Norman James Kaye (17 January 1927 – 28 May 2007) was an Australian actor. He was best known for his roles in the films of director
Paul Cox.
Early life and education
Kaye was born in
Melbourne and won a scholarship to study at
Geelong Grammar School. His parents were distant, and both died early, his mother in a psychiatric hospital.[1]
Musician
Kaye's musical abilities were noticed by
A. E. Floyd,[2] the organist of
St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne, who gave him free tuition in recognition of his potential as an organist.
Kaye 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.
Caulfield Grammar School
Kaye was the choirmaster and the music teacher at
Caulfield Grammar School from 1958 to 1977,[3] 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."[4] It was the security of a teacher's salary that allowed Kaye to explore the acting world.[1]
Kaye is the subject of Cox's
biographical filmThe Remarkable Mr Kaye (2005), a tribute to their long standing friendship and working relationship.
Illness
Norman 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 at his side at his death.[1][5]
Legacy
In 2007 a retrospective CD The Remarkable Norman Kaye was issued by
Move Records.[6]