Anthony Perkins
- For other persons named Anthony Perkins, see Anthony Perkins (disambiguation).
| Anthony Perkins | |
| File:Normanbates.jpg Perkins as Norman Bates in Psycho, 1960 | |
| Date of birth: | April 4 1932 |
| Date of death: | September 12 1992 (aged 60) |
|---|---|
| Death location: | Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Spouse: | Berry Berenson (1973-1992) (his death) 2 children |
Anthony Perkins (April 4, 1932 – September 12, 1992) was an Academy Award-nominated, Golden Globe-winning American stage and screen actor, best known for his role as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and its three sequels. Aside from that, Perkins produced music, scripts, television shows, and tried his hand in numerous other entertainment industries.
Biography
Early life
Perkins was born in New York City, the son of Janet Esselstyn and stage and film actor James Ripley Osgood Perkins.[1] He attended The Brooks School, Buckingham Browne & Nichols, Columbia University and Rollins College, having moved to Boston, Massachusetts after his father's death in 1942.[2] Although Perkins' father passed away when he was only five, Perkins' interest in the film industry can be credited to his father's film career. "Tony worked in summer stock and college productions at Rollins college in Florida into his early twenties, in such shows as My Sister Eileen (he was one of the six future admirals), The Of Chaillot, Goodbye My Fancy, and The Importance Of Being Ernest.[3] In 1953, Perkins forged his path to Hollywood after delivering a strong performance in a supporting role in the film, The Actress.
Career
Although Anthony Perkins was primarily interested in film, he pursued a variety of avenues in the entertainment industry. Perkins' debut film in Hollywood was The Actress (1953); however, it wasn't until 1956 that he was signed onto another film. In fact, it was the 1956 film, Friendly Persuasion that earned him the Golden Globe Award for New Star Of The Year - Actor and an Academy Award nomination, effectively launching his acting career into the next level. In 1957, he ventured into the music industry, releasing three pop albums in 1957 and 1958 on Epic and RCA as "Tony Perkins".[4] His single "Moon-Light Swim" was a hit in the U.S., peaking at #24 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1957.[5]
Psycho: The Cursed Blessing
Anthony Perkins acted in numerous acclaimed performances thereafter, but his legacy as an actor was cemented in the action-thriller 1960 film, Psycho. He played the character of Norman Bates, a murderous man with a split personality suffering from dissociative identity disorder. The legend of Norman Bates would again surface in Psycho II, 'Psycho III (which he directed), and Psycho IV: The Beginning. Although Perkins received national acclaim for the film, many people viewed him as unstable and strange. In fact, after Psycho, Perkins found it nearly impossible to earn a role in another genre. There were no more romantic, comedic or heroic films for him with the exception of Goodbye Again in 1961, Phaedra in 1962 and The Ravishing Idiot in 1964.[3]
Post Psycho
Following the success of Psycho, Perkins had an illustrious career in Europe. He created a portrayal of Joseph K. in Orson Welles' The Trial (1962 film) (1962), a cinematic adaptation of the novel by Franz Kafka. Upon returning to America, he took the role of a disturbed young murderer in Pretty Poison (film) (1968). He also played Chaplain Tappman in Catch-22 (film) (1970). Perkins also co-wrote, with composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim, the screenplay for the (1973) film The Last of Sheila, for which the writers received a 1974 Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Motion Picture Screenplay. Among his Broadway credits are the Frank Loesser musical Greenwillow (1960) and Bernard Slade's 1979 play Romantic Comedy opposite Mia Farrow. His life was meticulously documented in Charles Winecoff's 1996 biography Anthony Perkins: Split Image.[6]
Personal life
Anthony Perkins was bisexual, having had affairs with a number of men, including 1950s and 1960s film stars Rock Hudson and Tab Hunter, dancer Rudolf Nureyev, composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim and dancer-choreographer Grover Dale, with whom Perkins had a six-year relationship prior to his marriage to Berry Berenson. In fact, he claimed to have been exclusively gay until his late 30s, when he met actress Victoria Principal.[7]
As a result of his eccentric lifestyle, Perkins contracted the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in 1989. On September 12, 1992, Perkins succumbed to severe complications of AIDS at the age of 60. Before his death, however, he made a public statement stating, "There are many who believe this disease is God's vengeance. But I believe it was sent to teach people how to love and understand and have compassion for each other. I have learned more about love, selflessness and human understanding from 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."[3] Perkins's was survived by his widow, actress and photographer Berry Berenson, and his two sons, Osgood and Elvis. Berenson was a passenger on American Airlines Flight 11, and died in the September 11, 2001 attacks. His song Osgood "Oz" Perkins (b. 1974) became an actor while his other son,Elvis Perkins (b. 1976) pursed a career as a musician.
Filmography
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Television Credits
- 1954 - Kraft Theatre:The Missing Year
- 1954 - Armstrong Circle Theatre: The Fugitive
- 1954 - Man Behind the Badge: The Case of the Narcotics Racket
- 1955 - G.E. Theatre: Mr. Blue Ocean
- 1955 - Windows: The World Out There
- 1956 - Kraft Theatre: Home is the Hero
- 1956 - Studio One: The Silent Gun
- 1956 - Front Row Center: Winter Dreams
- 1956 - Goodyear Playhouse: Joey
- 1957 - The Ed Sullivan Show
- 195? - US Steel Hour
- 195? - The Big Story
- 195? - Theatre Guild on the Air
- 1957 - The Steve Allen Show
- 1957 - Person to Person
- 1958 - Look Here
- 1958 - The Jack Parr Show
- 1958 - American Bandstand
- 1960 - Hedda Hopper's Hollywood
- 1960 - What's my Line?
- 1962 - The World of Sophia Loren
- 1962 - Password
- 1963 - I've Got a Secret
- 1963 - What's my Line?
- 1966 - ABC Stage 67: Evening Primrose
- 1967 - Password
- 1967 - The Male Animal (BBC)
- 1976 - Saturday Night Live
- 1989 - Ghost Writer (series pilot)
- 1984 - The Glory Boys (BBC)
- 1985 - Best of Broadway
- 1989 - Faust
- 1989 - Evening at the Improv
- 1990 - The Horror Hall of Fame
- 1990 - Chillers (series)
Legacy
The legacy of Anthony Perkins is the 1960 film Psycho, its three sequels, and the deceptive character of Norman Bates. Perkins was active in the entertainment industry throughout his life, but after the initial Psycho in 1960, the actor was known primarily as Norman Bates. Although this role gained him unparalleled popularity in the film industry, it cast a shadow of eccentricity and kept him from playing more standard heroic roles. Nevertheless, Anthony Perkins cemented his name in Hollywood lore with Psycho, a feat that runs the duration of an actor's entire career in many cases.
Notes
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ Anthony Perkins Biography. Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Anthony Perkins Biography Retrieved August 19, 2008
- ↑ Tony Perkins at All Music Guide
- ↑ Charts & Awards, Allmusic.com
- ↑ Winecoff, Charles (1996). Split Image: The Life of Anthony Perkins. New York: Dutton. ISBN 0525940642.
- ↑ Tina Gianoulis. Perkins, Anthony (1932-1992). GLBTQ Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2007-06-18.
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Winecoff, Charles. 1996. Split image: the life of Anthony Perkins. New York, N.Y. : Dutton. ISBN: 0525940642 9780525940647.
- Bergan, Ronald. 1995. Anthony Perkins: a haunted life. London : Little, Brown and Co. ISBN: 0316906972 : 9780316906975
- Palmer, Laura Kay. 1991. Osgood and Anthony Perkins : a comprehensive history of their work in theatre, film, and other media, with credits and an annotated bibliography. Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Co. ISBN: 0899505775 9780899505770
- Anthony Perkins Biography Retrieved August 10, 2008
External links
- "Anthony Perkins". Retrieved May 16, 2008.
- "Anthony Perkins". Retrieved May 16, 2008.
- Psycho star Anthony Perkins on playing Norman Bates. Retrieved May 16, 2008.
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