Clarissa Kaye
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Clarissa Kaye (2 August 1931 – 21 July 1994) was an Australian stage, film and television actress. She was the second wife (1971–1984) of the British actor
James Mason James Neville Mason (; 15 May 190927 July 1984) was an English actor. He achieved considerable success in British cinema before becoming a star in Hollywood. He was nominated for three Academy Awards, three Golden Globes (winning once) and two ...
. After her marriage, she was often known as Clarissa Kaye-Mason.


Biography

Clarissa Kaye was born as Clarissa Knipe in Sydney in 1931. In 1958 she became one of a class of informal students of
Hayes Gordon Hayes Gordon AO, (25 February 192019 October 1999) was an American-born actor, theatre entrepreneur, theatre producer and director and acting teacher with a considerable career in Australia. Early life Gordon was born on 25 February 1920 in ...
, who taught "The Method" (the group included
Reg Livermore Reginald Dawson Livermore (born 11 December 1938) is an Australian actor, singer, theatrical performer, designer, director, lyricist and writer and former television presenter. Biography Early life From a young age, Livermore demonstrated an ...
and Jon Ewing). Their first public performances were a series of one-act plays by
Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the three ...
. The group later became the
Ensemble Theatre The Ensemble Theatre is an Australian theatre company and theatre, situated in the Sydney suburb of Kirribilli, New South Wales. History It is Australia's longest continuously running professional theatre group, having given its first perfor ...
, Sydney's first
theatre in the round Theatre-in-the-round, also known as arena theatre or central staging, is a theatrical stage configuration in which the audience surrounds the performance area on all sides. Historically rooted in ancient Greece and Rome performance practices, ...
and its longest established professional theatre company. In 1968, the
Australian Broadcasting Commission The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is a ...
produced a 45-minute location-filmed adaptation of the
Henry Lawson Henry Archibald Hertzberg Lawson (17 June 1867 – 2 September 1922) was an Australian writer and bush poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period ...
short story of '' The Drover's Wife'', directed by Gian Carlo Manara and featuring Kaye in the titular role. She also appeared in an episode of ''
Adventure Unlimited ''Adventure Unlimited'' is a 1965 Australian anthology TV series. It was produced by Lee Robinson and associate produced by Joy Cavill. The directors included Ken Hannam. It was made by Waratah Film Productions a short lived company that came o ...
''. Her first feature film role was as Meg in ''
Age of Consent The age of consent is the age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to Human sexual activity, sexual acts. Consequently, an adult who engages in sexual activity with a person younger than the age of consent is un ...
'' (1969), in which she appeared in scenes with
James Mason James Neville Mason (; 15 May 190927 July 1984) was an English actor. He achieved considerable success in British cinema before becoming a star in Hollywood. He was nominated for three Academy Awards, three Golden Globes (winning once) and two ...
, including a sex scene that was censored from
Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...
' UK and U.S. releases. The following year she played the mother to
Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English musician. He is known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of The Rolling Stones. Jagger has co-written most of the band's songs with lead guitarist Keith Richards; Jagge ...
's ''
Ned Kelly Edward Kelly (December 185411 November 1880) was an Australian bushranger, outlaw, gang leader, bank robber and convicted police-murderer. One of the last bushrangers, he is known for wearing armour of the Kelly gang, a suit of bulletproof ...
''. Kaye was attracted to Mason and later tracked him down. She wrote to Mason reminding him of their meeting and their sex scene in ''Age of Consent'', and he wrote back. A correspondence between the two followed, and Kaye fuelled the relationship by travelling long distance to meet him.


