Vale Arthur Dignam

The Australian stage and screen actor, whose work included roles in The Devil’s Playground and The Dismissal, has died of a heart attack aged 80.

12 May 2020

Richard Watts

Performing Arts

Arthur Dignam in The Devil’s Playground (1976).

Remembered as ‘one of the true greats,’ as well as unique, kind and thoroughly entertaining, veteran Australian actor Arthur Dignam has died of a heart attack aged 80.

His long career included films such as The Devil’s Playground (1976) and the animated Grendel Grendel Grendel (1981), as well as stage roles for Belvoir, Sydney Theatre Company and others.

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Richard Watts is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM, and serves as the Chair of La Mama Theatre's volunteer Committee of Management. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, and was awarded the status of Melbourne Fringe Living Legend in 2017. In 2020 he was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize. Most recently, Richard was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Green Room Awards Association in June 2021. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts