Anthony Perkins

Anthony Perkins was an American actor best known for portraying Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock’s "Psycho" and its sequels.

Anthony Perkins was an American actor best known for portraying Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho and its sequels. Born in New York City in 1932, he began acting as a teenager and received an Academy Award nomination for Friendly Persuasion (1956). He died in Hollywood, California, in 1992 from pneumonia as a complication of AIDS.

Early life and career

Anthony Perkins was born in New York City on April 4, 1932, to parents Osgood Perkins and Janet Rane Perkins. He began acting as a teenager and made his film debut in 1953. His early work on stage and screen earned him recognition, and in 1956 he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Friendly Persuasion.

Breakthrough with Psycho

Perkins’s defining role came in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960), where he played Norman Bates. The performance became one of the most recognizable in film history and shaped much of his public image. He reprised the role in three later Psycho sequels.

Later work

After Psycho, Perkins continued acting in films and theatre in the United States and Europe. He also worked as a director, writer, and occasionally singer, recording music early in his career.

Personal life and death

Perkins married photographer Berry Berenson in 1973, and the couple had two sons, Oz Perkins and Elvis Perkins. He died on September 12, 1992, in Hollywood, California, from pneumonia as a complication of AIDS.