Marriage

Mason and Kaye were married on 8 August 1971 in Corseaux-sur-Vevey, Switzerland, and remained together until his death in 1984. (It has been reported that it was her second marriage.) Milestones, Sep. 6, 1971
. 6 September 1971. ''Time magazine''. Retrieved 3 November 2014
Kaye reportedly was willing to put her career on hold, but Mason regularly insisted that she be given roles in his films. They shared scenes in '' Frankenstein: The True Story'' (1973); they also both appeared in '' Salem's Lot'' (1979), but did not share any scenes. They appeared on Broadway in April 1979 in
Brian Friel Brian Patrick Friel (c. 9 January 1929 – 2 October 2015) was an Irish dramatist, short story writer and founder of the Field Day Theatre Company. He had been considered one of the greatest living English-language dramatists. (subscription requ ...
's play ''
Faith Healer Faith healing is the practice of prayer and gestures (such as laying on of hands) that are believed by some to elicit divine intervention in spiritual and physical healing, especially the Christian practice. Believers assert that the healing ...
''," T. E. Kalem (16 April 1979
Theater: Touch and Go
. ''Time'' magazine, Retrieved 3 November 2014
but were never on stage together (the play is constructed as four monologues by three characters). Her involvement in ''Faith Healer'' was also largely at Mason's request, but she struggled with both the role and
José Quintero José Benjamín Quintero (15 October 1924 – 26 February 1999) was a Panamanian theatre director, producer, and pedagogue best known for his interpretations of the works of Eugene O'Neill. Biography Early years Quintero was born in Panama ...
's direction.
Ed Flanders Edward Paul Flanders (December 29, 1934 – February 22, 1995) was an American actor. He is best known for playing Dr. Donald Westphall in the medical drama series ''St. Elsewhere'' (1982–1988). Flanders was nominated for eight Primetime Emm ...
eventually left the play, refusing to work with Kaye, and the production ended after only 17 days.


Death

James Mason died in 1984. Clarissa Kaye died a decade later, aged 62, on 21 July 1994 from cancer. Before Mason remarried, his children
Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...
and
Morgan Morgan may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Morgan – A Suitable Case for Treatment'', also called ''Morgan!'', a 1966 comedy film * ''Morgan'' (2012 film), an American drama * ''Morgan'' (2016 film), an American science fiction thriller * ...
(both from his first marriage to
Pamela Mason Pamela Mason (10 March 1916 – 29 June 1996), also known as Pamela Kellino, was an English actress, author, and screenwriter, known for being the creative partner and first wife of English actor James Mason. Early life and personal life Born ...
) were to be the beneficiaries of his large estate, valued at £15 million. Mason changed his will to leave Clarissa Kaye as the sole beneficiary, but the children understood from a letter that Mason wrote to them that they would still ultimately receive the proceeds after their stepmother's death. However, she was on such bad terms with them to the point of pathological jealousy that she cut them out of all photos with Mason. Disregarding Mason's letter saying the children would get his money after Kaye's death, Kaye left Mason's entire estate to an unidentified trust rumoured to be on behalf of the
Sathya Sai Organization The Sri Sathya Sai International Organization (SSSIO) is a spiritual and humanitarian non-governmental organization founded in the 1960s by Sathya Sai Baba, an Indian guru and spiritual leader. It primarily works within the areas of education ...
, run by devotees of the Indian guru
Sathya Sai Baba Sathya Sai Baba (born Ratnakaram Sathyanarayana Raju; 23 November 192624 April 2011) was an Indian godman, guru and philanthropist. At the age of 14, he claimed to be the reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba and left his home saying "my devote ...
. The organization, based in an
ashram An ashram (, ) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery in Indian religions, not including Buddhism. Etymology The Sanskrit noun is a thematic nominal derivative from the root 'toil' (< Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...
, neither confirmed nor denied this. Mason's ashes were also the subject of controversy. Kaye initially had them in an urn in her home, never telling Mason's children she had them. She later deposited them in a
Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
bank vault, again to hide them. They tracked them down after Kaye's death, and took legal action to retrieve and inter them, and through court order by the judge who declared that his children deserved the right to choose the wording on their father's gravestone.


