Ivan Kaye
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Ivan Blakeley Kaye (born 1 July 1961) is an English actor and producer. His international fame came with roles in historical drama shows like the
Duke of Milan The following is a list of rulers of Milan from the 13th century to 1814, after which it was incorporated into the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia by the Congress of Vienna. Before elevation to duchy Until 1259, Milan was a free commune that elect ...
in all three seasons of '' The Borgias'', and King Aelle in the first four Seasons of History channel's series '' Vikings.'' More recent projects include action thriller '' Gunpowder Milkshake,'' the series pilot for Amazon's adaptation of Stephen King's '' The Dark Tower,'' the first British original Disney+ series ''
Wedding Season ''Wedding Season'' is a 2022 American romantic comedy film directed by Tom Dey from a screenplay by Shiwani Srivastava. The film stars Suraj Sharma, Pallavi Sharda, Rizwan Manji, Veena Sood, Ari Afsar, Sean Kleier, and Manoj Sood. ''Wedding S ...
'' and a leading role in the Irish comedy feature film ''Apocalypse Clown''. In the UK, he is also widely known for is role as
Bryan Bryan may refer to: Places United States * Bryan, Arkansas * Bryan, Kentucky * Bryan, Ohio * Bryan, Texas * Bryan, Wyoming, a ghost town in Sweetwater County in the U.S. state of Wyoming * Bryan Township (disambiguation) Facilities and structur ...
in the comedy series '' The Green Green Grass.''


Early life

Kaye was born on 1 July 1961 in
Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...
, Northamptonshire. His passion for entertainment started in early childhood when he recreated television adverts at age two and performed shows with his friends throughout his childhood. As an eight-year-old boy, a key experience strengthened his enthusiasm and he joined a youth theatre group at age eleven, taking over organizational duties some years later. The only family member to have been involved in the entertainment industry before was Kaye's maternal grandmother who had been a musical star in the 1920s. As his parents were
social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...
ers who moved frequently, Kaye attended thirteen different senior schools and experienced
bullying Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception (by the bully or by others) of an imba ...
along the way. It was in a school fight that he got his nose broken. As his parents ran hostels for mentally ill people, adolescents and delinquents, Kaye came in contact with various types of behaviours and people from an early age. According to his own appraisal, this experience has been a helpful factor for the development of his wide-ranging repertoire. While earning his degree in English Literature at the University of Kent at Canterbury on the insistence of his parents, he performed in as many student plays as possible and started his professional career right afterward, getting an agent after one of his first serious performances in his early twenties and making his first West End theatre appearance early on. Hence Kaye had a successful theatre career already before starting his television work in his thirties. He decided to leave the theatre and turn to television in order to be able to spend time with his children while they were growing up because theatre performances in the evenings would have meant that he would not have been at home when they returned from school and university.


