Editing Anthony Perkins (section)

==Career==

=== 1950s ===

==== Film and Broadway debut ====
While still attending Rollins College, Perkins went to California over summer vacation, hoping to make it into the movies. Having heard that [[MGM]] was making a screen adaptation of ''Years Ago'', he lingered on the lot, hoping a casting director would spot him and offer him a screen test.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=60}} As Perkins later recalled:
<blockquote>"I hung around the casting gate all summer, running errands and picking up sandwiches for the guards. One day they were testing [[Margaret O'Brien]] and they needed the back of someone's head. They didn't know who to use. Then someone piped up and said, 'How about that kid that's always hanging around here? We could use the back of ''his'' head!"</blockquote>

"They called me in and I stood right in front of the camera, almost obliterating poor Margaret O'Brien's face and causing a director to say 'Please move a little to the left.' When he said this, I turned around and said, 'Who, ''me''?' and I was in the test."{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=61}}

It was later that summer that Perkins learned he had been cast as Fred Whitmarsh in the film, now renamed ''[[The Actress]]'' (1953), alongside [[Jean Simmons]] and [[Spencer Tracy]]. He was also directed by [[George Cukor]], who was a friend and collaborator of his late father. In the film, he played a fumbling Harvard student who chases the interest of Ruth Gordon Jones (Simmons), who wants to perform onstage despite her family's disapproval.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=69}} The film was a commercial disappointment, although it scored an [[Academy Award]] nomination for [[Academy Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design]].

Perkins was first noticed when he replaced [[John Kerr (actor)|John Kerr]] on Broadway in the lead of ''[[Tea and Sympathy (play)|Tea and Sympathy]]'' in 1954, where he was directed by [[Elia Kazan]], who had been a friend of his father's. In the play, he took on the role of Tom Lee, a college student who is labelled as a "sissy" and fixed with the love of the right woman, in an almost autobiographical role.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=68}} Perkins said years later, "It was the best part ever written for a young guy. I felt so involved with that particular play. In many ways, I ''was'' Tom Lee." Although homophobically written and resolved, the play was the only explicit work to hit Broadway depicting homosexuality and garnered a large gay following, therefore establishing Perkins in the gay-dominated theater world.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=77}} It was through this audience that the production became a success, and many people thought Perkins was substantially better than his predecessor, John Kerr, who went on to play the role in the [[Tea and Sympathy (film)|film adaptation]]. Joan Fickett, who played Perkins's love interest in the play, commented, "He was that boy. I'd seen John Kerr do it before, but Tony had a quality that was fantastic for the part—all the rawness and the hurt and the confusion, he just had. I found his performance tremendously poignant."{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=96}} The play's success and Perkins's performance renewed Hollywood's interest in him.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/14/obituaries/anthony-perkins-star-of-psycho-and-all-its-sequels-is-dead-at-60.html|title=Anthony Perkins, Star of 'Psycho' And All Its Sequels, Is Dead at 60|last=Myers|first=Steven Lee|date=September 14, 1992|work=The New York Times|access-date=October 26, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

According to posthumous biographer Charles Winecoff, it was during the production of ''Tea and Sympathy'' that Perkins was drafted, despite the recent conclusion of the Korean War. Without consulting anybody, he decided to tell the Selective Service he was a "practicing homosexual," which was an eligible way to be deemed unfit for service. Reportedly, this had disastrous results, leaving Perkins traumatized.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|pp=92–93}}

====Serious roles====
[[File:FriendlyPersuasionSet.jpg|thumb|Perkins (left) and Gary Cooper (right) filming ''Friendly Persuasion'' (1956)]]

Just as his run in ''Tea and Sympathy'' was coming to an end, director [[William Wyler]] sent out his assistant, Stuart Millar, to search out talent on Broadway for his upcoming film ''[[Friendly Persuasion (1956 film)|Friendly Persuasion]]''. It centered around a family of Quakers during the American Civil War, and he was scouting an actor to play the oldest of the Birdwell children, Josh. When Millar saw Perkins in ''Sympathy'', he gave him a page of script and let him do an audition. As Millar recalled: "About half an hour later, [Perkins] had the part. [William Wyler] was thrilled with the reading, he saw everything instantly. It was really one of the best, if not ''the'' best, readings I've ever seen."{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=97}}

