Anthony Perkins

Anthony Perkins (April 4, 1932 – September 12, 1992) was an American actor. Perkins was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his second film, Friendly Persuasion. He is best known for playing Norman Bates in Psycho. His other films include The Trial, Fear Strikes Out, Tall Story, The Matchmaker, Pretty Poison, and The Black Hole.

Early life

Perkins was born in New York City, son of stage and film actor Osgood Perkins, and his wife, Janet Esselstyn (née Rane). He was five when his father died. Perkins was a descendant of a Mayflower passenger, John Howland. He attended The Brooks School, The Browne & Nichols School, Columbia University and Rollins College, having moved to Boston in 1942.

Career

Perkins made his film debut in The Actress (1953). He received the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor and an Academy Award nomination for his second film, Friendly Persuasion (1956). The tall (6'2") Perkins also portrayed the troubled former Boston Red Sox baseball player Jimmy Piersall in the 1957 true story Fear Strikes Out.

Following this, he released three pop music albums in 1957 and 1958 on Epic and RCA as "Tony Perkins". His single "Moon-Light Swim" was a hit in the United States, peaking at #24 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1957. He starred with Shirley Booth and Shirley MacLaine in the film The Matchmaker (1958).

A life member of The Actors Studio, Perkins also acted in theater. In 1958, he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his performance in Look Homeward, Angel on Broadway. During this time he also co-starred in Desire Under the Elms (1958) with Sophia Loren, and played a basketball star in the romantic comedy Tall Story (1960) opposite Jane Fonda.

Perkins was cast as Norman Bates in the Alfred Hitchcock-directed film Psycho (1960). The film was a critical and commercial success, and gained Perkins international fame for his performance as the homicidal owner of the Bates Motel. Perkins' performance gained him the Best Actor Award from the International Board of Motion Picture Reviewers. In 1961, Perkins received considerable critical acclaim for his performance in the film Goodbye Again, opposite Ingrid Bergman, a performance which won him the Best Actor Award at the 1961 Cannes Film Festival.

After that came a successful career in Europe, including the role of Joseph K. in Orson Welles' 1962 adaptation of Kafka's The Trial (both 1962). Upon returning to America, he took the role of a disturbed young murderer in Pretty Poison (1968) opposite Tuesday Weld. He also played Chaplain Tappman in Catch-22 (1970).

Perkins co-wrote, with composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim, the screenplay for the 1973 film The Last of Sheila, for which they received a 1974 Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Motion Picture Screenplay.

In 1972, he appeared in The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, and was one of the many stars featured in the 1974 hit Murder on the Orient Express. In 1974, Perkins played the lead role in the romantic drama Lovin' Molly with Blythe Danner and Susan Sarandon. Perkins also hosted television's Saturday Night Live in 1976 and was featured in his only science fiction film, the box office-smash and space opus, Walt Disney's The Black Hole, in 1979.

His Broadway credits also included the 1967 Neil Simon comedy The Star-Spangled Girl, the Frank Loesser musical Greenwillow (1960), for which he was nominated for another Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical and Bernard Slade's 1979 play Romantic Comedy opposite Mia Farrow.

Perkins reprised the role of Norman Bates in three sequels to Psycho. The first, Psycho II (1983), was a box office success more than 20 years after the original film. He then starred in and directed Psycho III (for which he was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Actor) in 1986, but refused to reprise his role as Bates in the failed television pilot Bates Motel, famously boycotting the project in a very ardent, and well-received, oppositional public campaign. He did play Bates in the following made-for-cable Psycho IV: The Beginning in 1990, over which he had much creative control although he was turned down for director. Anthony directed a film in 1988 called Lucky Stiff.

Perkins starred in the sitcom pilot, The Ghost Writer, which blended horror and fantasy elements Perkins is known for. The show was created by Alan Spencer and was unaired but praised for its dark humor and Perkins' rare foray into comedy.

Films in which Perkins appeared in which his character had much resonance with Norman Bates include Ken Russell's Crimes of Passion (1984) with Kathleen Turner, and the Hungarian-produced Jekyll-Hyde remake Edge of Sanity and Daughter of Darkness.

Perkins has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, an honor he received for his influential and exceptional contributions to the motion picture industry. It is located at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.

In 1991, Perkins was honored with the Donostia Lifetime Achievement Award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival.

Although he was fighting AIDS, the actor appeared in eight television productions between 1990 and 1992, including Daughter of Darkness (1990) with Mia Sara and The Naked Target (1992) with Roddy McDowall. He made his final appearance in In Deep Woods (1992) with Rosanna Arquette.

