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 into a tough childhood in Depression Era Melbourne, as one of four children. His father was an injured, poor Boer War veteran, his mother suffered from mental illness, and both parents were distant. Kaye was taken in as a child by the Norton family, who provided him with a safe haven from the hardships at home.
Kaye won a scholarship to study at Geelong Grammar School. His parents both died early, his mother in a psychiatric hospital.
Career
Music Kaye's musical abilities were noticed by A. E. Floyd,Chappell, W.F., "Floyd, Alfred Ernest (1877–1974)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 8, 1981. the organist of St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne, who gave him free tuition in recognition of his potential as an organist.
Kaye travelled to England and then 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. He returned to Australia due to feeling lonely and homesick. Back in Melbourne, he continued his pursuit of music, including as the acting organist of St Paul's Cathedral.
Teaching Kaye was the choirmaster and the music teacher at Caulfield Grammar School, a private school in Melbourne, from 1958 to 1977,Webber (1981), p.268. 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."Webber (1981), pp.255–256. It was the security of a teacher's salary that allowed Kaye to explore the acting world.
Acting With a passion for acting, Kaye began his career playing minor unpaid roles in small theatres, when television was still in its infancy. He did not however start acting full time until he was in his forties.
In 1967, Kaye met director Paul Cox, who at the time was a photographer, taking production stills at St Martin's Theatre. He ended up appearing in 16 of Cox's films, beginning with small roles in Illuminations (1975) and Kostas (1979), before sharing the lead with Wendy Hughes in Cox's 1982 film Lonely Hearts which saw him nominated for an AFI Award. He also played the lead in Man of Flowers (1983), this time winning an AFI Award. He appeared in minor roles in many subsequent Cox films, including Innocence (2000).
Other early films in which Kaye appeared included Mad Dog Morgan (1976) and Inside Looking Out (1977), His film career continued in the 1980s with roles in Buddies (1983) and Unfinished Business (1986). In 1987, he appeared in mystery horror Frenchman’s Farm with John Meillon and comedy Hungry Heart alongside Nick Carrafa before acting in drama film Boundaries of the Heart opposite Wendy Hughes the following year. He also appeared in the 1988 documentary Vincent – The Life and Death of Vincent Van Gogh with Gabi Trsek.
Kaye appeared in film roles well into the 1990s, with Turtle Beach (1992), western Broken Highway (1993) and Exile (1994) both with Aden Young and Bad Boy Bubby (1993) and Lust and Revenge (1996), both alongside Nicholas Hope. In 1997, he appeared in Oscar and Lucinda with Cate Blanchett and Baz Luhrmann’s musical epic Moulin Rouge! (2001), opposite Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor.
Kaye's television credits included medical drama The Flying Doctors, cult prison drama Prisoner, police procedural series Homicide, crime drama Wildside and miniseries Power Without Glory, based on the historical novel by Frank Hardy.
He also wrote the scores for many films, including Lonely Hearts and the Burton Pugach documentary Crazy Love (2007).
Kaye is the subject of Cox's biographical film The Remarkable Mr Kaye (2005), a tribute to their long standing friendship and working relationship.
Personal life and death 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 by his side at his death.
