rich man at a party in
In Search of the Castaways (1962).
Dignam’s most active year yet on the television screen kept him busy during 1963. Roles included a guest slot as Sir Godfrey in
The Human Jungle episode 'The Vacant Chair' (30th March 1963), 'Sea of Doubt' (30th March 1963) - an episode of the forgotten ABC comedy drama
Jezebel and playing Mr Brocklehurst in the first episode of a BBC adaptation of
Jane Eyre (7th April 1963). The run of television appearances continued with a turn as Sir Henry Melrose on the
Sergeant Cork episode 'The Case of the Sleeping Coachman' (24th August 1963), the role of Captain Adams in 'The Hurricane' (18th October 1963), an episode of the legal drama
Boyd QC, and a guest role as Sir Leonard de Braie in the
No Hiding Place episode 'Formula For Death' (30th December 1963).
Dignam was also proving to be a popular character actor in cinema with several notable appearances throughout the year including playing both King Arthur and Merlin in the same year, though in different movies. The year started with swashbuckler
Sword of Lancelot (1963) with Dignam playing Merlin and continued with director Tiny Richardson cast Dignam as an army lieutenant in his period romp
Tom Jones (1963), King Arthur in historical adventure film
Siege of the Saxons (1963) and playing a bishop in the Walt Disney adventure movie
Dr Syn, Alias the Scarecrow (1963).
During March 1964 Dignam appeared in
The Seagull at the Queen’s Theatre for the English Stage Company, under the direction of Tony Richardson, and he appeared in a revival of Bertolt Brecht’s play
Saint Joan of the Stockyards at the Queen’s Theatre during June 1964. He then played Edgar in the theatre production
A Scent of Flowers at the Duke of York’s Theatre over September and October 1964.
A Jolly Bad Fellow AKA
They All Died Laughing (1964) was a British comedy film that starred Leo McKern as a professor who thinks the world is overcrowded and invents a gas that will kill off the population. Dignam appears alongside a plethora of character actors. For the mystery thriller
The Eyes of Annie Jones (1964) Dignam has a small role as an orphanage director.
Clash by Night (1964) featured Dignam as the character Sydney Selwyn. Television appearances for the year included featuring as General Burgoyne in the
Espionage episode 'The Frantick Rebel' (12th February 1964) and playing Captain Haggerty in 'Three Piece Suite' (7th April 1964), the opening episode of the second season of romantic drama anthology series
Love Story.
1965 would be another busy year for Dignam starting with the first of two
Theatre 625 productions appearances. 'The Minister' (3rd January 1965) featured Dignam as Ormston in cast that also included Michael Gough and Barbara Jefford. Audiences then saw him in the role of Mr Deane in a four part BBC version of
Mill on the Floss (21st February – 14th March 1965). Next was a quick turn as a British ambassador in the
Danger Man episode 'A Room in the Basement' (10th April 1965). Dignam also popped up as an attorney general in the
Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre episode 'Game for Three Losers' (April 1965). His second
Theatre 625 credit for the year came with the episode 'Rosmersholm' (16th May 1965), an adaptation of an Ibsen play, in which Dignam played Professor Kroll. The day after transmission Dignam could also be seen in an
ITV Play of the Week – 'The Edwardians: Olive Latimer’s Husband' (17th May 1965) in the authority role of Colonel Mapleson-Finch. He then went on to appear as Raoul Roguin in the four part BBC drama
The Rise and Fall of Cesar Birotteau (13th June – 4th July 1965). Running concurrently with this series, and also transmitted by the BBC, was the espionage drama
The Mind of the Enemy (14th June 1965 – 12th July 1965) which featured Mike Pratt as a secret service agent assigned to investigate who is leaking state secrets to foreign governments. Dignam could be seen as the character Fortescue.
