Kaye was born in Melbourne and won a scholarship to study at Geelong Grammar School.
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.
"[4] It was the security of a teacher's salary that allowed Kaye to explore the acting world.
Other films in which he appeared included Mad Dog Morgan, Turtle Beach, Oscar and Lucinda and Moulin Rouge!.
[1][5] In 2007 a retrospective CD The Remarkable Norman Kaye was issued by Move Records.