Norman Kaye

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Norman Kaye
Born January 17, 1927
Melbourne
Died May 28, 2007
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

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

Kaye was born in Melbourne and educated at Geelong Grammar School. He was an exemplary musician; he was noticed by Dr A E Floyd, the organist of St Paul's Cathedral, who gave him free tuition in recognition of his great potential as an organist. He 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.

As an adult he was the choirmaster and music teacher at Caulfield Grammar School from 1958 to 1977. It was the security of a teacher's salary that allowed Kaye to explore the acting world.[1]

As an actor he was commonly cast in minor character roles including Paul Cox's Illuminations (1976) and Kostas (1979). Kaye 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. Of the 21 films that Cox has made, Norman Kaye appeared in 16 of them.[1]

Norman Kaye was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease prior to 1997. His inability to memorize scripts for the film Innocence led to the end of his collaboration with Paul Cox. 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.[2][1] In 2007 a retrospective CD The Remarkable Norman Kaye was issued by Move Records.[3]

[edit] 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)

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c "A remarkable life", The Age, 9 July 2005. Retrieved on 2007-05-31. 
  2. ^ Hawker, Philippa. "'Modest, quietly intense' actor dies", The Age, 31 May 2007. Retrieved on 2007-05-31. 
  3. ^ News - Move Records

[edit] External links

Persondata
NAME Kaye, Norman
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Australian actor and musician
DATE OF BIRTH January 17, 1927
PLACE OF BIRTH Melbourne, Australia
DATE OF DEATH May 28, 2007
PLACE OF DEATH Sydney