Anthony Perkins Psycho momma’s boy Anthony Perkins was born on April 4, 1932, in New York City. Perkins attended Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida; alongside another future actor, Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Perkins did not earn his degree from Rollins; however, he was given an honorary degree by the college twenty years after attending. When he was in his early twenties, Perkins decided to follow in the footsteps of his father, stage and film actor Osgood Perkins. His first movie was the The Actress in 1953, followed by Friendly Persuasion in 1956, for which he earned an Academy Award nomination. Perkins went on to star in additional critically-acclaimed films and Broadway productions before landing the role that would make him a cinematic icon. In1960, he was cast as motel manager and mangler, Norman Bates, in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, co-starring Janet Leigh. Perkins later claimed that after seeing the film even he was frightened by the infamous shower scene, which was filmed using Perkins’ double since he was away in New York at the time.
Following the success of Psycho, Perkins starred in both the film’s prequel and sequels, and directed Psycho III in 1986. Later in his career, Perkins would begin to shift his focus from the big screen to the small screen, acting in made-for-TV movies, as well as writing screenplays. He also continued to appear in Broadway productions, such as eponymous 1979 play, Romantic Comedy, opposite Mia Farrow. In 1990, a blood sample that Perkins had taken for medical reasons was illegally tested for the AIDS virus by the National Enquirer, and proven positive for the virus. According to the 1996 biography Anthony Perkins: Split Image, Perkins contracted the virus during the mid-80s, while working on Psycho III. On having the disease, Perkins once reflected: "I have learned more about love, selflessness, and human understanding from the people I have met in this great adventure in the world of AIDS than I ever did in the cutthroat, competitive world in which I spent my life." Perkins had relationships with both men and women throughout his career, including film star Tab Hunter, dancer Rudolf Nureyev, and dancer-choreographer Grover Dale, with whom he had a six-year relationship prior to marrying his wife, Berry Berenson. Perkins later claimed to have been involved exclusively with men until meeting actress Victoria Principal when in his late thirties. In 1992, Perkins passed away due to AIDS complications at age sixty. He left behind his wife, Berry Berenson, and their two sons, actor Oz Perkins and musician Elvis Perkins. Perkins’ remains were cremated, and kept in an urn that bears the inscription "Don't Fence Me In."
Just prior to the nine-year anniversary of Perkins’ death, his widow, Berry Berenson, was tragically killed on American Airlines Flight 11, one of the fateful flights that was hijacked during the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. YUDDY |
