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 Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

and won a scholarship to study at

Geelong Grammar School , motto_translation = 1 Corinthians 1:30: "For us, Christ was made wisdom"( 1 Corinthians 1:30: Christ, who has been made for us in wisdom) , city = Corio, Victoria , country = Australia , coordinates = , ...

. 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 St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Melbourne, Australia. It is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Melbourne and the seat of the Archbishop of Melbourne, who is also the metropolitan archbishop of the Province of Victoria. ...

, who gave him free tuition in recognition of his potential as an organist. Kaye travelled to France to study the organ with

Pierre Cochereau Pierre Eugène Charles Cochereau (9 July 1924 – 6 March 1984) was a French organist, improviser, composer, and pedagogue. Cochereau was titular organist of the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris from 1955 to his death in 1984 and was responsibl ...

Notre Dame de Paris Notre-Dame de Paris (; meaning "Our Lady of Paris"), referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the Seine River), in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. The cathedral, dedicated to the ...

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 "

aid In international relations, aid (also known as international aid, overseas aid, foreign aid, economic aid or foreign assistance) is – from the perspective of governments – a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another. Ai ...

the foundation for

he school's He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

… high reputation on the world of music nd it was hisenthusiasm and constructive knowledge

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

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 Illuminations may refer to: Shows and festivals * IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, a nightly fireworks show currently at Epcot at Walt Disney World Resort *'' IllumiNations'', original nightly firework show at Epcot at Walt Disney World Resor ...

'' (1976) and ''Kostas'' (1979), and shared the lead with

Wendy Hughes Wendy Hughes (29 July 19528 March 2014) was an Australian actress known for her work in theatre, film and television. Her career spanned more than forty years and established her reputation as one of Australia's finest and most prolific actors. ...

in Cox's 1982 film '' Lonely Hearts'' and the lead in ''

Man of Flowers A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chrom ...

'' (1983), for which he won an

AFI Award The Australian Film Institute (AFI) was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry. It is responsi ...

. He appeared in minor roles in many subsequent Cox films including ''

Innocence Innocence is a lack of guilt, with respect to any kind of crime, or wrongdoing. In a legal context, innocence is to the lack of legal guilt of an individual, with respect to a crime. In other contexts, it is a lack of experience. In relation ...

'' (2000). Other films in which he appeared included ''

Mad Dog Morgan ''Mad Dog Morgan'' is a 1976 Australian bushranger film directed by Philippe Mora and starring Dennis Hopper, Jack Thompson (actor), Jack Thompson and David Gulpilil. It is based upon the life of Dan Morgan (bushranger), Dan Morgan. Plot Dan M ...

'', '' Turtle Beach'', ''

Oscar and Lucinda ''Oscar and Lucinda'' is a novel by Australian author Peter Carey which won the 1988 Booker Prize and the 1989 Miles Franklin Award. It was shortlisted for The Best of the Booker. Plot introduction It tells the story of Oscar Hopkins, th ...

'' and ''

Moulin Rouge! ''Moulin Rouge!'' (, ) is a 2001 jukebox musical romantic drama film directed, co-produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. It follows a young English poet, Christian, who falls in love with the star of the Moulin Rouge, cabaret actress and cour ...

''. He also wrote a number of film scores. Kaye is the subject of Cox's

biographical film A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudra ...

''The Remarkable Mr Kaye'' (2005), a tribute to their long standing friendship and working relationship.

Illness

Norman Kaye was diagnosed with

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...

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 Elke Cordelia Neidhardt AM (5 July 194125 November 2013) was a German Australian actress and opera and theatre director. She appeared in theatre, television and feature films in Germany, Austria, France and Australia, and directed operas in Zur ...

, and she was at his side at his death.

Legacy

In 2007 a retrospective CD ''The Remarkable Norman Kaye'' was issued by

Move Records Move Records is an Australian record label that was started in 1968 by Martin Wright. It concentrates primarily in classical and jazz music, particularly Australian, and most frequently Melbourne-based musicians and composers. Artists Compo ...

.News – Move Records
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Partial filmography

*''The Secret of Susanna'' (1961, TV Movie) - Sante *''

The First Joanna ''The First Joanna'' is a 1943 play by Dorothy Blewett that was adapted for radio and television. Plot An English girl called Joanna marries an Australian wine-grower and moves to his family home in South Australia. She does not like it and is abo ...

