His first role was a bit part in the 1928
John Barrymore silent film Tempest, set during the Russian Revolution. His first credited role was as Prince Ordinsky in the 1929
Will Rogers comedy
They Had to See Paris. Gaye appeared in three of Rogers' movies including;
Young as You Feel and
Handy Andy. Later in 1929, Gaye received a bit part in the
John Ford film
The Black Watch starring
Victor McLaglen (
John Wayne and
Randolph Scott also had bit parts in this movie). In 1930, Gaye received a good role as Baslikoff, a suave violinist, chasing
Gloria Swanson in the romance comedy
What a Widow! Later that year, he appeared as Vologuine in the
Victor Fleming film
Renegades with
Myrna Loy and
Bela Lugosi. In 1932, Gaye played Rudolph Kammerling in the comedy
Once in a Lifetime about a Hollywood studio during the transition from silents to talkies. In 1934, Gaye played Mr. Kolinoff in
Warner Bros.'s
British Agent starring
Leslie Howard. Two years later, Gaye received a good role as Baron Kurt Von Obersdorf in
Dodsworth starring
Walter Huston and
Mary Astor. Later that year, again playing an aristocrat, as Count Raul Du Rienne in
Under Your Spell. Also in 1936, he received another good role as Enrico Borelli in the mystery
Charlie Chan at the Opera starring
Boris Karloff. In 1937, Gaye portrayed a
pianist named Dmitri 'Didi' Shekoladnikoff in the comedy
Mama Steps Out starring
Guy Kibbee. Next, Gaye played a German Captain Freymann in
Lancer Spy starring
George Sanders and
Peter Lorre. Gaye continued to play the role of aristocrats like Count Frederic Brekenski in Warner Bros.'s
Tovarich starring
Claudette Colbert,
Charles Boyer and
Basil Rathbone. The following year, Gaye played another aristocratic count in
Love, Honor and Behave starring
Priscilla Lane. Later that year, Gaye received the part of Popoff in the comedy
Too Hot to Handle starring
Clark Gable and Myrna Loy. Gaye, in a role he was getting used to, played Count Georges De Remi in
Paris Honeymoon starring
Bing Crosby in 1939. Later that year, he played Vitray in
20th Century Fox's
The Three Musketeers starring
Don Ameche. Next that year, Gaye received a good part as exiled Count Alexis Rakonin, the waiter, in
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Oscar-nominated classic
Ninotchka starring
Greta Garbo. As World War II raged in Europe, Gaye's parts started to move away from aristocrats and toward
Nazis. In 1941, Gaye played Von Mueller in
They Dare Not Love starring
George Brent and
Paul Lukas. The movie takes place in Austria during the war. Next, he played a waiter in
I Wake Up Screaming starring
Betty Grable and
Victor Mature. Next he played Becker in the war drama
Flight Lieutenant starring
Pat O'Brien and
Glenn Ford. In 1942, Gaye played a Nazi spy and saboteur named Feldon in Columbia's spy serial
Secret Code. Next, he played a Nazi named Karl in the comedy
Fall In. Later in 1942, at age 41, he landed a small role in
Casablanca as an official of
Hitler's
Reichsbank. In the movie, he tries to gain entrance to the back-room casino, but is stopped by Abdul (
Dan Seymour). He tells Rick, "I have been in every gambling room between
Honolulu and Berlin, and if you think I'm going to be kept out of a saloon like this, you're very much mistaken." Rick tells him, "your cash is good at the bar." He responds, "What? Do you know who I am?" To which Rick replies, "I do, you're lucky the bar is open to you." Gaye angrily responds, "This is outrageous! I shall report it to the Angrif" and storms away. After
Casablanca, Gaye received many small, and mostly uncredited roles throughout the 1940s and 1950s. In 1944, he received a bit part as a Russian correspondent Peter Voroshevski, who again is stopped at the door and not allowed in the trial, in
The Purple Heart starring
Dana Andrews and
Richard Conte, based on the captured pilots from the
Doolittle Raid over Tokyo. In the mystery
Seven Doors to Death, Gaye received a large part as Henry Gregor. Later in 1944, he appeared in the spy thriller
The Conspirators. In 1945, Gaye appeared in seven movies. One of them was a war drama,
Paris Underground, about two women trying to help downed Allied pilots escape Nazi-occupied France. He also played the part of Joe Sapphire in a small crime drama
The Tiger Woman. In another, he again plays a German banker, this time in
Cornered, starring
Dick Powell. After that year, the roles became scarcer. In 1946, Gaye received a role in a small mystery
Passkey to Danger. The following year, he played a book forger in the mystery
The Trespasser, starring
Dale Evans. Next, he received a bit part as a Maitre d'hotel in the comedy
The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer, starring
Cary Grant. Gaye continued to land parts into the 1950s. He got a small role in
Cargo to Capetown, starring
Broderick Crawford. He also received a part in Republic's science-fiction serial
Flying Disc Man from Mars (it was released as a feature film called
Missile Monsters in 1958). He appeared in the adventure film
Mask of the Avenger, starring
Anthony Quinn. This was followed with an appearance in the thriller
Peking Express. Next was a part as Ali in
Columbia's
The Magic Carpet, starring
Lucille Ball. In 1952, he appeared as Paul Shushaldin in
Raoul Walsh's historical adventure
The World in His Arms, starring
Gregory Peck and
Ann Blyth. The following year, he appeared in
Savage Mutiny, starring
Johnny Weissmuller (one of two movies they appeared in together). Later, he got a small role in
South Sea Woman, starring
Burt Lancaster and
Virginia Mayo. In 1955, Gaye portrayed an ex-Nazi mad scientist who teams up with a mobster to bring dead gangsters to life in Columbia's science-fiction B horror movie
Creature with the Atom Brain. Gaye appeared in
Kelly and Me, starring
Van Johnson, in 1957 and the following year as Vladimir Klinkoff in
Auntie Mame, starring
Rosalind Russell. He also played "The Ruler" in the Republic Films serial
Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe. In 1960, he played a casino owner named Freeman in ''
Ocean's Eleven'', starring
Frank Sinatra,
Dean Martin and
Sammy Davis Jr. The following year, he played
Joan Blackman's father,
Elvis Presley's co-star in
Blue Hawaii. In 1962, he portrayed a salesman in
Vincente Minnelli's World War II drama
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, starring Glenn Ford, Paul Lukas and Charles Boyer. Later that year, Gaye appeared as General
Erwin Rommel in
Hitler, starring
Richard Basehart in the title role. The next year, he played a Russian reporter in
The Prize, starring
Paul Newman and
Edward G. Robinson. It would be three years before Gaye got another role. He had a small role portraying the
Soviet U.N. ambassador in
Batman in 1966. Three years after that in 1969, he received his next part, a small uncredited role in the
Alfred Hitchcock thriller
Topaz. Gaye did not appear in any more movies until the late 1970s. He appeared in a couple of television movies before, at age 79, he did his last movie, the science-fiction disaster film
Meteor where he had a small role as the Soviet Premier in 1979. Gaye also performed on television. In 1953, he played the evil ruler who tries to destroy the earth in the television series
Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe. Between 1954 and 1970, Gaye appeared as a guest on a number of television shows, including five guest appearances on
The F.B.I. ==Death==