Oz Perkins

Last updated

Oz Perkins
Oz Perkins.jpg
Perkins in 2009
Born
Osgood Robert Perkins II

(1974-02-02) February 2, 1974 (age 51)
Occupations
  • Filmmaker
  • actor
Years active1983–present
Spouse
Sidney Perkins
(m. 1999;div. 2016)
Children3
Relatives Berry Berenson (mother)
Anthony Perkins (father)
Elvis Perkins (brother)
Osgood Perkins (grandfather)
Marisa Berenson (aunt)

Osgood Robert "Oz" Perkins II (born February 2, 1974) is an American filmmaker and actor. He began his career as a child actor, portraying the young version of his father Anthony Perkins' character Norman Bates in Psycho II (1983), and later appeared in films such as Six Degrees of Separation (1993), Legally Blonde (2001), Not Another Teen Movie (2001), Star Trek (2009), and Nope (2022). He made his directorial debut with the horror film The Blackcoat's Daughter (2015) and has since became known for directing horror films such as I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (2016), Gretel & Hansel (2020), Longlegs (2024), The Monkey (2025) and Keeper (2025).

Contents

Early life

Osgood Robert Perkins II was born in the Manhattan borough of New York City on February 2, 1974, the son of actress Berry Berenson (1948–2001) and actor Anthony Perkins (1932–1992). [1] He is the older brother of musician Elvis Perkins, the grandson of actor Osgood Perkins, and the nephew of actress Marisa Berenson. [2] Although his father later admitted to being gay, his parents remained married until his father died of AIDS in September 1992. [3] [4] [5]

Perkins' mother had French, Italian, Polish-Jewish,Russian-Jewish, and Swiss ancestry, [6] [7] and was a descendant of astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli and fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli. [8] [9] She was a passenger on American Airlines Flight 11 and subsequently died in the September 11 attacks, with her name now inscribed on Panel N-76 at the North Pool of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. [10] [11] His father was of English descent and counted wood engraver Andrew Varick Stout Anthony and colonist Roger Conant among his ancestors, as well as Mayflower passengers William Brewster, John Howland, and Myles Standish. [12]

Career

Perkins' first acting role was in Psycho II (1983), in which he briefly appeared as the 12-year-old version of his father's character Norman Bates. He has since appeared in the films Six Degrees of Separation (1993), Legally Blonde (2001), Not Another Teen Movie (2001), Secretary (2002), La Cucina (2007), Star Trek (2009), and Nope (2022), as well as episodes of Alias and other television shows.

Perkins made his directorial debut with the horror film The Blackcoat's Daughter (2015) and has since become known for writing and/or directing horror films such as The Girl in the Photographs (2015), I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (2016), Gretel & Hansel (2020), Longlegs (2024), The Monkey (2025), and Keeper (2025). He was featured in the second episode of the Shudder documentary miniseries Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror (2022), in which he discussed the legacy of his father's role as Norman Bates in Psycho (1960) and its sequels. [13]

Personal life

Perkins married Sidney in 1999, [14] and they had a son and daughter together [15] [16] before divorcing in 2016. [14] He also has a son from a subsequent relationship. [17]

Filmography

Filmmaking

YearTitleDirectorWriterNotes
2010RemovalNoYes
2013 Cold Comes the Night NoYes
2015 The Blackcoat's Daughter YesYesCredited as Osgood Perkins
The Girl in the Photographs NoYes
2016 I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House YesYesCredited as Osgood Perkins
2020 Gretel & Hansel YesNoCredited as Osgood Perkins
2024 Longlegs YesYesCredited as Osgood Perkins
2025 The Monkey YesYes
Keeper YesNoPost-production [18]

Acting

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1983 Psycho II Young Norman Bates Credited as Osgood Perkins
1993 Six Degrees of Separation Woody
1994 Wolf Cop
2001 Legally Blonde David Kidney
Not Another Teen Movie Uninterested Guy
2002 Secretary Jonathan
2003 Quigley Guardian Angel Sweeney
2004 Dead & Breakfast Johnny
2005ErosionSteve
2006The Utah Murder ProjectDetective Charlie DeSantis
2007 La Cucina Chris
2009 Star Trek Enterprise Communications Officer
2010RemovalHenry Sharpe
2014 Electric Slide Andy Segal
2017 78/52: Hitchcock's Shower Scene HimselfDocumentary
2022 Nope Fynn Bachman
2025 The Monkey Chip

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2002 She Spies KargEpisode "The Martini Shot"
2005 Alias Coke Bottle GlassesEpisodes "Mirage" and "A Clean Conscience"
2006 Close to Home Charlie ForsbergEpisode "Dead or Alive"
2008 October Road Dr. Joshua StoneEpisode "The Fine Art of Surfacing"
2020 The Twilight Zone Kanamit #2Episode "You Might Also Like" (credited as "Osgood Perkins"); also director
2022 Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror HimselfDocuseries

Frequent collaborators

Work
Actor
20152016202020242025TBA
The Blackcoat's Daughter
Keeper
Lucy Boynton
Beatrix Perkins
Erin Boyes
Tatiana Maslany
Kiernan Shipka

References

  1. Maynard, Joyce (January 12, 1977). "Tony Perkins and Family: A Study in Informal Togetherness". The New York Times. Westchester Weekly Section. p. 58
  2. "Encyclopædia Britannica Online entry". Britannica.com. February 16, 1954. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
  3. Goodman, Mark (September 28, 1992). "One Final Mystery: Surrounded by Family, Friends and a Wall of Silence, Tony Perkins Succumbs to AIDS" Archived March 23, 2016, at the Wayback Machine . People. Vol. 38 No. 13.
  4. Weinraub, Bernard (September 16, 1992). "Anthony Perkins's Wife Tells of 2 Years of Secrecy". The New York Times.
  5. Ferrell, David (September 13, 1992). "Anthony Perkins, 60, Dies; Star of 'Psycho' Had AIDS". Los Angeles Times .
  6. Elsa Schiaparelli. Shocking Life. New York. Dutton, 1954
  7. Bernard Berenson. Sketch for a Self-Portrait. New York. Pantheon. 1949
  8. "Robert L. Berenson, Ex-Envoy and Head of Shipping Line, Dies". The New York Times . February 3, 1965, page 35
  9. "Marisa $chiaparelli Is Married in Gown Designed. by Her Mother, the Cougurlere". The New York Times.
  10. Hopkinson, Amanda (September 14, 2001). "Berry Berenson". The Guardian.
  11. "Berry Berenson Perkins" Archived July 27, 2013, at the Wayback Machine . Memorial Guide: National 9/11 Memorial. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
  12. "Architecture of 196 Beacon Street, Back Bay, Boston". BOSarchitecture. Archived from the original on May 8, 2014. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  13. "Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror". IMDb.com. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  14. 1 2 "'Legally Blonde' Actor Not So Sweet 16 ... Files for Divorce". TMZ . July 29, 2016.
  15. https://www.instagram.com/osgoodperkins/reel/CR-SRtXnWYT/
  16. https://www.instagram.com/osgoodperkins/reel/CR-Sfc3nnxP/
  17. https://www.instagram.com/osgoodperkins/reel/CR-SlO5HqXI/
  18. Willmore, Alison (July 12, 2024). "Osgood Perkins Gets Into the Family Business". Vulture . Vox Media. Archived from the original on August 9, 2024.