Many of his screen roles during 1965 consisted of Dignam playing dignitaries or similar authority figures, demonstrating how he had carved out a career as a dependable character actor for these type of roles. After The 'Mind of the Enemy' he took on the role of Sir Edward Clarke, Counsel for the Plaintiff in the
Jury Room instalment 'The Baccarat Scandal' (26th September 1965). Three days later audiences could enjoy Dignam dabbling in comedy with his appearance in 'Class' (29th September 1965), an episode of the Roy Kinnear starring BBC comedy
A Slight Case Of… Ernest Hemingway’s novel
For Whom the Bell Tolls was adapted by the BBC for transmission during the winter and Dignam featured as the character El Sordo in episodes two, 'The Moon of May' (9th October 1965), and three, 'Verdict on Pablo' (16th October 1965). Dignam finished a very busy year with a second
ITV Play of the Week role playing Fekete in the comedy drama 'Solo For The Banker' (20th December 1965), and the role of the Grandet of Saumur in a BBC adaptation of Honore de Balzac’s 1833 novel
Eugenie Grandet (18th December 1965 – 1st January 1966) which straddled the Christmas and New Year TV schedules with the second episode going out on Christmas Day.
The Stage was not a fan of the series describing it as “melodramatic stodge” and “frogs legs with Yorkshire Pudding.” The review did however highlight Dignam’s performance as a plus “Dignam in the part of old Grandet, managed to wring individuality from what could have been a stock miser.
[4]”
The following year was considerably quieter. February 1966 saw Dignam guest star in an episode of the BBC espionage series
The Spies alongside future Beasts cohort Simon Oates. Dignam appeared as the character Vassilias in the instalment 'Your Own Hand Strikes You Dead' (12th February 1966). A week later audiences viewing ITV could also catch Dignam in 'The Open Door' (19th February 1966), a production of the Mrs Oliphant short story made as part of the first season of the influential horror anthology series
Mystery and Imagination. In the theatre January 1967 saw him appear in
She Stoops to Conquer at the Oxford Playhouse in the role of Mr Hardcastle. This was followed by work in Jean Genet’s play
The Balcony at the Oxford Playhouse during March 1967. He had a handful of television roles during 1967 which included an episode of the ITC adventure series
The Baron – 'You Can’t Win Them All' (1st February 1967),
The Armchair Theatre play 'Reason For Sale' (4th March 1967) and the
Dr Finlay’s Casebook episode 'The Greatest Burden' (19th February 1967).
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Film wise Dignam had a cameo as Sir John in the East German film production
Die gefrorenen Blitze (
Frozen Flashes) (1967) and graced the more high profile films
The Taming of the Shrew (1967) and
The Charge of the Light Brigade (1967). Franco Zefffirelli directed
Shrew with a heavyweight cast that included Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor.
Light Brigade was handled by Tony Richardson who cast Dignam as General Airey. His most unusual role of the year was in the world of pop music. Dignam’s voice can be heard on the fade out of
The Beatle’s song 'I Am The Walrus' which sampled a 1967 BBC radio production of
King Lear in which Dignam portrayed the Duke of Gloucester.
The next year, 1968, bought the usual mix of stage and screen roles. Dignam made a second appearance in an episode of Armchair Theatre with the production 'The Ballad of the Artificial Marsh' (27th July 1968). More work for ITC followed with the role of Major Carter in The Saint episode 'The Organisation Man' (27th October 1968) and his debut in an ITV Playhouse drama presentation – 'Inventory For The Summer' (25th November 1968) which was a murder mystery following an investigation at a seaside resort when a young girl is found strangled. His film work for the year was limited to an uncredited cameo in Karel Reisz’s Isadora (1968), a biographical drama based on the life of dancer Isadora Duncan.
Screen appearances for the last year of the 1960s took in
The Mind of J G Reeder episode 'The Treasure Hunt' (23rd April 1969) with Dignam portraying Sir James Tithermite who murders his wife. Director Tony Richardson once again recruited Dignam to his current film project, a version of
Hamlet (1969) starring Nicol Williamson, Judy Parfitt and Anthony Hopkins. Dignam featured as Polonius. His most important appearance for the year came with an episode of
Plays of Today, a BBC a series of six single dramas. Dignam took the central role of The Father in 'A Voyage Round My Father' (16th October 1969) which also featured Ian Richardson and Arthur Lowe in the cast.
The Stage was impressed with the actor's performance “Mark Dignam brought across the personality of the father with such force, that for me at any rate, he became the man. It was as good as that. As the play progressed, and he became older, he seemed to become more and more real.
[5]”
During February 1970 Dignam could be seen in a theatre presentation of The Hallelujah Boy based at the Duchess theatre. July 1970 he was amongst over twenty actors who recorded their dialogue for a production at London’s The Little Angel Theatre, a permanent puppet theatre, which mounted a production of The Story of Cupid and Psyche. On screen he had a guest role in a second episode of Dr Finlay’s Casebook, 'The Builders' (4th October 1970), followed by the Play For Today instalment 'The Lie' (29th October 1970), before moving onto play Dennis Pringle in the opening episode of the second season of A Family At War – 'The Other Side of the Hill' (11th November 1970). Less than a fortnight later Dignam entertained audiences with a guest role in 'The Marriage Vow' (21st November 1970), an episode of the ATV drama anthology Happy Ever After.
On the big screen Dignam had an uncredited cameo as a guest at wedding reception in the Peter Sellers vehicle There’s A Girl in My Soup (1970). Dignam could also be seen as the character Reichwein in three episodes of the World War adventure series Manhunt and this was followed by a Thirty Minute Theatre production, 'Twenty-Six Efforts at Pornography' (23rd May 1970), with Dignam playing the character Sullivan. Dignam also played the role of Abe Brown in three episodes of Man At The Top which straddled the Christmas and New Year schedules. Further roles during 1971 saw Dignam make his debut in a BBC Play of the Month production with the role of Haakon Werle in a version of the Henrik Ibsen play 'The Wild Duck' (21st March 1971). He was back in a dog collar for a supporting role as the Vicar of Shaston in To Shaston (24th October 1971), an episode of the BBC adaptation of the Thomas Hardy novel which starred Robert Powell. Dignam’s second guest role in an episode of The Mind of J G Reeder cast him as another member of the aristocracy. This time he played Lord Nettleford in the episode 'The Fatal Engagement' (24th May 1971).
Dignam was once more cast as a man of the cloth with the role of Reverend John Wilkinson in the
Thirty Minute Theatre production 'Said The Preacher' (6th March 1972). This appears to have been his only film or television appearance for 1972. He was far more productive in theatre during the year which included a Royal Shakespeare Theatre production of
Titus Andronicus with Janet Suzman and Colin Blakely during October and November 1972. Also appeared for the same company during the same season in productions of
Coriolanus and
Julius Caesar all under the direction of Trevor Nunn. His portrayal of Julius Caesar was singled out for praise in
The Stage “Mark Dignam playing with an almost melodramatic touch, looks every inch a Caesar who has thought hard, worked hard and fought hard
[6]”. Also in the cast was Gerald James who would later appear in the
Beasts episode 'What Big Eyes'. The production was directed by Trevor Nunn.
The year of 1973 would see Dignam appear in the Anglia television single drama production The Man in the Wood (14th May 1973) and he would make a brief appearance as a surgeon in the biographical drama John Keats: His Life and Death (1973), which starred John Stride in the role of Keats. His other television work during 1973 took in guest roles in established series; Doctor Marcus in the Owen MD episode 'An Officially Hot Day' (20th May 1973) and as Mr Houghton in the Six Days of Justice episode 'Excuse Me, Madam' (22nd May 1973). Joyce Heron played a respectable schoolteacher charged with shoplifting and Dignam played the defending counsel. He also made his first appearance in the popular daytime drama series Crown Court playing the character of John Cross QC in the case of 'The Gilded Cage' (19th April 1973).
Between December 1974 and January 1976 Dignam acted in the Repertoire Season for the National Theatre at the Old Vic Theatre, London. Productions included Henrik Ibsen's
John Gabriel Borkman, Peter Shaffer's play
Equus, Harold Pinter's
No Man's Land, Beckett's
Happy Days, Moliere's
The Misanthrope, Comedians, Phaedra Brittanica, The Playboy of the Western World, Shakespeare's
Hamlet and Joseph Campbell's play
Judgement. Dignam continued to be busy on screen as well.
Masquerade was a half-hour BBC drama anthology series with the linking theme of all the stories being set at a party. Dignam appeared alongside Leonard Rossitter and his future
Beasts acting cohort Thorley Walters in the episode 'Mutzen ab!' (6th May 1974). Director Tony Richardson called upon Dignam’s services once again with the role of a seedy bookie, Clifford Tudor, in his latest film,
Dead Cert (1974), based on the book by Dick Francis.
The following year, 1975, was another quiet year on the screen with Dignam making an appearance as Ludicrus Sextus in
Further Up Pompeii (31st March 1975), a one-off special that followed on from the popular sitcom
Up Pompeii. A few days previous to this he appeared in the
Crown Court case 'Contempt of Court' (26th March 1975), though not as his recurring character John Cross, but as a different character called Edgar Davies. He then played Lord Rumeblow in 'Romance at Droigate Spa' (30th April 1975), an episode of the BBC’s
Wodehouse Playhouse. He returned to the role of John Cross, QC for the
Crown Court storyline 'An Evil Influence' (15th October 1975). A month later Dignam was back on the screen as John Cross for a further
Crown Court case called 'Dicing' (17th December 1975).
1976 would be a busy year and prior to his appearance as Arthur Grace in the
Beasts episode 'Baby' Dignam appeared in the sitcom
Yes, Honestly playing Tommy in the episode 'It Nearly Happened One Night' (20th February 1976) and undertook the role of Sir Frank Pierce in the
Hadleigh story 'God Save Us From Moralists' (12th March 1976). He was heard, but not seen, as the voice of artist Paul Nash in the
Omnibus documentary 'The Spirit of the Land' (8th April 1976). He then turned up with a handful of other British character actors to perk up proceedings of the American television movie
The Story of David (9th April 1976), an account of the life of the second king of Israel. This was quickly followed with the BBC 2 play
Zigger, Zagger (30th April 1976) appearing alongside Martin Jarvis.
Stratford Johns and Frank Windsor had their own spin-off show from
Softly Softly in the form of
Second Verdict, where the fictional policemen reopened famous real-life cases to give them a thorough examination using modern detective techniques. Dignam appeared as Sir Sidney Rowan-Hamilton in the episode 'Murder on the 10.27' (17th June 1976) which investigated the case of John Alexander Dickman who was hanged for murdering a man on a train in 1910. Dignam’s second BBC
Play of the Month production was 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' (19th September 1976) with Dignam cast as Lord Fermor. Dignam made his final appearance as John Cross in
Crown Court with 'Stranger in the Night' (6th October 1976). His only other appearance for 1976 came shortly after his role in
Beasts with the part of Mr Marchant in 'Newsworthy: The Girl Who Saw A Tiger' (18th November 1976), an episode of the educational series
Scene. Dignam began his 1977 screen work with 'Married Love' (2nd February 1977) an episode of BBC drama
The Velvet Glove playing a professor. He featured in the first episode of Granada Television production
Here I Stand, Margaret Clitheroe (31st July 1977) in the authority role of Judge Clench. His biggest screen role for the period was the Granada Television crime drama
The XXY Man which saw Dignam play the recurring role of Fairfax in eight episodes across two seasons between July 1976 and August 1977. Dignam made his final BBC
Play of the Month appearance with the role of Evens in the original teleplay 'The Sea' (5th March 1978). He was involved in more legal drama with his next role, Justice Prescold, in the
Rumpole of the Bailey instalment 'Rumpole and the Heavy Brigade' (15th May 1978). A decade after his first appearance in an
ITV Playhouse production Dignam returned with the role of Lord Simon in 'Hess' (30th September 1978), a biographical drama based on the life of Nazi Rudolph Hess. During May and June 1979 he appeared with his fellow 'Baby' actor T P McKenna in the play
The Wild Duck at the Hexagon theatre in Reading. His only on screen credit for the year was in
Suez 1956 (25th November 1979), a feature length BBC drama based around the political events which led to the downfall of British Prime Minister Anthony Eden (played by Michael Gough). Dignam played another military type, General Sir Gerald Templer.