Perkins was soon after shipped out to Hollywood, where he began shooting alongside [[Dorothy McGuire]] and [[Gary Cooper]], his screen mother and father. Perkins, a native New Yorker, did not know how to drive yet and regularly hitchhiked out from his hotel room at the [[Chateau Marmont]] to the set each day, something that became infamous and was often talked about in fan magazines.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=103}} His boyfriend, [[Tab Hunter]], later taught him how to drive.{{sfn|Hunter|2006|p=136}} Perkins's inexperience radiated almost childish naïveté, something that endeared him to Gary Cooper. "Coop was warm and gracious and kindly," [[Peter Mark Richman]], who worked on the film, said. "He liked [Perkins and me] a lot, and Tony loved to hear him talk."{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=101}} The feeling was mutual between Perkins, Cooper, and even the director. Perkins was regularly praised by Wyler for his performance and Cooper began publicly endorsing Perkins's abilities. This led to Perkins and Cooper sharing the cover of the July 1956 issue of ''Life''.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=100}} In the issue, Cooper spoke about Perkins in a fatherly manner: "I think he'd do well to spend a summer on a ranch," he commented about his younger costar. "It would toughen him up and he'd learn a lot from another kind of people."{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=101}} Cooper's daughter, Maria Cooper Janis, asserted that, although her father certainly admired Perkins, it could have also been for other reasons: "He had friends in Hollywood, in the acting community, who were gay, and they couldn't come out. He saw what an emotional toll it took on them. I know my father adored Tony Perkins. My father felt he was a hell of an actor."<ref name="advocate.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/film/2012/08/08/hollywood-backstory-western-favorite|title=The Hollywood Backstory on a Western Favorite|website=The Advocate|date=August 8, 2012 |access-date=January 23, 2022}}</ref>

Whatever the reason, this did not alter Perkins's performance. After rushes of the film were shared, the advance praise of his performance became so strong that [[Paramount Pictures]] took an interest in him. They soon signed him under a seven-year semi-exclusive contract, which gave him room to return to Broadway whenever he wanted. He was their last matinee idol and was called the "fifteen million dollar gamble."<ref>{{cite web |url= https://hrc.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15878coll90/id/52/ |title=Interview with Tony Perkins |website=The Mike Wallace Show |access-date=January 21, 2022}}</ref>

Perkins's first film for the studio was a 1957 biopic about [[Boston Red Sox]] baseball player [[Jimmy Piersall]] titled ''[[Fear Strikes Out]]''. It followed his father's pressure to become a legendary baseball player and how it led to his highly publicized mental breakdown, as well as detailing his efforts to get better in a mental institution. The set of the film was hostile and riddled with homophobia, something that put Perkins on edge so much that the cast and crew feared he was actually having a mental breakdown while filming the scene.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=125}} Although he wasn't nominated for any Oscars, his performance was widely praised by critics. ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' proclaimed of the film: "Every recent young star has been compared to [[James Dean]]. From now on the standard is Tony Perkins."{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|pp=139–140}}

After this critical success, Perkins starred in the first of two Westerns, ''[[The Lonely Man]]'' (1957), with [[Jack Palance]]. Perkins played Riley Wade, whose father, Jacob (Palance), abruptly returns to his life after having abandoned his mother years before. Jacob battles Riley's hatred for him throughout the film, desperate to reconnect with his estranged son after years of separation.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/16857/the-lonely-man |title=The Lonely Man (1957) - Overview |publisher=Turner Classic Movies |date=June 14, 2011 |access-date=January 25, 2022}}</ref> [[Kim Stanley]], a previous costar of Perkins's, was cast as his love interest but was replaced at the last minute by Elaine Aiken in her film debut.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=117}} Reportedly, the film set was riddled with tensions, most of which arose from Palance's ultra-masculinity and Perkins's lack thereof. This was only heightened when filming was put behind schedule by an abrupt weather crisis that prevented outdoor production for a number of days. Still, a feeling of vitality remained. "We all thought this was an important picture we were making."{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=118}}

Perkins's next film was also a Western, this time named ''[[The Tin Star]]'' (1957) with [[Henry Fonda]]. Originally, despite his burgeoning popularity, Perkins was not wanted for the project: "The producers, Bill Perlberg and [[George Seaton]], told someone who told someone who told someone who told me that they wouldn't have me in their picture for a million dollars," Perkins admitted during filming. However, he auditioned for them as soon as he heard the news.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=128}} In the film, Perkins played yet another pacifist, this time a sheriff named Ben Owens. After encountering an experienced bounty hunter, Morgan Hickman (Fonda), Ben has to prove himself worthy of his title in an ironic reflection of Perkins's troubles with Paramount. Perkins and Fonda took the hours-long drive out to set together in the same car, during which they became closely acquainted and shared stories of their private lives. Some cast members speculate that Perkins confided in Fonda about his sexuality during these drives.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=132}} The film grossed over $1 million in the box office and was one of the biggest films of 1957. It is now considered a classic of the Western genre.<ref>"Top Grosses of 1957", ''Variety'', January 8, 1958: 30</ref>

''Friendly Persuasion'' opened globally to huge critical and commercial success. The film was largely praised by critics, who took a liking to Perkins. The film earned him the [[Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor|Golden Globe Award for Best New Actor of the Year]] and a nomination for the [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000578/awards?ref_=nm_awd |title=Anthony Perkins: Awards |publisher=IMDb |access-date=January 21, 2022}}</ref> In a 1958 cover story, ''Newsweek'' hailed Perkins as "possibly the most gifted dramatic actor in this country under 30."<ref>"Tony Perkins: Shooting Star," Newsweek, March 3, 1958</ref>

====Teen idol status====
[[File:AnthonyPerkinsPublicityShot.png|thumb|Perkins in a 1957 publicity still for ''Modern Screen'']]

Perkins released three pop music albums and several singles in 1957 and 1958 on [[Epic Records|Epic]] and [[RCA Victor]] under the name Tony Perkins.<ref name="AllMusic">{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/tony-perkins-mn0000015860|title=Tony Perkins|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=January 9, 2008}}</ref> His single "Moon-Light Swim" was a moderate hit in the United States, peaking at number 24 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] in 1957. 1958's "The Prettiest Girl in School" was also popular in Australia but a flop in the United States.<ref name="AllMusic"/> Many people believed he was inspired to pursue musical endeavors after the abrupt success of then-partner [[Tab Hunter]], who had scored a number one hit on his debut record, "[[Young Love (1956 song)|Young Love]]." To Hunter, Perkins was often heard joking "that his tremulous voice could make any happy love song sound sad."{{sfn|Hunter|2006|p=198}} However, Perkins was not very committed to the music career, although he steadily produced full-length albums and a few EP's until as late as the mid-1960s.

Despite being a life member of the [[Actors Studio]]<ref>{{cite book |first=David |last=Garfield |title=A Player's Place: The Story of The Actors Studio |url=https://archive.org/details/playersplacestor00garf |url-access=registration |year=1980 |publisher=Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc. |location=New York |isbn=0-02-542650-8 |page=[https://archive.org/details/playersplacestor00garf/page/279 279] |chapter=Appendix: Life Members of The Actors Studio as of January 1980}}</ref> and therefore open to many different acting business ventures, Perkins did not choose to act in a musical when he exerted the freedom of his studio contract in 1957, and returned to [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in ''[[Look Homeward, Angel (play)|Look Homeward, Angel]]''. The play was an autobiographical, coming-of-age story about its writer, [[Thomas Wolfe]], and he took on the role of Eugene Gant, with his mother being played by [[Jo Van Fleet]]. The play enjoyed a successful run, and in 1958, he was nominated for a [[Tony Award]] for [[Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play|Best Actor in a Play]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/look-homeward-angel-2660|title=Look Homeward, Angel – Broadway Play – Original {{!}} IBDB|website=www.ibdb.com|access-date=February 7, 2019}}</ref> although the rehearsals were tumultuous. Van Fleet developed a reputation for her standoffish behavior and temper tantrums, leading to contention on the set.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=1952}} This was not made better by the fact that Tab Hunter, among others, came to see the show during tryouts.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=1954}}{{sfn|Hunter|2006|p=197}} This manifested in a restrained performance from Perkins, something Hunter picked up on:
<blockquote>Backstage, Tony asked what I thought of his performance, and I told him straight: "You're afraid to give vent to what you're truly feeling," I said. "You're only showing the side of yourself you want other people to see."{{nbsp}}... When I saw ''Look Homeward, Angel'' the second time, in late January, Tony had stripped away all preconceived ideas and was mesmerizing.{{sfn|Hunter|2006|pp=198–199}}</blockquote>

[[file:Jo Van Fleet Anthony Perkins Look Homeward Angel 1958.jpg|thumb|Perkins with [[Jo Van Fleet]] in ''[[Look Homeward, Angel (play)|Look Homeward, Angel]]'', 1957]]

Not all was bad on set, though. Perkins, who had a dressing room far from the stage, often had to race between scenes to retrieve something so as not to miss his cue, something his costars used in practical jokes. Many times, they turned the backstage area into an obstacle course, seeing if Perkins could get back to the curtain in time. Reportedly, he never missed his entrances.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=158}} On the day of his final performance, they went through with the prank as planned, watching Perkins leap over objects and dodge barriers. Once he made it through, he was greeted with a sign that said "We love you, Tony!"{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=159}}

Perkins was teamed up again with Van Fleet in ''[[This Angry Age]]'' (1958), also known as ''The Sea Wall'', for Columbia, replacing [[James Dean]]. (Van Fleet had played Dean's mother in ''[[East of Eden (film)|East of Eden]]'', something many people believed influenced casting.) The story followed a mother who, unlike her restless children, attempts to cling to her dissipating rice farm in southeast Asia. He also starred in ''[[Desire Under the Elms (film)|Desire Under the Elms]]'' (1958) for Paramount with [[Sophia Loren]] and was her first American screen kiss. As Loren remembered in her 2014 memoir, "Perkins [was] as neurotic and handsome as we all remember him in [a later film] ''Psycho''. A gentle, polite, somewhat sullen young man, he didn't know how to hide his restlessness. Between us there was a certain complicity. He helped me with my English, and I tried to make him laugh."<ref name="Loren 2014">{{cite book|last=Loren|first=Sophia|title=Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow: my Life|publisher=Simon & Schuster|date=2014|isbn=978-1-4767-9742-7|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.orgs/yesterdaytodayto0000lore}}{{Dead link|date=July 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Although Loren was proud to have scored the role, the unanimous decision upon its release was that Perkins's performance was not strong.{{sfn|Hunter|2006|p=209}}

Between the filming of ''Desire'' and his next movie, Perkins received an offer to appear in what became the 1959 comedy ''[[Some Like It Hot]]'' with [[Marilyn Monroe]]. He was given the role of Shell Oil Junior and [[Frank Sinatra]] was considered for the role of his companion who both dress up in drag to board an all-women train car. Paramount, despite the appeal of a big star like Monroe, balked at the idea of having their already sexually-ambiguous heartthrob wear drag for an entire film and forbade Perkins from accepting the role. It ultimately went to [[Tony Curtis]] instead.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=163}} However, studio executives begged Perkins to return from Broadway to star in ''[[The Matchmaker (1958 film)|The Matchmaker]]'' (1958) alongside [[Shirley MacLaine]] and [[Shirley Booth]], during which he and a male companion dress up in women's clothing to escape a restaurant undetected. As if to ensure he would not turn the project down, Perkins was given a salary of $75,000 for 10 weeks' work while MacLaine only got $25,000 for the same number of days. Although Perkins protested MacLaine's smaller salary, no changes were made in her payment.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=149}}

''The Matchmaker'' was a non-musical film adaptation (later turned into the hit Broadway musical ''Hello, Dolly!'') of [[Thornton Wilder]]'s [[The Matchmaker|stage play]], in which [[Dolly Gallagher Levi]] (Booth) attempts to set up rich businessman Horace Vandergelder ([[Paul Ford]]) with a younger woman, Irene Malloy (MacLaine). Vandergelder's employees, Cornelius Hackl (Perkins) and Barnaby Tucker ([[Robert Morse]]), tired of their poor wages and constant work, escape to New York City and meet Irene, who's led to believe Cornelius is rich. Cornelius slowly falls in love with Irene while deceiving her. Morse had been a part of the original Broadway cast of the show, and he bonded with Perkins over the shared background. (Perkins later disclosed that Morse was bisexual, implying that they became confidants of sorts.)<ref name="Hadleigh 1996"/> Perkins, however, disliked MacLaine intensely despite defending her from studio bosses, and was put on edge by her intense drive and numerous pranks. "I've never been allowed that precious moment of seeing what Tony Perkins really is," MacLaine later reported. "I don't know what's an act and what isn't an act."{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=150}}

[[File:Hepburn-Perkins-1959.JPG|thumb|left|Perkins and Audrey Hepburn in a publicity still for ''Green Mansions'' (1959)]]

Paramount decided to take Perkins's status as a teen idol one step further and cast him as [[Audrey Hepburn]]'s love interest in ''[[Green Mansions (film)|Green Mansions]]'' (1959), one of Hepburn's few flops. It was based on an explorer who stumbles upon both a girl who lives in the woods and the Native Americans nearby who want to kill her. The film was originally intended to be a vehicle for [[Elizabeth Taylor]] when the project was initially announced in 1953, but these plans were soon abandoned. In 1958, [[Mel Ferrer]] picked the film up for MGM, and Hepburn (his wife) was cast as the mystical Rima to secure funding. Perkins, who was still stinging after losing the role in ''Some Like It Hot'', was cast soon after. It was the only film in which Ferrer directed his wife.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=167}}

Perhaps still remembering the ''Some Like It Hot'' incident, Paramount used the film to promote Perkins's masculinity, showing him shirtless and fighting apparently stronger men. He did receive a reprieve to sing "Green Mansions," the title song of the film, which briefly entered the charts before almost immediately falling off.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=168}} Speaking about the movie later in life, Perkins said, "[Hepburn] was wonderful to work with, like a real person, almost a sister{{nbsp}}... [The film] was good but unusual."<ref name="Hadleigh 1996">{{cite book|last=Hadleigh|first=Boze|title=Hollywood Gays: Conversations with Cary Grant, Liberace, Tony Perkins, Paul Lynde, Cesar Romero, Brad Davis, Randolph Scott, James Coco, William Haines, David Lewis|publisher=Barricade Books|date=1996|isbn=1-56980-083-9|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/hollywoodgayscon0000hadl}}</ref>

Perkins's next film, ''[[On the Beach (1959 film)|On the Beach]]'' (1959), however, did little to promote his teen idol status, and was his last serious film before his ''Psycho'' performance later that year. He played a doomed father living in Australia after a nuclear war wipes humanity off all other continents. He supported actors such as [[Gregory Peck]], [[Ava Gardner]], and [[Fred Astaire]] in his first dramatic role. All filming took place on location in Melbourne over the course of three months, and a soundstage was made out of a warehouse for the crew's use.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=178}} Unlike other films, Perkins got on well with his fellow cast members and even helped Astaire prepare for his serious scenes.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=179}} Years later, in an interview with ''People'', Perkins listed Gardner as the first of many female stars who tried to put the make on him, but due to his sexuality, he very cautiously declined.<ref name=People/>

Perkins's next roles were less serious. ''[[Tall Story]]'' (1960) was best remembered for being [[Jane Fonda]]'s film debut, and he had to play a college basketball champion. As a man who had never been talented in sports, he had to be trained to play basketball for his performance, but, unlike his lessons on the set of ''Fear Strikes Out'', these ones stuck. Perkins recounted to reporters: "I've been working out at the [[Warner Brothers]] gym, discovering what basketball is all about. I spend about an hour and a half a day dribbling, passing, shooting baskets, and going after rebounds{{nbsp}}... It's a good game. Like chess in a way."{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=187}} Also unlike ''Fear Strikes Out'', the set of ''Tall Story'' was hospitable to him from what he could see. Because Perkins had worked with her father, he and Fonda had a connection, but not many could foresee the chemistry they would have both on- and off-screen. As Fonda later recounted to [[Patricia Bosworth]]: "Tony [Perkins] told me 'Forget about the lights, just forget about the lights.' And I did. And he taught me fascinating things, like the audience's eyes always move to the right side of the screen so you should always try to get on the right side of the set." Fonda also solely credits Perkins for helping her learn how to play before the camera when acting.<ref name="Bosworth 2011">{{cite book|last=Bosworth|first=Patricia|title=Jane Fonda: the Private Life of a Public Woman|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing|date=2011|isbn=978-0-547-15257-8|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780547152578}}</ref>

In a repeat of ''On the Beach'', Fonda developed a crush on Perkins, who later recalled an occasion when she sat in his dressing room, completely naked, powdering her body.<ref name=People/> Unlike others, Fonda was actually understanding of his homosexuality and became good friends with whoever he was seeing at the time. Behind the scenes, however, there was more turmoil: Fonda recalled "Both [[Joshua Logan]] [the film's director] and I were in love with Tony Perkins, and so that caused a problem."<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Jane Fonda & Lily Tomlin Answer the Web's Most Searched Questions &#124; WIRED |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9tgFMR4wgA?t=63 |via=YouTube|magazine=Wired |access-date=January 9, 2022}}</ref>

=== 1960s ===

==== Troubles with Paramount ====
[[File:APerkinsPublicity.jpg|thumb|Publicity photos such as these (taken in 1959) served only to heighten Perkins's teen idol status]]

After being signed in 1955, Perkins became Paramount's last matinee idol, and he was promoted relentlessly as that image through a string of leading roles on screen. Once he had finished three films for the studio, they had already invested $15&nbsp;million in him before any of the motion pictures were even released. This began the tension between Perkins and Paramount.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=123}}

Another reason for tension came from Perkins's side; he believed Paramount was ruining his career. Although he was given the option to do Broadway performances, his fame primarily stemmed from his performances on screen, where Paramount was pushing him into leading-man roles. Perkins, however, wanted only to be a serious actor, not a teen idol. Their preoccupation with keeping Perkins's masculinity intact also led to his losing quite a few coveted roles, such as Shell Oil Junior in ''Some Like it Hot''{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=163}} and Tony in ''[[West Side Story (1961 film)|West Side Story]]''.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=209}}

Paramount president [[Barney Balaban]] strongly disliked Perkins due to his homosexuality. They constantly had arguments, mostly revolving around his sexuality and his ongoing relationship with fellow actor [[Tab Hunter]], which Balaban believed Perkins flaunted too much. He constantly pressured Perkins into breaking up with Hunter and going into conversion therapy for the five years that Perkins was under contract with the studio. A later collaborator of Perkins's remembered to Charles Winecoff in 1996, "Tony said one thing that always endeared him to me{{nbsp}}... that when he was a rising young star at Paramount, he was seeing a great deal of [Tab Hunter], they went around town together, and finally the big studio head called him in and said, 'You cannot do this anymore. We're going to make you a star, and you can't be seen around town with this guy. You've got to get a girl, you've got to stop seeing him.' Tony replied, 'But I love him!'—which left the studio head speechless—and walked out".{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=124}} Hunter remembered a similar scenario: "Warner Brothers never said a word about my sexuality, and that's just the way I wanted it. However, Paramount did have something to say about my relationship with Tony, and they told him they didn't want him to see me anymore{{nbsp}}... Despite the opposition we did continue seeing each other."<ref name="attitude.co.uk">{{cite news|last1=Hunter|first1=Tab|date=July 9, 2018|title=Exclusive: Tab Hunter Recounts His Relationship With "Psycho" Star Anthony Perkins|newspaper=Attitude|department=Exclusive|url=https://attitude.co.uk/article/exclusive-tab-hunter-recounts-his-secret-relationship-with-psycho-star-anthony-perkins/18188/|access-date=December 18, 2021|archive-date=December 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211218200358/https://attitude.co.uk/article/exclusive-tab-hunter-recounts-his-secret-relationship-with-psycho-star-anthony-perkins/18188/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

According to all accounts, Perkins, until 1959, withstood Balaban's threats of expulsion and even protected his homosexuality from his studio boss.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=124}} It was not until between filming ''Tall Story'' and ''Psycho'' that the studio executives succeeded in separating Perkins and Hunter, which many believe was a major factor in Perkins buying himself out of his Paramount contract early, just as Hunter had done at Warner Brothers.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=219}}

==== ''Psycho'' and ''Greenwillow'' ====
[[File:AnthonyPerkinsPsycho.jpg|thumb|Perkins in a publicity still for ''Psycho'' (1960)]]

