Anthony Perkins (April 4, 1932 – September 12, 1992) was an American actor and singer whose career bridged Hollywood, Broadway and the pop charts. Born in Manhattan to actor Osgood Perkins, he first made his name on stage and screen in the 1950s, then briefly became a teen idol when Paramount encouraged him to record as “Tony Perkins”. Between 1957 and 1958 he released three pop albums and several singles for Epic and RCA Victor; “Moon-Light Swim” entered the Billboard Hot 100 top 30, and tracks like “The Prettiest Girl in School” helped cultivate a young fanbase alongside his romantic film roles. Perkins also used his light, conversational voice in musical theatre: he starred in Frank Loesser’s Broadway show Greenwillow in 1960, earning a Tony nomination, and later led Stephen Sondheim’s television musical Evening Primrose, cementing a long friendship and creative partnership with the composer. Although his chilling turn as Norman Bates in Psycho (1960) defined his screen image and led him deeper into dramatic and horror roles, Anthony Perkins carried music through his whole career, returning to concerts, television specials and soundtrack work while acting steadily until his death from AIDS-related pneumonia in Los Angeles in 1992.
