Charles Winecoff's book "Anthony Perkins: Split Image" (Alyson Books, first published in 1996; 2006 10th Anniversary Revised Edition) illuminated Perkins' early life, his alleged homosexuality, his later drug use and life with his family. Several of his costars and colleagues were interviewed, but his friends and family refused to cooperate or participate in the biography. According to the book, Perkins contracted the AIDS virus around the time of Psycho III (1986) and kept the illness secret for six years until his death so he could keep working and not worry his friends and his two sons. The only person who knew he was sick was his wife Berry Berenson. Anthony officially found out that he was HIV positive when the tabloid "National Enquirer" wrote a story about it in 1990. Author Winecoff amended his book with a chapter about the death of Berry Perkins nine years after the death of her husband, as a passenger on board ill-fated American Airlines Flight 11 on September 11th, 2001. It also included updated information about their children.
Anthony Perkins campaigned at a rally for Governor Michael Dukakis in UCLA's Pauley Pavilion, the night before the US presidential election of 1988 (Mon, 7 Nov 1988).
Attended prestigious Buckingham Browne & Nichols high school in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Other alumni include "The Sopranos" (1999) actress Ari Graynor, jazz musician Nate Peterson and Broadway star Lizzie Rose.
Attended Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. He did not graduate but was later given an honorary degree.
Auditioned for the role of the Phantom in the original Los Angeles production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera". He lost the role to Robert Guillaume.
Became an ordained minister and performed the marriage of actor Dennis Hopper to his fourth wife, Katherine LaNasta, in 1989.
Brother-in-law of Marisa Berenson.
During 1990, he got a blood sample taken due to a palsy on the side of his face. The "National Enquirer" illegally had Tony's blood sample tested for the AIDS virus, and found out that it was positive. Later that year, the "National Enquirer" wrote a story about his battle with AIDS, but the ironic thing was that he only found out that he was HIV positive from this article. He suspected that he probably was, but he never checked for it before the article was written.
First heterosexual relationship was with Victoria Principal during the late 1960s.
Had a Top 30 Billboard hit in 1957 with the single "Moonlight Swim".
Had agreed to voice the dentist on "The Simpsons" (1989) episode "Last Exit to Springfield" but died before work began. The role then went to Hank Azaria.
His performance as Norman Bates in Psycho (1960) is ranked #4 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.
In 1984 he was arrested at London's Heathrow Airport for possession of eight grams of marijuana and three spots of LSD.
On September 11, 2001 his widow and mother of his two sons, Berry Berenson was one of the 58 victims on AA-11 out of Boston that terrorists crashed into the World Trade Center.
Son of Osgood Perkins.
Stated in a 1983 interview with People magazine that he had turned down advances from Jane Fonda 25 years earlier.
Was a fan of Elvis Presley, after whom he named his second son, Elvis Perkins.
Was a huge admirer of Orson Welles , and was even planning on writing a book about him, but aborted the project in fear of upsetting his idol. Welles later said that he would have loved the idea.
Was an only child, and his mother and father gave him no middle name.