Perkins in youth had a boyish, earnest quality, reminiscent of the young [[James Stewart]], which [[Alfred Hitchcock]] exploited and subverted when the actor starred as [[Norman Bates]] in the film ''[[Psycho (1960 film)|Psycho]]'' (1960). Hitchcock later said that he'd had Perkins cast since seeing him in ''Friendly Persuasion''.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91947125|title=Norman Bates: A Most Terrifying Mama's Boy|work=NPR.org|access-date=October 26, 2017|language=en}}</ref>
[[File:Anthony Perkins Psycho Publicity Photo.jpg|thumb|left|Perkins in 1960, filming ''Psycho'']]

During filming, Perkins was also involved in the 1960 Broadway musical ''[[Greenwillow]]'', written by [[Frank Loesser]]. The show is about the magical town of Greenwillow, where the men are meant to wander and women (if they can keep their husbands) are supposed to settle down and have children. Despite his call to isolation, Gideon Briggs (Perkins) wants to marry his sweetheart, Dorie (Ellen McCown). Loesser caught on to Perkins's homosexuality fast and, disliking him for it, decided to upstage him, writing his main solo, "Never Will I Marry", as something reminiscent of an opera ballad.<ref name="Winecoff 1996, pg. 204">Winecoff 1996, pg. 204</ref> However, close friend [[Stephen Sondheim]] praised his performance of "Never Will I Marry": "[Perkins was] wonderful. One of the things that makes 'Never Will I Marry' so brilliant [on the recording] is the crack of his voice when he reaches the tenth." The show's director, [[George Roy Hill]], also called Perkins "remarkably good. It didn't have the timbre of a real Broadway voice, but it didn't have the hard edge. 'Never Will I Marry' was a wonderful example of that."{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=205}} Additionally, the song was popularized due to its renditions by [[Judy Garland]], [[Barbra Streisand]], and [[Linda Ronstadt]].<ref name="Winecoff 1996, pg. 204"/> Perkins was also nominated for another [[Tony Award]] for [[Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical|Best Actor in a Musical]].

''Psycho'' was made on a slim budget, with Perkins and Leigh accepting low salaries for their roles and recycling the crew from ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Leigh|first=Janet|title=Psycho: Behind the Scenes of the Classic Thriller|publisher=Harmony Books|date=1995|isbn=0-517-70112-X|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/psychobehindscen0000leig}}</ref> The film was nonetheless a critical and commercial success, and gained Perkins international fame as he won the Best Actor Award from the International Board of Motion Picture Reviewers. The role, with its multiple sequels, was to follow him for the remainder of his career.<ref name="nytimes.com">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/16/arts/anthony-perkins-s-wife-tells-of-2-years-of-secrecy.html|title=Anthony Perkins's Wife Tells of 2 Years of Secrecy|last=Weinraub|first=Bernard|date=September 16, 1992|work=The New York Times|access-date=October 26, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

==== European films ====
[[File:GoodbyeAgainPoster.png|thumb|Perkins and Ingrid Bergman in an advertisement for ''Goodbye Again'' (1961)]]

After buying himself out of his Paramount contract, Perkins moved to France and began making European films, the first of which was ''[[Goodbye Again (1961 film)|Goodbye Again]]'' (1961) with [[Ingrid Bergman]], shot in Paris. Paula Tessier (Bergman) tries to resist the charms of Philip Van der Besh (Perkins), who is the son of one of her clients, while stuck in an unfulfilling affair with a cheating businessman ([[Yves Montand]]). It was originally entitled ''Time on Her Hands'', although Perkins suggested the English title ''Goodbye Again'' after one of his father's plays.<ref name="Foshee">{{cite news|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/17134/goodbye-again/#articles-reviews?articleId=88170|title=Goodbye Again|work=Turner Classic Movies|first=Andrea|last=Foshee|date=November 19, 2007|access-date=January 9, 2022}}</ref> Again, Perkins found himself subjected to the romantic attention of his female costar, although he customarily declined.<ref name=People/> Despite any off-screen tension this might have caused, Perkins's role in the film was greatly praised and earned him the [[Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor]].<ref name="Foshee"/>

