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

Kaye was born into a tough childhood inDepression EraMelbourne, as one of four children. His father was an injured, poorBoer War veteran, his mother suffered from mental illness, and both parents were distant.^[1] Kaye was taken in as a child by the Norton family, who provided him with a safe haven from the hardships at home.^[1]

Kaye won a scholarship to study atGeelong Grammar School. His parents both died early, his mother in a psychiatric hospital.^[2]

Kaye's musical abilities were noticed byA. E. Floyd,^[3] the organist ofSt Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne, who gave him free tuition in recognition of his potential as an organist.^[1]

Kaye travelled to England and then France to study the organ withPierre Cochereau atNotre-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 ofSt Paul's Cathedral.^[1]

Kaye was the choirmaster and the music teacher atCaulfield Grammar School, a private school inMelbourne, from 1958 to 1977,^[4] 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."^[5] It was the security of a teacher's salary that allowed Kaye to explore the acting world.^[6]

With a passion for acting, Kaye began his career playing minor unpaid roles in small theatres, when television was still in its infancy.^[1] He did not however start acting full time until he was in his forties.^[6]

In 1967, Kaye met directorPaul Cox, who at the time was a photographer, taking production stills atSt Martin's Theatre. He ended up appearing in 16 of Cox's films,^[6] beginning with small roles inIlluminations (1975)^[7] andKostas (1979), before sharing the lead withWendy Hughes in Cox's 1982 filmLonely Hearts^[7] which saw him nominated for anAFI Award. He also played the lead inMan of Flowers (1983), this time winning anAFI Award. He appeared in minor roles in many subsequent Cox films, includingInnocence (2000).

Other early films in which Kaye appeared includedMad Dog Morgan (1976) andInside Looking Out (1977),^[7] His film career continued in the 1980s with roles inBuddies (1983) andUnfinished Business (1986).^[7] In 1987, he appeared in mystery horrorFrenchman’s Farm withJohn Meillon and comedyHungry Heart alongsideNick Carrafa before acting in drama filmBoundaries of the Heart oppositeWendy Hughes the following year..^[7] He also appeared in the 1988 documentaryVincent – The Life and Death of Vincent Van Gogh with Gabi Trsek.

Kaye appeared in film roles well into the 1990s, withTurtle Beach (1992), westernBroken Highway (1993) andExile (1994) both withAden Young andBad Boy Bubby (1993) andLust and Revenge (1996), both alongsideNicholas Hope.^[7] In 1997, he appeared inOscar and Lucinda withCate Blanchett andBaz Luhrmann’s musical epicMoulin Rouge! (2001), oppositeNicole Kidman andEwan McGregor.^[7]

Kaye's television credits included medical dramaThe Flying Doctors, cult prison dramaPrisoner, police procedural seriesHomicide, crime dramaWildside and miniseriesPower Without Glory, based on the historical novel byFrank Hardy.

He also wrote the scores for many films, includingLonely Hearts^[1] and theBurton Pugach documentaryCrazy Love (2007).^[7]

Kaye is the subject of Cox'sbiographical filmThe Remarkable Mr Kaye (2005), a tribute to their long standing friendship and working relationship.^[8]

Kaye was diagnosed withAlzheimer's disease prior to 1997. His inability to memorise scripts for the filmInnocence 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 directorElke Neidhardt, and she was by his side at his death.^[2][9]

In 2007 a retrospective CD,The Remarkable Norman Kaye, was issued byMove Records.^[10]

^[21]

• List of Caulfield Grammar School people

• Norman Kaye atIMDb
• Obituary inThe 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.
• 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.

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

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• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from March 2020
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