Perkins had agreed to provide the voice for the role of the dentist, Dr. Wolfe, in The Simpsons episode "Last Exit to Springfield" after Anthony Hopkins and Clint Eastwood both turned the role down, but he died before the part could be recorded. In the end, the character was voiced by Simpsons regular Hank Azaria.

Personal life

On August 9, 1973, Perkins married photographer Berinthia "Berry" Berenson. They had two sons: actor Oz Perkins (b. February 2, 1974), and musician Elvis Perkins (b. February 9, 1976).

He once said he felt too nervous around women, and resisted actresses Jane Fonda and Brigitte Bardot, who had tried to seduce him during his youth. He was a very shy actor, especially in women's company. According to an unauthorized biography by Charles Winecoff, he had affairs with Christopher Makos, actor Tab Hunter, dancer Rudolf Nureyev, composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim and dancer-choreographer Grover Dale prior to marrying Berenson. He had his first intimate heterosexual experience at the age of 39 while working on the 1972 film The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean with an actress who also appeared in the film. Perkins declined to identify the actress, but "other sources" have identified her as Victoria Principal; Principal confirmed this in a People magazine article about Perkins.

Death

Perkins died on September 12, 1992, from complications of AIDS. He was cremated, and his ashes were given to his family. His widow, Berry Berenson, was killed on American Airlines Flight 11 during the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001.

Filmography

Film/TV Year Title Role Notes 1953 The Actress Fred Whitmarsh   1956 Friendly Persuasion Josh Birdwell Nomination - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor 1957 Fear Strikes Out Jim Piersall 1 episode "The Candidates" 1957 The Lonely Man Riley Wade   1957 The Tin Star Sheriff Ben Owens 1 episode "Halfway back from Hell" 1958 This Angry Age Joseph Dufresne   1958 Desire Under the Elms Eben Cabot   1958 The Matchmaker Cornelius Hackl   1959 Green Mansions Abel   1959 On the Beach Lt. Peter Holmes - Royal Australian Navy   1960 Tall Story Ray Blent   1960 Psycho Norman Bates   1961 Goodbye Again Philip Van der Besh Cannes Film Festival Best Actor Award 1962 Phaedra Alexis   1962 Five Miles to Midnight Robert Macklin French title: Le couteau dans la plaie 1962 The Trial Josef K   1963 Le glaive et la balance Needa English title "The Sword and the Balance" 1964 Une ravissante idiote Harry Compton/Nicholas Maukouline AKA The Ravishing Idiot 1965 The Fool Killer Milo Bogardus   1966 Is Paris Burning? Sgt. Warren French title: Paris brûle-t-il? 1966 Evening Primrose Charles Snell TV movie 1967 The Champagne Murders Paul Wagner   1968 Pretty Poison Dennis Pitt   1970 Catch-22 Chaplain Capt. A.T. Tappman   1970 WUSA Rainey   1970 How Awful About Allan Allan TV movie 1971 Someone Behind the Door Maggie Petroceli Original French title: Quelqu'un derrière la porte 1971 Ten Days' Wonder Charles Van Horn - le fils déséquilibré de Théo   1972 Play It as It Lays B.Z.   1972 The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean Reverend LaSalle   1974 Lovin' Molly Gid   1974 Murder on the Orient Express McQueen   1975 Mahogany Sean   1978 Remember My Name Neil Curry   1978 First, You Cry Arthur Heroz TV movie 1978 Les Misérables Javert TV movie 1979 Winter Kills John Cerruti   1979 Twee vrouwen Alfred   1979 The Black Hole Dr. Alex Durant   1980 Deadly Companion Lawrence Miles   1980 North Sea Hijack Kramer   1983 For the Term of His Natural Life Rev James North TV movie 1983 The Sins of Dorian Gray Henry Lord TV movie 1983 Psycho II Norman Bates   1984 The Glory Boys Jimmy TV 1984 Crimes of Passion Rev. Peter Shayne   1986 Psycho III Norman Bates Also director Nomination - Saturn Award for Best Actor 1987 Napoleon and Josephine: A Love Story Talleyrand TV mini-series 1988 Destroyer Robert Edwards   1989 Edge of Sanity Dr. Henry Jekyll / Jack 'The Ripper' Hyde   1990 Daughter of Darkness Anton/Prince Constantine TV movie 1990 I'm Dangerous Tonight Prof. Buchanan TV movie 1990 Psycho IV: The Beginning Norman Bates TV movie 1991 A Demon in My View Robert Edwards AKA Der Mann nebenan 1992 The Naked Target El Mecano Original title: Los gusanos no llevan bufanda 1992 In the Deep Woods Paul Miller, P.I. TV movie