Lorne Michaels
Canadian-American television producer and writer
Anthony Perkins was an acclaimed American actor known for his iconic role as Norman Bates in the Psycho film series. He had a diverse career, starring in both dramatic and comedic films, and even ventured into directing and singing. Despite being typecast early on, Perkins continued to take on challenging roles throughout his life.
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About the Anthony Perkins
Anthony Perkinswas an American actor, director and singer. Born in Manhattan, Perkins began his career as a teenager in summer stock programs, although he acted in films before his time on Broadway. His first film, The Actress, co-starring Spencer Tracy and Jean Simmons and directed by George Cukor, was an overall disappointment aside from its Academy Award for Best Costume Design, prompting Perkins to return to theatre. He made his Broadway debut in the Elia Kazan-directed Tea and Sympathywith Gary Cooper and Dorothy McGuire, which earned him the Golden Globe Award for Best New Actor of the Year and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The film led to Perkins’s seven-year, semi-exclusive contract with Paramount Pictures, where he was their last matinee idol.
In 1957, Perkins went on to appear in Fear Strikes Out. Paramount was keen to heterosexualize Perkins’s image, leading to a string of romantic roles alongside Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren, and Shirley MacLaine. He was able to land an occasional serious role, such as in the Broadway production Look Homeward, Angel, for which he was nominated for a Tony Award, and the 1959 film On the Beach with Gregory Peck, Fred Astaire, and Ava Gardner. Although he was cast once again as a romantic lead in Jane Fonda’s film debut, Tall Story, he was shortly thereafter cast as Norman Bates in Psycho (1960), which established him as a horror icon and earned him a Bambi Award nomination for Best Actor, as well as a nomination and win for the International Board of Motion Picture Reviewers Award for Best Actor. Because his work with Hitchcock led to his being typecast, Perkins bought himself out of his contract with Paramount and moved to France, where he made his European film debut with Goodbye Again (1961). The film earned him a Best Actor Bravo Otto nomination and his second career Bambi Award nomination. He won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor and a David di Donatello Award for Best Actor for the role.
After appearing in European films featuring Sophia Loren, Orson Welles, Melina Mercouri, and Brigitte Bardot, Perkins returned to the U.S. in 1968, with a role in Pretty Poison, co-starring Tuesday Weld, his first American film in eight years. In the film’s wake, he starred in commercially and critically successful films including Catch-22 (1970), Play It as It Lays (1972), Murder on the Orient Express (1974), and Mahogany (1975).
In the 1970s, Perkins decided to undergo conversion therapy, a pseudoscientific method of “changing” sexual orientation. He married Berry Berenson in 1973. He reprised his role as Norman Bates in Psycho II (1983), Psycho III (1986), and Psycho IV: The Beginning (1990). The third installment in the anthology earned him a Best Actor Saturn Award nomination. His last film was In the Deep Woods, a television film broadcast a month after his death in September 1992 from AIDS-related causes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Anthony Perkins was an American actor, director, and singer. He was best known for his role as Norman Bates in the Psycho film series.
Anthony Perkins starred in several acclaimed films, including Friendly Persuasion, Psycho, Catch-22, and Murder on the Orient Express.
Anthony Perkins’ portrayal of Norman Bates in Psycho established him as a horror icon, but also led to him being typecast in similar roles. He later bought out his contract with Paramount and moved to Europe to take on more diverse roles.
Anthony Perkins won a Golden Globe Award for Best New Actor of the Year for his role in Friendly Persuasion. He also received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Tony Award for his work in the Broadway production of Look Homeward, Angel.
In the 1970s, Anthony Perkins underwent conversion therapy in an attempt to ,change, his sexual orientation. He later married Berry Berenson in 1973, but continued to struggle with his sexuality throughout his life.
Anthony Perkins’ last film role was in the television movie In the Deep Woods, which was broadcast a month after his death from AIDS-related causes in 1992.
After being typecast in the United States, Anthony Perkins moved to Europe and starred in several films with acclaimed directors and actors, including Sophia Loren, Orson Welles, and Brigitte Bardot. This helped him break out of his typecast image and take on more diverse roles.
2 Quotes by Anthony Perkins
- 1.
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.
Anthony PerkinsAmerican actor, director, and singer (1932-1992)
- 2.
Rock Hudson let his gay agent marry him off to his secretary because he didn’t want people to get the right idea.
Anthony PerkinsAmerican actor, director, and singer (1932-1992)