Norman Yemm (23 March 1933 – 3 February 2015) was an Australian actor, opera singer and sportsman. In his drama career he primarily appeared in characters roles in TV and film, and featured in musical theatre. As an athlete he was a track and field competitor and professional footballer, who briefly played in the VFL for Essendon and Port Melbourne Football clubs.
Career
Film and TV
Yemm's film roles included Night of Fear and The Fourth Wish. On the small screen, he was perhaps best remembered for his long-running role in the television drama The Sullivans as Norm Baker. He had previously played regular roles in Homicide as Detective Jim Patterson and Number 96 as Harry Collins.
Further TV credits included Prisoner as police officer Eddie Stevens, Division 4, Matlock Police, Riptide, Tandarra, A Country Practice, Possession, Neighbours, The Henderson Kids, Blue Heelers and Something in the Air.
Theatre Yemm appeared in such roles as Don Pasquale, and was a frequent performer in musical theatre including roles in Oklahoma and The Pirates of Penzance, South Pacific and The Sound of Music. As a vocalist, he spent years as chief baritone with Opera Australia.
Sporting achievements Yemm was a professional track athlete for most of his adult life, winning 96 finals, including three races at the Stawell Gift. Yemm was also an Australian rules footballer, having played for Victorian Football Association (VFA) club Port Melbourne.Atkinson, p. 186. Transferring from Essendon to Port Melbourne in June 1956, he debuted at centre half-back in the Round 14 match against Oakleigh and reprised that role against Prahran the following week. Dropped for the Round 16 match against Coburg, Yemm would fail to regain his place for the rest of the season, but remained selected as an emergency during the 1956 finals series. This included Port's losing grand final match against Williamstown.
Personal life Norman Yemm was born in 1933 in Elsternwick, Victoria. He has an identical twin brother, Gordon, who is a professional musician and shares Norman's success on the track and as a performer.
"An actor's greatest attribute is to have a good memory, but I've always had a bad one." That didn't stop him from working that much harder to remember his lines on stage and screen, and it was some old-fashioned blood, sweat and tears that brought the brothers their success.Profile, mednwh.unimelb.edu.au; accessed 18 February 2015. He has three children; his daughter Jodie Yemm is an actress.
Death Yemm died on 3 February 2015, aged 81, and his death was announced two days later.
Discography Singles Year Title Peak chartpositions AUS 1973 "Darlin' Vera" / "Jean" 95
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes1959On the BeachSubmarine Crewman (uncredited) Feature film 1973Night of FearThe Hermit Feature film1975PluggInspector Closer Feature film 1976The Fourth WishSpecialist Feature film 1977Raw DealO'Neil Feature film 1993 Joh's Jury Kevin TV movie1994Lex and RoryDrunk Feature film 2003The Way BackNorm Feature film 2008Lover's Walk Short film2010The Beautiful and Damned Feature film2010El Monstro Del Mar!Joseph Feature film (final film role)
Television Year Title Role Notes1965–1972HomicideDetective Jim Patterson / Malcolm Timms / Frank Bates / Errol Stewart / Blue Carmody / Geoff Archer / Bob Hills / Ivan Hondross130 episodes1968–1969RiptideConst. Bob Rix / Andy Mercer2 episodes1969–1973Division 4Jack Miller / Stan Murray / Ernie3 episodes 1972 Redheap TV series1972–1974Number 96Harry Collins35 episodes1974–1975Matlock PoliceReg Walker / Max Cooper2 episodes1976TandarraTaggartEpisode: "Shadow of the Past"1976–1977The SullivansNorm Baker12 episodes1982A Country PracticeStewart Lawson2 episodes1983–1984PrisonerEddie Stevens12 episodes1985PossessionJohn Andrews1986–1998NeighboursRay Murphy / Jack O'Connor18 episodes1987–1988The Henderson KidsMr Summers6 episodes1996–2001Blue HeelersRoy Fletcher / Dan Ballard / Nigel Carmody3 episodes1998Moby DickCarpenter2 episodes2001Something In The AirOld MacEpisode: "Reading the Signs"
Theatre Year Title Role Notes 1958 Bells Are Ringing Princess Theatre, Melbourne 1958 Femmes and Furs Tivoli Theatre, Melbourne, Tivoli Theatre, Sydney 1959 Oklahoma Curly Theatre Royal, Hobart, Theatre Royal, Melbourne, National Theatre, Launceston 1959 Aladdin in the Wonderful Lamp Theatre Royal, Adelaide 1960–61 South Pacific Lt. Joe Cable Theatre Royal, Hobart, National Theatre, Launceston 1961 The Most Happy Fella Pasquale Princess Theatre, Melbourne 1962 The Sound of Music Admiral Von Schreiber Princess Theatre, Melbourne, Tivoli Theatre, Sydney, Her Majesty's Theatre, Brisbane, Perth, Victoria Theatre, Newcastle, Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide 1963 La Boheme Alcindoro Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide 1963 Faust Wagner Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide 1963 Fledermaus! Prince Orlofsky Princess Theatre, Melbourne 1964 The Soldier’s Tale Elizabethan Theatre, Sydney 1964 Finian’s Rainbow Princess Theatre, Melbourne 1965 The Gondoliers Giuseppe Theatre Royal, Hobart, National Theatre, Launceston 1965 Oedipus Rex Chorus Leader Emerald Hill Theatre, Melbourne 1966 The Barber of Seville Dr. Bartolo Queensland, Majestic Cinemas, Sydney, Canberra Theatre 1967 Oklahoma! Curley Theatre Royal, Hobart 1967 Don Pasquale Singer Canberra Theatre 1967 The Flying Dutchman Singer, Baritone Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide 1967, 1968, 1976 Man of La Mancha Dr. Carrasco Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide, Her Majesty's Theatre, Brisbane 1971 The Melbourne Opera Season 1971 Actpr / Singer Princess Theatre, Melbourne 1971 Help, Help the Globollinks! Actor / Singer Princess Theatre, Melbourne 1975 The Threepenny Opera Colonel Brown Playhouse, Adelaide with New Opera South Australia 1982 Pirates of Penzance The Pirate King National Theatre, Melbourne, Theatre Royal, Hobart with Tasmanian Chamber Orchestra 1983 The Gondoliers Don Alhambra Del Bolero Monash University, Festival Theatre, Adelaide 1984, 1985 H.M.S. Pinafore Sir Joseph Porter Monash University, Polly Woodside, Melbourne with Column Theatre Company 1986 Kismet Hajj Canberra Theatre with Canberra Philharmonic Society 1988 The Mikado His Majesty's Theatre, Perth with West Australian Opera 1990 Down an Alley Filled With Cats Coober Pedy with Harvest Theatre Company 1995 The Best of Gilbert and Sullivan Singer Mietta's, Melbourne 1995 H.M.S. Pinafore Artistic Director Polly Woodside, Melbourne with Column Theatre Company 2003–04 South Pacific Captain George Brackett State Theatre, Melbourne, Theatre Royal, Sydney with The Production Company 2004 The Mikado Darebin Arts and Entertainment Centre, Melbourne, Darwin Entertainment Centre
References
Sources Atkinson, G. (1982) Everything you ever wanted to know about Australian rules football but couldn't be bothered asking, The Five Mile Press: Melbourne; .
External links Profile, mednwh.unimelb.edu.au; accessed 18 February 2015. Interview, Classic Australian Television, Interview Norman Yemm