Filmography


Film

* '' The Schoolmistress'' (1967 TV movie) * '' The Drover's Wife'' (1968 TV movie) - lead role * ''
Age of Consent The age of consent is the age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to Human sexual activity, sexual acts. Consequently, an adult who engages in sexual activity with a person younger than the age of consent is un ...
'' (1969) - Meg * ''
Adam's Woman ''Adam's Woman'' is a 1970 Australian-American historical drama film directed by Philip Leacock and starring Beau Bridges, Jane Merrow and John Mills. It has been called a "convict Western". Plot In the 1840s, an American sailor ashore in Live ...
'' (1970) - Matron * ''
Ned Kelly Edward Kelly (December 185411 November 1880) was an Australian bushranger, outlaw, gang leader, bank robber and convicted police-murderer. One of the last bushrangers, he is known for wearing armour of the Kelly gang, a suit of bulletproof ...
'' (1970) - Ellen Kelly * ''
The Yin and the Yang of Mr. Go ''The Yin and the Yang of Mr. Go'' is a 1970 British thriller film directed by Burgess Meredith. It was shot in Hong Kong and Toronto, Canada. Plot An American army deserter, fanatic and aspiring writer named Nero Finnigan, living in Hong K ...
'' (1970) - Zelda * '' Frankenstein: The True Story'' (1973 TV movie) - Lady Fanshawe * ''
The MacKintosh Man ''The Mackintosh Man'' is a 1973 Cold War spy film directed by John Huston from a screenplay by Walter Hill, based on the novel '' The Freedom Trap'' by English author Desmond Bagley. Paul Newman stars as Joseph Rearden, a jewel thief-turned-int ...
'' (1973) - Guest at Reception (uncredited) * ''
The Umbrella Woman ''The Umbrella Woman'' (released in some areas as ''The Good Wife'') is a 1987 Australian film directed by Ken Cameron and starring Bryan Brown and Rachel Ward. It also features Steven Vidler (actor), Steven Vidler and Sam Neill. Premise The fil ...
'' (aka ''The Good Wife'') (1987) - Mrs. Jackson * ''
The First Kangaroos ''The First Kangaroos'' is a 1988 British–Australian made for TV sports film directed by Frank Cvitanovich and starring Dennis Waterman, Chris Haywood and Dominic Sweeney. It depicts the 1908–09 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain, the first-ever s ...
'' (1988 TV movie) - Mrs Messenger


Television

* ''
Skippy the Bush Kangaroo ''Skippy the Bush Kangaroo'' (known commonly as ''Skippy'') is an Australian television series created by Australian actor John McCallum, Lionel (Bob) Austin, and Lee Robinson, produced from 1967 to 1969 (airing from 5 February 1968 to 4 May 1 ...
'' (1969, Season 2, episode 64) * '' Salem's Lot'' (1979 miniseries) - Marjorie Glick * ''
The Mike Walsh Show ''The Mike Walsh Show'' was an Australian variety daytime television series. Hosted by Mike Walsh. History An early version of ''The Mike Walsh Show'' was a Thursday night variety show broadcast on HSV-7, Melbourne, from August 14, 1969. It w ...
'' (1979) (TV series, 1 episode) Guest as herself. * '' Dr. Fischer of Geneva'' (aka ''The Bomb Party'') (1985) - Mrs. Montgomery * '' The Last Resort'' (1988 miniseries) * ''
Bangkok Hilton ''Bangkok Hilton'' is a three-part Australian mini-series made in 1989 by Kennedy Miller Productions and directed by Ken Cameron. The title of the mini-series is the nickname of a fictional Bangkok prison in which the main protagonist (Nicole ...
'' (1989 miniseries) - Mrs. Cameron (final appearance)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kaye, Clarissa 1994 deaths 1931 births Deaths from cancer in Australia Australian stage actresses Australian film actresses Australian television actresses Actresses from Sydney James Mason family