'' (1961, TV Movie) *''

Boy Round the Corner ''Boy Round the Corner'' is an Australian film which aired in 1962. Broadcast live on ABC, it was set in Sydney but produced in Melbourne. Australian TV drama was relatively rare at the time. The archival status of the film is not known, given ...

'' (1962, TV Movie) - Shannon *''

Fury in Petticoats ''Fury in Petticoats'' is a 1962 television play broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It was directed by Christopher Muir. It was based on a play which had been filmed by British TV the year before. Although fictional, the plot ...

'' (1962, TV Movie) - Charlies Darwin *''

You Can't Win 'Em All ''You Can't Win 'Em All'' is a 1970 British-American war film, written by Leo Gordon (also an actor who appears in the film) and directed by Peter Collinson. It stars Tony Curtis, Charles Bronson and Michele Mercier. Plot The setting is th ...

'' (1962, TV Movie) - Selasco *''

The Angry General ''The Angry General'' is a 1964 Australian television play written by Australian author Allan Trevor. Premise The play is set in London in the present day. Former wartime minister, Lord Athol Medway, publishes his memoirs attacking the leadership ...

'' (1964, TV Movie) - Major Derek Barrington-Hunt *''Martha'' (1964, TV Movie) *''

The Road ''The Road'' is a 2006 post-apocalyptic novel by American writer Cormac McCarthy. The book details the grueling journey of a father and his young son over a period of several months across a landscape blasted by an unspecified cataclysm that ha ...

'' (1964, TV Movie) - Sir Timothy Hassall *'' Wind from the Icy Country'' (1964, TV Movie) - Ehrbar *''

Everyman The everyman is a stock character of fiction. An ordinary and humble character, the everyman is generally a protagonist whose benign conduct fosters the audience's identification with them. Origin The term ''everyman'' was used as early as ...

'' (1964, TV Movie) - Discretion *''

Six Characters in Search of an Author ''Six Characters in Search of an Author'' ( it, Sei personaggi in cerca d'autore, link=no ) is an Italian play by Luigi Pirandello, written and first performed in 1921. An absurdist fiction, absurdist metatheatrical, metatheatric play about th ...

'' (1964, TV Movie) - The Father *''The Journey'' (1972) *''

'' (1976) - Gabi's Father *''

'' (1976) - Swagman *'' Inside Looking Out'' (1978) - Alex *'' Kostas'' (1979) - Passenger *''

The Killing of Angel Street ''The Killing of Angel Street'' is a 1981 Australian thriller film loosely based on the Builders Labourers Federation (BLF) green bans against development in inner Sydney city waterside suburbs. It briefly touches on the real-life disappearance of ...

'' (1981) - Mander *''

A Dangerous Summer ''A Dangerous Summer'' (aka ''Flash Fire'') is a 1982 Australian crime film drama film directed by Quentin Masters and starring Tom Skerritt, Ian Gilmour, Guy Doleman and James Mason. Production The film was inspired by the Sydney bush fire ...

'' (1982) - Percy Farley *'' Lonely Hearts'' (1982) - Peter Thompson *'' Buddies'' (1983) - George *''

'' (1983) - Charles *'' Careful, He Might Hear You'' (1983) - (uncredited) *''

Where the Green Ants Dream ''Where the Green Ants Dream'' (german: Wo die grünen Ameisen träumen, links=no) is a 1984 German film directed by Werner Herzog, made in Australia. Based on a true story about Indigenous land rights in Australia but slated as a mixture of fac ...

'' (1984) - Baldwin Ferguson *''Relatives'' (1984) - Uncle Edward *'' Unfinished Business'' (1985) - George *''

Cactus A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek ...

'' (1986) - Tom *''

I Own the Racecourse ''I Own the Racecourse'' is a 1985 Australian children's film.David Stratton, ''The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry'', Pan MacMillan, 1990 p340Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford ...

'' (1986, TV Movie) - Drunken Old Man *'' Frenchman's Farm'' (1987) - Reverend Aldershot *''

Hungry Heart "Hungry Heart" is a ballad written and performed by Bruce Springsteen on his fifth album, '' The River''. It was released as the album's lead single in 1980 and became Springsteen's first big hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart peaking at numb ...

'' (1987) - Mr. O'Ryan *''

Warm Nights on a Slow Moving Train ''Warm Nights on a Slow Moving Train'' is a 1988 Australian film directed by Bob Ellis and starring Wendy Hughes, Colin Friels, and Norman Kaye. Nominated at the AFI Awards in the Best Achievement in Cinematography (Yuri Sokol) category. Premis ...

