Basil Dignam

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English actor (1905–1979)

title: "Basil Dignam" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1905-births", "1979-deaths", "english-male-film-actors", "english-male-television-actors", "male-actors-from-sheffield", "20th-century-english-male-actors"] description: "English actor (1905–1979)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_Dignam" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary English actor (1905–1979) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

Field	Value
name	Basil Dignam
image	Basil_Dignam.jpg
caption	in The Prisoner: Checkmate (1967)
birth_name	Basil Martin Dignam
birth_date
birth_place	Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
death_date
death_place	Westminster, London, England
occupation	Actor
yearsactive	1938–1978
spouse	Mona Washbourne (1940–1979) (his death)
::

Basil Dignam was born in Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire. Before the acting, he tried many jobs, from a company clerk to a journalist. He acted on film and television between 1948 and 1978. Television appearances include The Prisoner: Checkmate (1967) and The Champions (1968), as Sir Frederick in episode 2 "The Invisible Man".

Personal life

He was married to actress Mona Washbourne from 1940 until his death in 1979. His brother Mark Dignam was also a professional actor. Basil Dignam died, aged 73, in Westminster, London.

Selected filmography

Maytime in Mayfair (1949) – Commissionaire (uncredited)
Smart Alec (1951) – Defending Counsel
Two on the Tiles (1951) – Ship's Captain
The Lady with a Lamp (1951)
Appointment with Venus (1951) – R.A.M.C. Captain
His Excellency (1952) – Security Officer
Hammer the Toff (1952) – Superintendent
There Was a Young Lady (1953)
Carrington V.C. (1954)
The Quatermass Xperiment (1955) – Sir Lionel Dean (uncredited)
They Can't Hang Me (1955) – Wing Commander Riddle
Touch and Go (1955) – Stevens
The Narrowing Circle (1956) – George Pacey
Private's Progress (1956) – Col. Martin (uncredited)
Port of Escape (1956) – Det. Insp. Crawford
The Intimate Stranger (1956) – Dr. Gray
Reach for the Sky (1956) – Air Ministry Doctor (uncredited)
The Weapon (1956) – (uncredited)
The Counterfeit Plan (1957) – Police Commissioner
You Pay Your Money (1957) – Currie
Brothers in Law (1957) – Mr. Justice Emery
Yangtse Incident: The Story of H.M.S. Amethyst (1957) – Sir Lionel Henry Lamb, British Ambassador at Nanking
Man in the Shadow (1957) – Bit Part (uncredited)
Three Sundays to Live (1957) – Davitt
The Depraved (1957) – Tom Wilton
Son of a Stranger (1957) – Dr. Delaney
The Safecracker (1958) – Air Vice Marshal
Them Nice Americans – Inspector Adams
Innocent Sinners (1958) – Mr. Dyson – Olivia's Solicitor (uncredited)
Up the Creek (1958) – Coombes
The Spaniard's Curse (1958) – Guy Stevenson (uncredited)
A Cry from the Streets (1958) – Police Inspector (uncredited)
Carry On Sergeant (1958) – Third Specialist
Further Up the Creek (1958) – Flagship Commander
I Only Arsked! (1958) – (uncredited)
Corridors of Blood (1958) – Chairman
Room at the Top (1959) – Priest (uncredited)
Carlton-Browne of the F.O. (1959) – Security Officer
Sapphire (1959) – Doctor Burgess (uncredited)
I'm All Right Jack (1959) – Minister of Labour
A Touch of Larceny (1959) – Lt. Cmdr. Evans at P.R.O. (uncredited)
The Spider's Web (1960) – Hugo
Suspect (1960) – Dr Childs
The Pure Hell of St Trinian's (1960) – Army Officer
Sentenced for Life (1960) – Ralph Thompson
Gorgo (1961) – Admiral Brooks
The Secret Partner (1961) – Lyle
The Fourth Square (1961) - Inspector Forbes
The Court Martial of Major Keller (1961) – Morrell
Fate Takes a Hand (1961) – Wheeler
Life for Ruth (1962) – Lawyer Mapleton
Lawrence of Arabia (1962) – Cavalry General at Field Briefing (uncredited)
Seven Seas to Calais (1962) – Sir Francis Walsingham
Master Spy (1963) – Richard Horton
Heavens Above! (1963) – Prison Governor
80,000 Suspects (1963) – Medical Officer Boswell
Ring of Spies (1964) – 2nd Member at Lord's (uncredited)
Joey Boy (1965) – General
The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders (1965) – Lawyer
Rotten to the Core (1965) – The General
Where the Spies Are (1965) – Major Harding
Naked Evil (1966) – Jim Benson
The Jokers (1967) – Bank Manager
Cuckoo Patrol (1967) – Snodgrass
I'll Never Forget What's'isname (1967)
Assignment K (1968) – Howlett
Twisted Nerve (1968) – Doctor
Laughter in the Dark (1969) – Dealer
Battle of Britain (1969) – Tactical Records Officer (uncredited)
The Great White Hope (1970) – English Official (uncredited)
10 Rillington Place (1971) – Medical Board
Persuasion (1971) - Sir Walter Elliot
A Lizard in a Woman's Skin (1971) – The Commissioner (uncredited)
Young Winston (1972) – Joseph Chamberlain
Soft Beds, Hard Battles (1974) – Brigadier
Edward the Seventh (1975) - Prime Minister Asquith

References

"Basil Dignam". TV.com.
"Basil Dignam". BFI.
"Basil Dignam". aveleyman.com.
Hal Erickson. "Basil Dignam – Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos – AllMovie". AllMovie.

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