He was attached to another Repertoire Season for the British National Theatre between January and April 1980. He was then attached to them for another six months between June and December 1980. Productions during this period included Athol Fugard's play
A Lesson From Aloes, Peter Shaffer's
Amadeus, Shakespeare's plays
As You Like It, Othello and
Richard III; Arthur Miller's plays,
Death of a Salesman and
The Crucible, Terence Rattigan's plays
Harlequinade and
The Browning Version, Eugene O'Neill's plays
Hughie, The Iceman Cometh and
The Long Voyage Home; Alan Ayckbourn's
Sisterly Feelings, Henrik Ibsen's
The Wild Duck, Howard Brenton's play
The Romans in Britain, Bertolt Brecht's play
The Life of Galileo, Harold Pinter's
The Caretaker, Tom Stoppard's
Undiscovered Country and J.B. Priestley's play
When We Are Married.
During February and March 1981 Dignam was a cast member of the Harold Pinter play
Night Voices at the Lyttelton theatre. Amongst the cast was Michael Kitchen who had appeared in the
Beasts episode 'What Big Eyes'.
The Stage review of the play commented “As for Mark Dignam he is the ideal player to bring sepulchral and ominously paternal tones to a part, no matter how small.
[7]” As Dignam entered his seventies the screen roles started to slow down. He had a small role as a newsvendor in the film
Memoirs of a Survivor (1981), played Duncan in a BBC version of
Macbeth (5th November 1983) and had small roles in the television films
Squaring The Circle (31st May 1984) and
The Biko Inquest (1st November 1984) as a magistrate chairing the inquest. He took role of a priest and exorcist in a production of
The Devils by the RSC at The Pit theatre during August and September 1984. The RSC also produced the first revival for over fifty years of the play
Waste, written by Harley Granville – Barker. The play had run in to trouble with the censor when first performed in 1907. The production featured Dignam alongside Daniel Massey, Judi Dench and Maria Aitken in the presentation at The Pit theatre during January 1985.
On television Dignam played Ambrose in the Jack Rosenthal TV play
The Chain (1985), could be seen as Sir Reginald Smith in the final episode of the adventure series
The Last Place on Earth and had a cameo role as a bank customer in the television movie
Robbery (1985). His penultimate screen role was in the series
Lord Mountbatten – The Last Viceroy appearing in the first episode (1986) and credited simply as older man. His final screen role was the Reverend Latimer in
On the Black Hill (1988) a British film which depicted the lives of identical twins in rural Wales as they live through wars, love and everyday dramas.
Dignam was married three times, divorced twice. His first marriage was to Canadian actress Georgia McKinnon followed by actress Helen Christie. Both these marriages ended in divorce. His final marriage was to Virginia Kirby from 1954 up until his death in 1989. Kirby was also known as the novelist and poet Ginny Lewis and was a long running film critic for the newspaper
The Morning Star. Dignam passed away on 29th September 1989, aged 80, in London. He was outlived by his wife Virginia who eventually passed away in 2012.
“A Splendid Julius Caesar at Stratford-upon-Avon” by R B Marriott, The Stage and Television Today, 11th May 1972, page 15
Review by R B Marriott, The Stage and Television Today, 26th February 1981, page11
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