ACTOR · BORN 1932 · DIED 1992
Anthony Perkins
- Born
- 4 April 1932, New York City, New York, USA
- Died
- 12 September 1992
- Known for
- Psycho (1960), Murder on the Orient Express (1974), Psycho II (1983), The Trial (1962)
72 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Sep 2026
18 Facts About Anthony Perkins' Life and Family
- #001
Anthony Perkins agreed to voice the dentist in the 1989 The Simpsons episode "Last Exit to Springfield." He died before recording began, however, and the role was later given to Hank Azaria, whose portrayal of the character became one of the show's most memorable.
- #005
On September 11, 2001, Perkins's widow Berry Berenson, the mother of his two sons, was among the 58 victims on American Airlines Flight 11, which had taken off from Boston. The hijacked plane struck the World Trade Center. Berenson's death once again brought the tragedies suffered by the Perkins family to public attention.
- #008
Perkins had not had sexual relations with a woman until he was 39. According to People magazine, he lost his virginity to Victoria Principal in 1971. This late experience is seen as a reflection of the complicated feelings he had about his sexual identity.
- #017
Perkins's second son, Elvis Perkins, was named after Elvis Presley, of whom Anthony was a fan. The choice of name reflects Perkins's love of music and his admiration for Presley, and Elvis Perkins went on to work in music like his father.
- #025
Perkins and Ron Woodroof, the founder of the Dallas Buyers Club, both died of AIDS on September 12, 1992. The coincidence makes their shared struggle with the same disease and their deaths on the same day notable. Perkins's death once again recalled the disease's impact on society.
- #030
Perkins became an ordained minister and in 1983 performed the marriage of director Ken Russell's second wife, Vivian Jolly. This was taken as an indication of his religious faith and spiritual side.
- #034
In 1957 Perkins worked with Henry Fonda on the film The Tin Star (1957). Traveling to and from the set in the same car each day, they grew close and shared stories from their private lives on the long drives, which built a strong friendship between them.
- #035
As a child Perkins disliked sports, but at his mother's insistence he had to play on his school's baseball team. He hated the experience, yet a recurring case of scarlet fever allowed him to leave the team. The episode shows his mother's pressure on him and Perkins's inability to stand up for his own wishes.
- #038
In a 1983 interview, Perkins said that as a child he was very close to his mother but spent little time with his father. He admitted to having an Oedipus complex and harboring a secret resentment toward his father: "Whenever my father came home I was jealous. I loved him, but at the same time I wanted him to die, so that I could have my mother all to myself." These statements lay bare his psychological depth.
- #041
Perkins's mother, Janet Esselstyn Rane (1894-1979), was a woman alleged to have been homosexual. After she was widowed, she is said to have had a relationship with the playwright Michaela O'Harra. This information sheds light on the diversity of sexual orientation within Perkins's family.
- #043
On the night before the 1988 US presidential election, Perkins campaigned at a rally for Michael Dukakis at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion. This was one of the rare occasions on which he openly supported his political views. Perkins worked for the election of the Democratic candidate.
- #051
Perkins was the grandfather of the actors James Perkins and Bea Perkins. His grandchildren carried on his artistic legacy. This family tie shows that Perkins's acting tradition continued.
- #059
In 1990, Perkins shot the pilot episode of a proposed television series titled The Ghost Writer. In the series he played Anthony Strack, a horror writer who, after remarrying, is haunted by the ghost of his dead wife. However, the pilot could not be sold to any network.
- #064
Perkins was the great-grandson of the renowned wood engraver and book illustrator Andrew Varick Stout Anthony (1835-1906). Anthony was known for his illustrations for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 'Skeleton in Armor' (1877) and Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter' (1878). This lineage reflects Perkins's artistic heritage.
- #068
Perkins, a popular singer in the late 1950s, noticed that his voice came out unintentionally sad on some songs. He joked to a lover that his quavering voice could make any happy love song sad. This contributed to his melancholic image.
- #070
Perkins played Edward Binns's son in the film Lovin' Molly (1974), although in real life he was only sixteen years younger than Binns. This age gap shows the flexibility of casting. Through such roles, Perkins brought to life characters beyond his own age.
- #071
In 1987, Perkins played the famous French diplomat Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord (1754-1838) in the miniseries Napoleon and Josephine: A Love Story. This performance stands out as one of the villain roles of Perkins's career. Talleyrand was a controversial historical figure who served many different regimes during turbulent periods such as the French Revolution and the Napoleonic era. He was known for frequently betraying his employers and allies to achieve his goals. A congenital physical defect that left him permanently limping earned him the nickname 'le diable boiteux' (the lame devil). In portraying this complex character, Perkins successfully reflected both historical reality and dramatic effect.
- #072
Anthony Perkins died on September 12, 1992. His wife, Berry Berenson, died on September 11, 2001, just one day before the ninth anniversary of her husband's death. This tragic coincidence placed the couple's deaths on close dates. Berenson's death occurred because she was aboard American Airlines Flight 11 during the September 11 attacks. What Perkins brought to the world of cinema, and especially his unforgettable performance in Psycho, continues to make him a remembered actor.
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