Anthony Perkins (April 4, 1932 – September 12, 1992) was an American actor and singer.

He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his second film, Friendly Persuasion, but is best known for playing Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and its three sequels.

His other films include The Trial, Fear Strikes Out, Tall Story, The Matchmaker, Pretty Poison, North Sea Hijack, Five Miles to Midnight, The Black Hole, Murder on the Orient Express and Mahogany.

Biography

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 Rhonda Fleming, Jane Fonda, Ava Gardner and Brigitte Bardot, who had tried to seduce him during his youth. He was a very shy person, especially in the company of women. According to an unauthorized biography by Charles Winecoff, he had affairs with Christopher Makos, actor Tab Hunter, dancer Rudolf Nureyev, composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim, actor Nick Adams, 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.

Best films