Legacy In 2007 a retrospective CD, The Remarkable Norman Kaye, was issued by Move Records.News – Move Records
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 1972 The Journey 1976 Illuminations Gabi's Father 1976 Mad Dog Morgan Swagman 1978 Inside Looking Out Alex 1979 Kostas Passenger 1981 The Killing of Angel Street Mander 1982 A Dangerous Summer Percy Farley 1982 Lonely Hearts Peter Thompson 1983 Buddies George 1983 Careful, He Might Hear You Uncredited 1983 Man of Flowers Charles Bremer 1984 Where the Green Ants Dream Baldwin Ferguson 1984 Relatives Uncle Edward 1985 Unfinished Business George 1986 Cactus Tom 1987 Warm Nights on a Slow Moving Train Salesman 1987 Frenchman's Farm Reverend Aldershot 1987 Hungry Heart Mr. O'Ryan 1988 Boundaries of the Heart Billy Marsden 1989 Island Henry 1990 Golden Braid Psychiatrist 1991 A Woman's Tale Billy 1992 Turtle Beach Hobday 1992 The Nun and the Bandit George Shanley Also known as The Killing Beach 1993 The Nostradamus Kid Wedding Pastor 1993 Broken Highway Elias Kidd 1993 Bad Boy Bubby The Scientist 1993 The Custodian Judge 1993 Touch Me Charles Short film 1994 Exile Ghost Priest 1995 Surrender Norman Short film 1996 Lust and Revenge Baba Charles 1997 Heaven's Burning Store Owner 1997 Paws Alex 1997 Oscar and Lucinda Bishop Dancer 2000 Innocence Gerald 2001 Moulin Rouge! Satine's Doctor 2004 Human Touch Charles Final film role
Television Year Title Role Notes 1961 The First Joanna Stephen Deveron TV play 1961 The Secret of Susanna Sante TV play 1962 Boy Round the Corner Shannon TV play 1962 Fury in Petticoats Charles Darwin TV play 1962 You Can't Win 'Em All Manuel Selasco TV play 1964 The Angry General Major Derek Barrington-Hunt TV play 1964 Martha TV play 1964 The Road Sir Timothy Hassall TV play 1964 Wind from the Icy Country Ehrbar TV play 1964 Everyman Discretion TV play 1964 Six Characters in Search of an Author The Father TV play 1966 Boy with Banner Mr Browne TV play 1968–1969 Hunter Captain Jansen / Max Holland / Inspector 3 episodes 1969 Riptide Eric Garrow 1 episode 1969 The Party Erasmus TV play 1973 Ryan Florist 1 episode 1969–1974 Division 4 Edward James / Hotel clerk / Rev Lewis / Bill Reed / Dr Mason / Dr Young / Freddie Baxter / Bernie Townsend / Alan Standish / Scott 11 episodes 1975 Shannon's Mob Henry Vaughan 1 episode 1964–1975 Homicide Prosecutor / Dr Ian Scott / Lou Hines / Haines / Frank Vaughan / Doug Thompson / Dr Edmunds / Roger Warwick / Sutton / Max Hudson / Michael Franklin / Graham Smith / Maddox / Clyde Starling / Nigel Harcourt / Griffiths / Robert Craig / David Metcalfe 18 episodes 1971–1976 Matlock Police Sect elder #1 / Gaylord / Ivan Beckett 3 episodes 1976 The Bluestone Boys 1976 Power Without Glory Ned Horan / Prosecuting Sergeant Miniseries, 2 episodes 1979 Ride on Stranger Inspector Miniseries, 2 episodes 1979 Prisoner Ron Watkins 2 episodes 1980 The Last Outlaw Supt. Sadleir Miniseries, 4 episodes 1982 Deadline ASIO agent TV movie 1983 Carson's Law Roger Cruickshank 1 episode 1978–1983 Cop Shop Sir Joseph Moore / Keith Anderson / Mr Montford 4 episodes 1984 The Cowra Breakout Mr Davidson Miniseries 1984 Special Squad Lenny / Skittles 2 episodes 1986 Handle with Care Surgeon TV movie 1986 Dancing Daze Stephen Isaacs 6 episodes 1986 Winners Trapp Anthology series, 1 episode 1986 Tusitala Reverend Clark Miniseries, 3 episodes 1986 Call Me Mister Sir James Bartholemew 1 episode 1986 I Own the Racecourse Drunken Old Man TV movie 1987 Frontier Lancelot Threlkeld Miniseries, 3 episodes 1987 Flight into Hell Miniseries 1987 The Shiralee Desmond Miniseries, 2 episodes 1988 Rafferty's Rules Harold Messenger 1 episode 1988 The Riddle of the Stinson Binstead TV movie 1988 True Believers Archbishop Daniel Mannix Miniseries, 6 episodes 1989 Bangkok Hilton George McNair (uncredited) Miniseries, 1 episode 1987–1990 The Flying Doctors William Randall 5 episodes 1992 G.P. Luke Chisholm 2 episodes 1993 A Country Practice Tony Oldin 2 episodes 1994 Under the Skin Anthology series, 2 episodes 1994 Law of the Land Charlie Carmody 1 episode 1995 Bordertown Pieter Leeuwen Miniseries, 4 episodes 1996 Water Rats Felix Friedman 2 episodes 1997 Good Guys, Bad Guys Roly Finster 1 episode 1997 Roar Galen 1 episode 1998 Wildside Ralph Morton Season 1, episode 1 1998 Murder Call Vic Popov Season 3 1999 Without Warning Max TV movie
Theatre
As actor Year Title Role Notes Ref.1958 Dinner with the Family Melbourne Little Theatre The Potting Shed 1960 Sabrina Fair 1961 The Prodigal Son Azael ABC TV Studios, Melbourne The Elder Statesman Melbourne Little Theatre The Slaughter of St Teresa's Day 1962 The Public Prosecutor 1963 Silent Night, Lonely Night St Martins Theatre, Melbourne A Touch of the Poet 1964 The Tower 1965 Poor Bitos Danton Dylan 1966 The Cavern 1968 The Little Foxes Horace Giddens The Judge The Judge 1969 Eden House Mark Russell Marching Song The Rope Dancers James Hyland 1970 The Chalk Garden Maitland On Approval Richard Halton 1971 The Happy Apple Uncle Vanya Mihail Lvovitch Astrov, a country Doctor 1972 Caesar and Cleopatra Caesar 1974 Three Men on a Horse Sydney Opera House 1974; 1975 Hotel Paradiso UNSW Old Tote Theatre, Sydney, Playhouse, Canberra 1976 Rookery Nook UNSW Old Tote Theatre, Sydney 1977 The Fall Guy Jack Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 1978 Richard III Edward IV Melbourne Athenaeum with MTC Henry IV Westmoreland / Sherrif / Shallow Nimrod Theatre, Sydney Widowers' Houses William de Burgh Kokane UNSW Old Tote Theatre, Sydney 1979 The Lady of the Camellias Comte de Varville Sydney Opera House with STC Rain Dr MacPhail Ensemble Theatre, Sydney 1980 Mourning Becomes Electra Brant / Ezra SGIO Theatre, Brisbane with QTC The Precious Woman Mr Simpson / Peasant / Refugee / Pianist Sydney Opera House with QTC 1981 Cole's Funny Picture Person Universal Theatre, Melbourne Amadeus Baron Gottfried van Swieten Melbourne Athenaeum with MTC 1982 As You Like It Adam The Changeling Universal Theatre, Melbourne with MTC A Perfect Retreat Melbourne Athenaeum with MTC 1983 Slice 1986 An Imaginary Life Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney The Seagull Sydney Opera House with STC Dead to the World Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 1988 Big and Little The Old Man / Wilhelm Sydney Opera House with STC 1989 The Road to Mecca Marius Byleveld Russell St Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 1990 Hopping to Byzantium Ensemble Theatre, Sydney Swimming in Light Dancer Fairfax Studio, Melbourne, Seymour Centre, Sydney with Kim Carpenter's Theatre of Image 1991 The Revenger's Tragedy Sydney Opera House with STC Racing Demon Wharf Theatre, Sydney with STC 1993 Shadowlands Harry Harrington Playhouse, Melbourne with MTC The Temple Sir James Wilson / Barry St John Wharf Theatre, Sydney with STC 1996 Mr Halpern and Mr Johnson Ensemble Theatre, Sydney 1998 Blinded by the Sun Sydney Opera House with Ensemble Theatre
As crew Year Title Role Notes 1961 The Splendid Outcasts Musical Advisor Melbourne Little Theatre 1965 Oedipus Rex Composer / Sound Designer Emerald Hill Theatre, Melbourne 1966 The Magic Dream Composer St Martins Theatre, Melbourne 1969 Love for Love Musical Advisor 1993 Shadowlands Organist Playhouse, Melbourne with MTC
Awards and nominations Year Work Award Category Result 1982 Lonely Hearts AFI Award Best Actor in a Lead Role 1983 Man of Flowers
See also List of Caulfield Grammar School people
References
External links
Obituary in The Age, 31 May 2007, by Fabian Muir, Elke Neidhardt's son whom Norman Kaye helped to raise.