Mark Dignam
Encyclopedia
Mark Dignam was a prolific English
actor.
Born in London
, the son of salesman in the steel industry, Dignam grew up in Sheffield
and was educated at the Jesuit College where he appeared in numerous Shakespearean
plays.
He learned his craft touring England and America with Ben Greet
's Shakespeare company. His range extended from the Louis Macneice
radio play, The Dark Tower
in the 1940s to the TV thriller, The XYY Man
in the late 1970s.
Dignam was married three times, divorced twice (his character in The XYY Man
frequently complains about the expense of maintaining multiple ex-wives).
was also a well known character actor and his sister-in-law was actress Mona Washbourne
.
Dollis Hill..
Mark Dignam lived in Dollis Hill. [1967-1989]
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actor.
Born in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the son of salesman in the steel industry, Dignam grew up in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
and was educated at the Jesuit College where he appeared in numerous Shakespearean
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
plays.
He learned his craft touring England and America with Ben Greet
Ben Greet
Sir Philip Barling "Ben" Greet was a Shakespearean actor, director, and impresario.-Early life:The younger son of Captain William Greet RN and his wife, Sarah Barling, Greet was born on board HMS Crocodile, a Royal Navy recruiting ship tied up at the Tower of London. He was educated at the Royal...
's Shakespeare company. His range extended from the Louis Macneice
Louis MacNeice
Frederick Louis MacNeice CBE was an Irish poet and playwright. He was part of the generation of "thirties poets" which included W. H. Auden, Stephen Spender and Cecil Day-Lewis; nicknamed "MacSpaunday" as a group — a name invented by Roy Campbell, in his Talking Bronco...
radio play, The Dark Tower
The Dark Tower
Dark Tower may refer to:* The Dark Tower , an unfinished novel by C. S. Lewis* Barad-dûr the fortress of Sauron in the fantasy world of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings* The Dark Tower , a 1933 comedy by George S...
in the 1940s to the TV thriller, The XYY Man
The XYY Man
The XYY Man began life as a series of novels by Kenneth Royce, featuring the character of William 'Spider' Scott, a one-time cat-burglar who leaves prison aiming to go straight but finds his talents still to be very much in demand by both the criminal underworld and the British secret service...
in the late 1970s.
Dignam was married three times, divorced twice (his character in The XYY Man
The XYY Man
The XYY Man began life as a series of novels by Kenneth Royce, featuring the character of William 'Spider' Scott, a one-time cat-burglar who leaves prison aiming to go straight but finds his talents still to be very much in demand by both the criminal underworld and the British secret service...
frequently complains about the expense of maintaining multiple ex-wives).
Family
His brother Basil DignamBasil Dignam
Basil Dignam was an English character actor.Basil Dignam, a native of Sheffield, acted on film and television between 1951 and 1975. He often appeared as an authority figure, such as a police officer, army general or peer....
was also a well known character actor and his sister-in-law was actress Mona Washbourne
Mona Washbourne
Mona Washbourne was an English actress of stage, film and television.Mona Washbourne began her entertaining career training as a concert pianist. While performing on stage in the early 1920s, she found that she liked acting and became an actress...
.
Dollis Hill..
Mark Dignam lived in Dollis Hill. [1967-1989]
Selected filmography
- The MaggieThe MaggieThe Maggie is a 1954 British comedy film. Directed by Alexander Mackendrick and written by William Rose, it is a story of a clash of cultures between a hard-driving American businessman and a wily Scottish captain.It was produced by Ealing Studios, at a time when rural Scotland was seen as a...
(1954) - Doctor in the HouseDoctor in the HouseDoctor in the House is a 1954 British comedy film, directed by Ralph Thomas and produced by Betty Box. The screenplay, by Nicholas Phipps, Richard Gordon and Ronald Wilkinson, is based on the novel by Gordon, and follows a group of students through medical school.It was the most popular box office...
(1954) - Beau BrummellBeau Brummell (film)Beau Brummell is a historical film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed by Curtis Bernhardt and produced by Sam Zimbalist from a screenplay by Karl Tunberg, based on the play Beau Brummell by Clyde Fitch. The music score was by Richard Addinsell with Miklós Rózsa...
(1954) - Carrington V.C. (1955)
- Sink the Bismarck!Sink the Bismarck!Sink the Bismarck! is a 1960 black-and-white British war film based on the book, the "Last Nine Days of the Bismarck" by C. S. Forester. It stars Kenneth More and Dana Wynter and was directed by Lewis Gilbert. To date, it is the only movie made that deals directly with the operations, chase, and...
(1960) - The Pure Hell of St Trinian'sThe Pure Hell of St Trinian'sThe Pure Hell of St Trinian's was a 1960 British comedy film set in the fictional St Trinian's School. Directed by Frank Launder and written by him and Sidney Gilliat, it was the third in a series of five films.-Plot:...
(1960) - Lancelot and GuinevereLancelot and GuinevereLancelot and Guinevere is a British 1963 film starring Cornel Wilde, his real-life wife at the time, Jean Wallace, and Brian Aherne...
(1963) - Siege of the SaxonsSiege of the SaxonsSiege of the Saxons is a 1963 British film directed by Nathan H. Juran and released by Columbia Pictures. It is a historical epic, set in the time of King Arthur....
(1963) - Tom JonesTom Jones (film)Tom Jones is a 1963 British adventure comedy film, an adaptation of Henry Fielding's classic novel The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling , starring Albert Finney as the titular hero. It was one of the most critically acclaimed and popular comedies of its time, winning four Academy Awards...
(1963) - The Eyes of Annie JonesThe Eyes of Annie JonesThe Eyes of Annie Jones is a 1964 British drama film directed by Reginald Le Borg and starring Richard Conte, Francesca Annis and Joyce Carey...
(1964) - Frozen FlashesFrozen Flashes (film)Die gefrorenen Blitze is a two-part 1967 East-German film...
(1967) - HamletHamlet (1969 film)Hamlet is a 1969 British film adaptation of Shakespeare's play Hamlet, starring Nicol Williamson as Prince Hamlet. It was directed by Tony Richardson and based on his own stage production at the Roundhouse theatre in London...
(1969) - Memoirs of a SurvivorMemoirs of a Survivor (film)Memoirs of a Survivor is a 1981 British science fiction film directed by David Gladwell. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1981 Cannes Film Festival...
(1981)