Paul Kaye

Paul Kaye began his career in the late 1980s working in design and music, creating theatre posters for venues including the King’s Head, Bush Theatre, and Gate Theatre, Notting Hill, and working as a scene painter at the Old Vic Theatre. Between 1987 and 1989, he illustrated for publications such as NME, i-D, Literary Review, Time Out, and International Musician. He exhibited illustration and poster work in 1989–1990. In music, he performed with several bands, including We Are Pleb (1988–1989), and later TV Eye, which released the singles “Killer Fly” and “Eradicator” in 1992.

Kaye transitioned into television in the early 1990s, developing the character Dennis Pennis. The character appeared on The Sunday Show (1995), the special Anyone For Pennis? (1995), and Very Important Pennis (1996), followed by the video release Dennis Pennis RIP: Too Rude to Live (1997). Around this time, he also appeared on The Word and Transmission.

His acting career expanded in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 1998, he appeared in the film You Are Here and the music video for “Vindaloo.” In 1999, he starred in the mockumentary Spunk. In 2000, he led the sitcom Perfect World, presented the quiz show Liar, and appeared in Two Thousand Acres of Sky. He later took the lead role in the film Blackball (2004) and starred in It’s All Gone Pete Tong (2005). His television work during this period included appearances in Waking the Dead (2005), Hustle (2006), EastEnders (2007), and Kingdom (2007).

In 2008–2009, Kaye appeared in Hotel Babylon (2008), Pulling (2008), and A Child’s Christmases in Wales (2009). He returned to theatre in Matilda the Musical with the Royal Shakespeare Company (2010–2011), reprising the role in the West End transfer in 2011 and earning an Olivier Award nomination in 2012.

From 2013 onward, Kaye gained wider recognition for television roles, including Thoros of Myr in Game of Thrones (2013, 2016–2017). He appeared in the film Dracula Untold (2014) and the series The Interceptor (2015). In 2015, he also appeared in Doctor Who and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. Additional credits include Inside No. 9, Lilyhammer, Murder in Successville, Three Girls, Zapped, Drunk History, The Windsors, Urban Myths, Terry Pratchett: Back in Black, and Good Omens.

His later work includes stage and television roles such as B at the Royal Court Theatre (2017), Vera (as Dr. Malcolm Donahue, through 2023), Cold Feet (2019), and After Life (2019). He appeared in The Stranger (2020) and The Third Day (2020), followed by Worzel Gummidge (2021). In 2023, he starred in The Pillowman in London’s West End.