Career

Kaye made his theatre debut in 1980 at
Sadler's Wells Theatre Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue in Clerkenwell, London, England located on Rosebery Avenue next to New River Head. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site since 1683. It consists of two performance spaces: a 1,500-seat ...
in London as Willie Wonka in a stage version of '' Charlie and the Chocolate Factory''. More theatre roles followed throughout the 1980s and 1990s, e.g. at the
Royal National Theatre The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...
and the Piccadilly Theatre ('' The Rocky Horror Show''). In 1990, he started his television career by guest starring in the crime shows '' The Paradise Club'' and '' The Bill''. In 1992 he played the leading part Sam Sterne in ITV's crime show ''
Sam Saturday ''Sam Saturday'' is a British television police procedural series, broadcast between 27 June and 8 August 1992. The six-part series produced by Cinema Verity in association with LWT, broadcast on ITV, follows the work of DI Sam Sterne (Ivan Kay ...
''. Since then he has played almost 50 roles in television and, from 2004, in movies ('' Layer Cake'', ''
Control Control may refer to: Basic meanings Economics and business * Control (management), an element of management * Control, an element of management accounting * Comptroller (or controller), a senior financial officer in an organization * Controlling ...
''). Kaye's roles in recent international productions include drug baron Polo Yakur in ''Assassination Games'' (2011), the Duke of Milan
Ludovico Sforza Ludovico Maria Sforza (; 27 July 1452 – 27 May 1508), also known as Ludovico il Moro (; "the Moor"). "Arbiter of Italy", according to the expression used by Guicciardini,
in '' The Borgias'' (2011-2013), Joshua Collins, father of the main character
Barnabas Collins Barnabas Collins is a fictional character, a featured role in the ABC daytime serial ''Dark Shadows'', which aired from 1966 to 1971. Barnabas is a 175-year-old vampire in search of fresh blood and his lost love, Josette. The character, original ...
(
Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Award ...
) in '' Dark Shadows'' (2012), famous Viking warrior Ivar the Boneless in '' Hammer of the Gods'' (2013), pub landlord Mick Sturrock in BBC One's crime show ''
The Coroner ''The Coroner'' is a BBC Birmingham drama series starring Claire Goose as Jane Kennedy, a coroner based in a fictional South Devon coastal town. Matt Bardock stars as Detective Sergeant Davey Higgins. On 2 March 2017, the BBC announced that t ...
'' (2015-2016) and the
Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...
King Aelle of Northumbria in History channel's period drama '' Vikings'' (2013-2017). Aside from his villain roles as cold-blooded Polo Yakur (a "stand-out performance") and unscrupulous Duke Ludovico it is mainly his portrayal of King Aelle - in ''Vikings'' the deadly enemy and nemesis of the legendary hero of the show
Ragnar Lothbrok according to legends, was a Viking hero and a Danish and Swedish king.Gutenberg Proje ...
( Travis Fimmel) - that has recently shaped Kaye's international profile. In his Twitter bio he describes himself as "Villain for Hire". His performances in the second part of season 4 of ''Vikings'' have been met with increased interest as his character King Aelle is of pivotal importance in the scenes of Ragnar's death and at the centre of attention during his own execution through the blood eagle torture inflicted by Ragnar's sons in revenge for the death of their father. In an interview on his character King Aelle in September 2017, Kaye contested the assessment of this
antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the chief foe of the protagonist. Etymology The English word antagonist comes from the Greek ἀνταγωνιστής – ''antagonistēs'', "opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, riv ...
as a villain - an assessment that had already been subject to disputes between parts of the audience. Earlier internationally known roles include Reuben Starkadder in the television film ''
Cold Comfort Farm ''Cold Comfort Farm'' is a comic novel by English author Stella Gibbons, published in 1932. It parodies the romanticised, sometimes doom-laden accounts of rural life popular at the time, by writers such as Mary Webb. Plot summary Following ...
'' (1995) and Adonija in the German-Italian-French co-production ''
Solomon Solomon (; , ),, ; ar, سُلَيْمَان, ', , ; el, Σολομών, ; la, Salomon also called Jedidiah (Hebrew language, Hebrew: , Modern Hebrew, Modern: , Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: ''Yăḏīḏăyāh'', "beloved of Yahweh, Yah"), ...
'' (1997). Mainly in the United Kingdom, Kaye is also known for his characters Dr. Jonathan Leroy in 27 episodes of the soap opera ''
EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...
'' in 2003-2004 and the herdsman Bryan in all of the episodes of the 4 Series television sitcom '' The Green Green Grass'' (2005-2009). Up to 2021, Kaye has performed in four short films and, as a voice artist, he has lent his voice to characters in several video games like '' Warhammer 40,000: Fire Warrior'' (2003) and '' Star Wars: The Old Republic'' (2011) as well as starring as a main character in comedy episodes and short films produced by his own and Douglas McFerran's production company Comedy Ink Productions. From October 2017 to January 2018 he returned to the stage in the role of Tom Kettle in Jez Butterworth's play '' The Ferryman'' at Gielgud Theatre in London's West End. In April and May 2018, Kaye came back to the small screen in the UK in his role as Pesca in the five part miniseries '' The Woman in White'', a new BBC adaptation of Wilkie Collins' novel of the same name. A sneak peek review of British independent feature film ''For Love or Money: An Unromantic Comedy'' (released in the US on 15 March 2019) has emphasized his outstanding performance as the father of the main female character. Kaye's more recent projects include Amazon's unreleased but reviewed pilot for an unrealized adaptation of
Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...
's '' The Dark Tower'' book series, starting with a prequel about the main character's youth based on book 4 '' Wizard and Glass'' and
Navot Papushado Navot Papushado ( he, נבות פפושדו; born 4 March 1980) is an Israeli film director and screenwriter. Early life Papushado was born in Haifa, Israel, to a Sephardic Jewish family. He resided in the northern Galilee community settlement ...
's new action thriller '' Gunpowder Milkshake.'' The former has started filming in Split on 13 May 2019, the latter finished filming in August 2019 in Berlin and has been released in the US and several other countries in July 2021 and in the rest of the world in the following months. Kaye's own Comedy Ink short film ''Acter'' has been released in April 2020. In 2021, he has returned to TV series projects by joining the cast of the ''
Father Brown Father Brown is a fictional Roman Catholic priest and amateur detective who is featured in 53 short stories published between 1910 and 1936 written by English author G. K. Chesterton. Father Brown solves mysteries and crimes using his intuiti ...
'' spin-off ''
Sister Boniface Mysteries ''Sister Boniface Mysteries'' is a British detective period television series, created by Jude Tindall, which is produced by BBC Studios and BritBox. It is a spin-off of ''Father Brown'', as the Sister Boniface character was introduced in a ''Fa ...
'' produced by BBC Studios and released on 8 February 2022 on BritBox in the US as well as the first British original Disney+ series ''
Wedding Season ''Wedding Season'' is a 2022 American romantic comedy film directed by Tom Dey from a screenplay by Shiwani Srivastava. The film stars Suraj Sharma, Pallavi Sharda, Rizwan Manji, Veena Sood, Ari Afsar, Sean Kleier, and Manoj Sood. ''Wedding S ...
''. With his part in the Irish comedy film ''Apocalypse Clown'', filmed in 2022, Kaye plays a leading role again.


Personal life and social engagement

Aside from his native language English, Kaye also has knowledge in French and Spanish. As indicated by his first name he has Russian
ancestry An ancestor, also known as a forefather, fore-elder or a forebear, is a parent or (recursively) the parent of an antecedent (i.e., a grandparent, great-grandparent, great-great-grandparent and so forth). ''Ancestor'' is "any person from whom ...
. Kaye, who has two adult daughters, lives in London. Kaye supports the Our Disappearing Planet and the Mayhew animal charities. He also supports the campaign "Justice for Andrew Jones" which aims at bringing the killers of a teenager to court who was killed in 2003 in Liverpool on the street. In 2021, Kaye joined The Celebs to record a cover of The Beatles classic "
Let It Be Let It Be most commonly refers to: * ''Let It Be'' (Beatles album), the Beatles' final studio album, released in 1970 * "Let It Be" (Beatles song), the title song from the album It may also refer to: Film and television * ''Let It Be'' (1970 ...
", in support of the
Mind The mind is the set of faculties responsible for all mental phenomena. Often the term is also identified with the phenomena themselves. These faculties include thought, imagination, memory, will, and sensation. They are responsible for various m ...
charity and released on 3rd December 2021. Kaye was part of a choir of celebrities including his ''Vikings'' cast mate
Georgia Hirst Georgia Octavia Hirst (born 26 December 1994) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as the maiden Torvi in the History series ''Vikings'' (2014–2020) and Becky in the zombie horror movie ''Ravers'' (2018). Early life Hirst was bo ...
, Anne Hegerty and
Eunice Olumide Eunice Olumide MBE is a Scottish fashion model and actress. Early life Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Olumide has dual British and Nigerian nationality. The name "Olumide" means "God has come" or "My Hero has come" in the Yoruba language. ...
, who were backing
EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...
actress Shona McGarty.


Filmography


Theatre

West End Theatre; * (1987) Play. 'Serious Money'. Wyndham's Theatre. Zac Zackerman. * (1990) Musical. ' The Rocky Horror Show'. Piccadilly Theatre. Eddie/Dr. Scott. * (1993) Play. 'On The Piste'. Garrick Theatre. Dave. * (1994) Play. 'View from the Bridge'. Strand Theatre. Marco. * (2000) Play. 'In Flame'. Ambassadors. Matt / Frank / Fabrizio. * (2017-2018) Play. 'The Ferryman'. Gielgud Theatre. Tom Kettle. National Theatre; * (1988) Play. 'The Changeling'. National Theatre. Don Pedro. * (1988) Play. 'The Magic Olympical Games'. National Theatre. Magus. * (1989) Play. 'Ghetto'. National Theatre. Kruk/ Sasha Molevsky. * (1992) Play. 'Fuente Ovejuna'. National Theatre. Dan Manrique. Other; * (1980) Musical. 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'. Sadler's Wells/Sheffield Crucible. Willy Wonka. * (1984) Play. 'In Nomine Patris'. Edinburgh/King's Head Dad. (Fringe First) * (1984) Review. 'The Floodlight's Review'. Edinburgh. Various Roles/+Writer. (Nominated for Perrier) * (1985) Musical. 'Sammy's Magic Garden'. Edinburgh Festival/Latchmere. Compost. * (1986) Play. 'Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead'. Latchmere. Player King. * (1987) Panto. 'Cinderella'. Latchmere. Ugly Sister. * (1994) Play. 'View from the Bridge'. Bristol Old Vic/Birmingham Rep. Marco. * (1996) Musical. 'Lock up your Daughters'. Chichester Festival Theatre. Ramble. * (1999) Play. 'In Flame'. Bush Theatre. Matt/ Frank / Fabrizio. * (2002) Play. '
Teeth 'n' Smiles ''Teeth 'n' Smiles'' is a musical play written by David Hare. Performances The play was first performed at the Royal Court Theatre on 2 September 1975. It was subsequently revived at Wyndhams Theatre in May 1976 (directed by the playwright), ...
'. Sheffield Crucible. Saraffian.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kaye, Ivan 1961 births Living people English male soap opera actors Actors from Northamptonshire People from Northampton 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors