Norman Kaye

For those of a similar name, see Norman Kay (disambiguation).

Norman Kaye
Born	Norman James Kaye (1927-01-17)17 January 1927 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Died	28 May 2007(2007-05-28) (aged 80) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation(s)	Actor, musician
Years active	1961–2004

Norman James Kaye (17 January 1927 – 28 May 2007) was an Australian actor and musician. He was best known for his roles in the films of director Paul Cox.

Early life and education

Kaye was born in Melbourne and won a scholarship to study at Geelong Grammar School. His parents were distant, and both died early, his mother in a psychiatric hospital.

Musician

Kaye's musical abilities were noticed by A. E. Floyd, the organist of St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne, who gave him free tuition in recognition of his potential as an organist.

Kaye travelled to France to study the organ with Pierre Cochereau at Notre Dame de Paris and he won a Premier Prix for conducting at the Nice Conservatoire.

Caulfield Grammar School

He was the choirmaster and the music teacher at Caulfield Grammar School from 1958 to 1977, during which time he "[laid] the foundation for [the school's] … high reputation on the world of music [and it was his] enthusiasm and constructive knowledge [that] made choral singing and the playing of orchestral instruments activities of a central rather than peripheral importance to the school." It was the security of a teacher's salary that allowed Kaye to explore the acting world.

Actor

As an actor, he was strongly associated with the films of Paul Cox, appearing in 16 of them. He had small roles in Cox's Illuminations (1976) and Kostas (1979), and shared the lead with Wendy Hughes in Cox's 1982 film Lonely Hearts and the lead in Man of Flowers (1983), for which he won an AFI Award. He appeared in minor roles in many subsequent Cox films including Innocence (2000). Other films in which he appeared included Mad Dog Morgan, Turtle Beach, Oscar and Lucinda and Moulin Rouge!. He also wrote a number of film scores.

Kaye is the subject of Cox's biographical film The Remarkable Mr Kaye (2005), a tribute to their long standing friendship and working relationship.

Illness

Norman Kaye was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease prior to 1997. His inability to memorise scripts for the film Innocence led to the end of his collaboration with Paul Cox, as well as the end of his career in 2004. Kaye was in the advanced stage of the disease at the time of his death in Sydney on 28 May 2007. He had enjoyed a 35-year relationship with the opera director Elke Neidhardt, and she was at his side at his death.

Legacy

In 2007 a retrospective CD The Remarkable Norman Kaye was issued by Move Records.

Partial filmography

• The Secret of Susanna (1961, TV Movie) - Sante
• The First Joanna (1961, TV Movie)
• Boy Round the Corner (1962, TV Movie) - Shannon
• Fury in Petticoats (1962, TV Movie) - Charlies Darwin
• You Can't Win 'Em All (1962, TV Movie) - Selasco
• The Angry General (1964, TV Movie) - Major Derek Barrington-Hunt
• Martha (1964, TV Movie)
• The Road (1964, TV Movie) - Sir Timothy Hassall
• Wind from the Icy Country (1964, TV Movie) - Ehrbar
• Everyman (1964, TV Movie) - Discretion
• Six Characters in Search of an Author (1964, TV Movie) - The Father
• The Journey (1972)
• Illuminations (1976) - Gabi's Father
• Mad Dog Morgan (1976) - Swagman
• Inside Looking Out (1978) - Alex
• Kostas (1979) - Passenger
• The Killing of Angel Street (1981) - Mander
• A Dangerous Summer (1982) - Percy Farley
• Lonely Hearts (1982) - Peter Thompson
• Buddies (1983) - George
• Man of Flowers (1983) - Charles
• Careful, He Might Hear You (1983) - (uncredited)
• Where the Green Ants Dream (1984) - Baldwin Ferguson
• Relatives (1984) - Uncle Edward
• Unfinished Business (1985) - George
• Cactus (1986) - Tom
• I Own the Racecourse (1986, TV Movie) - Drunken Old Man
• Frenchman's Farm (1987) - Reverend Aldershot
• Hungry Heart (1987) - Mr. O'Ryan
• Warm Nights on a Slow Moving Train (1987) - Salesman
• The Riddle of the Stinson (1988, TV Movie) - Binstead
• Boundaries of the Heart (1988) - Billy Marsden
• Island (1989) - Henry
• Bangkok Hilton (1989, TV Mini Series) - George McNair (uncredited)
• Golden Braid (1990) - Psychiatrist
• A Woman's Tale (1991) - Billy
• Turtle Beach (1992) - Hobday
• The Nun and the Bandit (1992) - George Shanley
• The Nostradamus Kid (1993) - Wedding Pastor
• Broken Highway (1993) - Elias Kidd
• The Custodian (1993) - Judge
• Bad Boy Bubby (1993) - The Scientist
• Exile (1994) - Ghost Priest
• Lust and Revenge (1996) - Baba Charles
• Heaven's Burning (1997) - Store Owner
• Paws (1997) - Alex
• Oscar and Lucinda (1997) - Bishop Dancer
• Innocence (2000) - Gerald
• Moulin Rouge! (2001) - Satine's Doctor
• Human Touch (2004) - Charles (final film role)

Awards and nominations

• 1983 AFI Award: Best Actor in a Lead Role (Man of Flowers)
• 1982 Nominated for AFI Award: Best Actor in a Lead Role (Lonely Hearts)

See also

• List of Caulfield Grammar School people

References

• Webber, Horace (1981). Years May Pass On... Caulfield Grammar School, 1881–1981. Centenary Committee, Caulfield Grammar School, (East St Kilda). ISBN 0-9594242-0-2.

External links

• Norman Kaye at IMDb
• Obituary in The Age, 31 May 2007, by Fabian Muir, Elke Neidhardt's son whom Norman Kaye helped to raise.
• Muir, Fabian. "Norman Kaye, Artist and Composer", Move Records, Obituary as reproduced from The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, 1 June 2007.
• Portrait of Norman Kaye (1989), Photographer Angela Lynkushka, Collection of the National Library of Australia.