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Date of Birth
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17-January-1927
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Place of Birth
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Melbourne
(Victoria, Australia, Oceania)
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Nationality
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Australia
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Also know as
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Norman Kay, Norman James Kaye
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Profession
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Actor, Musician, Film Score Composer, Teacher, Conductor
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Norman James Kaye 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.
As an actor he was commonly cast in minor character roles including Paul Cox's Illuminations and Kostas. Kaye shared the lead with Wendy Hughes in Cox's 1982 film Lonely Hearts and the lead in Man of Flowers, for which he won an AFI Award. He appeared in minor roles in many subsequent Cox films including Innocence. 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.
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