'' (1987) - Salesman *''

The Riddle of the Stinson ''The Riddle of the Stinson'' is a 1987 Australian television film about the 1937 Airlines of Australia Stinson crash at Lamington, Queensland, Australia and the rescue of its survivors by local Queenslander Bernard O'Reilly (played in the film ...

'' (1988, TV Movie) - Binstead *''

Boundaries of the Heart ''Boundaries of the Heart'' is a 1988 film starring Wendy Hughes. It was shot in Coolgardie, near Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.David Stratton, ''The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry'', Pan MacMillan, 1990 p11 ...

'' (1988) - Billy Marsden *''

Island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

'' (1989) - Henry *''

Bangkok Hilton ''Bangkok Hilton'' is a three-part Australian mini-series made in 1989 by Kennedy Miller Productions and directed by Ken Cameron. The title of the mini-series is the nickname of a fictional Bangkok prison in which the main protagonist (Nicole ...

'' (1989, TV Mini Series) - George McNair (uncredited) *''

Golden Braid ''Golden Braid'' is a 1990 Australian film directed by Paul Cox, who later called it "quite a funny film, but very few people get it."

'' (1990) - Psychiatrist *''

A Woman's Tale ''A Woman's Tale'' is a 1991 Australian film directed by Paul Cox and starring Sheila Florance, Gosia Dobrowolska, Norman Kaye, Chris Haywood, Max Gillies and Ernie Gray. Premise Martha (Florance) is an elderly woman living alone in her flat ...

'' (1991) - Billy *'' Turtle Beach'' (1992) - Hobday *''

The Nun and the Bandit ''The Nun and the Bandit'' is an Australian film directed by Paul Cox. Plot summary In the 1940s, two outlaw brothers kidnap their wealthy 14-year-old second cousin, but things get complicated when her chaperoning nun refuses to abandon her cha ...

'' (1992) - George Shanley *''

The Nostradamus Kid ''The Nostradamus Kid'' is a 1992 Australian feature film written and directed by Bob Ellis. The film is about the religious and sexual coming of age of a 1950s and 1960s Seventh-day Adventist boy. Ken Elkin (Noah Taylor) is a "randy young m ...

'' (1993) - Wedding Pastor *'' Broken Highway'' (1993) - Elias Kidd *''

The Custodian ''The Custodian'' is a 1993 Australian drama film, written and directed by John Dingwall, starring Anthony LaPaglia, Hugo Weaving and Barry Otto Barry Otto (born 1941) is an Australian actor, primarily of cinema, and an amateur artist. Earl ...

'' (1993) - Judge *''

Bad Boy Bubby ''Bad Boy Bubby'' is a 1993 black comedy film written and directed by Rolf de Heer, and starring Nicholas Hope, Claire Benito, Ralph Cotterill and Carmel Johnson. Hope stars as the titular character, a mentally challenged man who has been held ...

'' (1993) - The Scientist *''

Exile Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...

'' (1994) - Ghost Priest *''

Lust and Revenge ''Lust and Revenge'' is a 1996 film directed by Paul Cox. It was shot in South Australia.Heaven's Burning'' (1997) - Store Owner *''

Paws A paw is the soft foot-like part of a mammal, generally a quadruped, that has claws. Common characteristics The paw is characterised by thin, pigmented, keratinised, hairless epidermis covering subcutaneous collagenous and adipose tissue ...

'' (1997) - Alex *''

'' (1997) - Bishop Dancer *''

'' (2000) - Gerald *''

'' (2001) - Satine's Doctor *''

Human Touch ''Human Touch'' is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen. The album was released on March 31, 1992, the same day as '' Lucky Town''. It was the more popular of the two, peaking at number two on the US ''Billboar ...

'' (2004) - Charles (final film role)

Awards and nominations

*1983

: Best Actor in a Lead Role (''Man of Flowers'') *1982 Nominated for

: Best Actor in a Lead Role (''Lonely Hearts'')

Footnotes

References

External links

* * Obituary in ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

'', 31 May 2007, by Fabian Muir,

's son whom Norman Kaye helped to raise. * Muir, Fabian
"Norman Kaye, Artist and Composer"
''

'', 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''.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaye, Norman 1927 births 2007 deaths People educated at Geelong Grammar School Australian male film actors Best Actor AACTA Award winners Australian classical organists Male classical organists Australian conductors (music) Deaths from dementia in Australia Deaths from Alzheimer's disease 20th-century organists 20th-century conductors (music) 20th-century Australian male musicians Musicians from Melbourne