Anthony Perkins was a famous American actor, director, and singer. He earned about $6 million in today’s money during his career. Sadly, he passed away on September 12, 1992, at the age of 60 due to a sickness related to AIDS.
He acted in many movies like “Psycho,” “Catch-22,” “Murder on the Orient Express,” and the “Psycho” series.
Was Anthony Perkins Gay?
Anthony Perkins, the famous actor from “Psycho,” was attracted to men. When he was young, he was shy and found it hard to have good relationships with women. He only had intimate relations with a woman when he turned 39.
While working on the movie “The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean” in 1971, he confessed to having been with actress Victoria Principal. Later, in 1973, he got married to Berinthia Berenson, who was a well-known photographer at that time. Sadly, Anthony Perkins passed away in 1992 due to a sickness related to AIDS. Tragically, his wife lost her life in the September 11th attacks nine years later.
Look at this tweet about Anthony Perkins:
thinking about Janet Leigh and gay bestie psycho co-star Anthony Perkins pic.twitter.com/lC3ixxle2Z
— Wendell (@RhodeToLove) March 13, 2023
Anthony Perkins Impressive Career
In 1953, Perkins acted alongside Jean Simmons and Spencer Tracy in a movie called “The Actress.” The following year, he got a role in the Broadway show “Tea and Sympathy.” In 1956, he was in a film called “Friendly Persuasion,” which won him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor and got him nominated for an Academy Award.
After that, he signed a seven-year deal with Paramount Pictures. His first film with them, in 1957, was a movie about a baseball player called “Fear Strikes Out,” which he got a lot of praise from critics. In the same year, he appeared in two Western films, “The Lonely Man” and “The Tin Star.” He also acted with Audrey Hepburn in “Green Mansions” in 1959 and in “On the Beach” the following year. His next film, “Tall Story,” was Jane Fonda’s debut.
In 1960, he played Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho,” which was a big success. He played the same role in three more “Psycho” movies. He left his contract with Paramount to explore other roles.
In the early 1960s, he moved to France and started directing European films like “Goodbye Again.” He won the Cannes Picture Festival Award for Best Actor. He continued to make films in Europe during the 1960s and returned to the United States in 1968 to make “Pretty Poison.”
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Anthony Perkins Personal Life
In August 1973, Perkins married his first wife, Berinthia Berenson, who was three months pregnant at the time. They had two sons, Oz in 1974 (who became a director and actor) and Elvis two years later (who became a musician). People were surprised by their relationship because many believed Perkins was gay. Rumors about his s*xuality had been around since the start of his career.
It was later confirmed that he had relationships with men in his early life, and he had a long-term boyfriend named Grover Dale from 1964 to 1971. However, he wanted to try life with a woman and underwent conversion therapy, eventually marrying Berenson. They stayed married until Perkins passed away.
Perkins had many Hollywood friends like Stephen Sondheim and Alfred Hitchcock. While filming “Psycho IV: The Beginning,” he was getting treatment for facial palsy. During this time, a newspaper falsely claimed he was HIV-positive. Perkins kept his AIDS diagnosis a secret from the public for two years, seeking treatment under assumed names at hospitals.
His wife and children were regularly tested but didn’t have the disease. He died at his Los Angeles home on September 12, 1992, from AIDS-related pneumonia at the age of 60.
Tragically, his wife Berenson died in the September 11 attacks in 2001. She was on American Airlines Flight 11, which was hijacked and crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. She was 53 years old at the time.