Perkins returned briefly to America to appear in a short-lived Broadway play, ''Harold'' (1962), but he returned to Europe shortly thereafter. He was then cast in ''[[Phaedra (film)|Phaedra]]'' (1962), shot in Greece with [[Melina Mercouri]] and directed by [[Jules Dassin]], undoubtedly inspired by Mercouri's recent success in ''[[Never on Sunday]]''. It was a modern retelling of a Greek tragedy where Alexis (Perkins) falls in love with Phaedra (Mercouri), who is also his stepmother. When asked about Perkins, Mercouri fondly said, "Ah, Tony. He is attractive to women. He is dangerous to women. When you touch him, he goes away a little. He is an [eel]. [[Raf Vallone]] [who played Perkins's father and Mercouri's husband in the film] is a good-looking man, but Perkins{{nbsp}}... Ah, I'd pick Perkins any time." Perkins's role in the film was also met with praise.<ref name="Winecoff">{{cite book|last=Winecoff|first=Charles|title=Split image: the life of Anthony Perkins|publisher=Dutton|year=199}}</ref>

His next film was ''[[Five Miles to Midnight]]'' (1962), which was his second motion picture with [[Sophia Loren]]. It follows Lisa (Loren), who believes her husband Robert (Perkins) died in a plane crash. When he reveals he is still alive, he urges her to collect the life-insurance money from his death. The film was a major shift away from the romantic leads he'd played in ''Goodbye Again'' and ''Phaedra'' and leant more toward his ''Psycho'' persona. Filming began under the title ''All the Gold in the World'', and Perkins reportedly only signed onto the picture after hearing Loren had replaced the previously cast [[Jeanne Moreau]] as his coerced wife.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=235}} The production process was captured on video for the documentary ''The World of Sophia Loren'', where she and Perkins can be seen laughing between takes, practicing scenes, solving puzzles, and singing the popular "After I'm Gone". (Tab Hunter had covered the song in 1958.){{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=236}} The film was a moderate success.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=237}}

[[File:Anthony-Perkins-Orson-Welles-The-Trial-Set.jpg|thumb|Anthony Perkins (right) with Orson Welles on the set of ''The Trial'' (1962)]]
Perkins continued with his mentally disturbed performances in [[Orson Welles]]' version of ''[[The Trial (1962 film)|The Trial]]'' (1962), based on the [[The Trial|Kafka novel]] about Joseph K, a man who's arrested and attempts to figure out what his crime is and how to defend himself. Perkins did not mind the typecasting as long as he was able to work with Welles, who personally wanted him to play the lead. To discuss the possibility of Perkins taking on the role, the two met on the stairs of Welles's hotel. Perkins said "[Welles] paid me the great compliment of saying he would like to know whether I would make the picture because if I wasn't going to make it, he wasn't going to make it either."{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=240}} It is likely Welles was trying to make his runaway hit like ''Psycho'', but even if that was the purpose, Perkins did not seem to mind. "He's the best there is," Perkins said of Welles. "He's wonderfully sure of himself and his ability without being dictatorial and autocratic about it{{nbsp}}... [H]e isn't inflexible."{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=240}} The film quickly went over-budget, although this did little to alter Perkins's vision of his director. In fact, during the process of filming, his admiration for Welles only seemed to increase. During filming, he considered writing a book about Welles and his career, even going as far as to carry a tape recorder in his coat pocket for weeks, but he abandoned it in fear of offending his boss. Welles later said to Perkins, "Oh, why didn't you [do it]? Why didn't you? I would have loved it!"{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|pp=241–242}}

Besides Perkins's abandoned plan to write a book about Welles, there was genuine affection between the two. Later in life, Welles remembered Perkins fondly: "A strange thing happened with [''The Trial'']: it got wonderful press, all over the world, even in America. Even in ''Time'' and ''Newsweek'' and everything, wonderful press. And Perkins got very bad press, all over the world, and the entire blame for that is mine, because he is a superlative actor and he played the character that I saw as K, and paid the price because nobody else sees it my way{{nbsp}}... I recognize that I did Tony–who is one of the best actors we have–a great disservice, because he deserved to have made a tremendous success and if he didn't with the critics the blame is one hundred percent with me."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbUe-bM6bXg&feature=youtu.be|title=Filming 'The Trial' (1981)|date=October 10, 2012 |via=YouTube |access-date=January 23, 2022}}</ref> Despite any regrets Welles might have had with his portrayal of Perkins and his character, the film was a massive success and later became a [[cult classic]]. Welles stated immediately after completing the film: "''The Trial'' is the best film I have ever made".<ref name=BBC>{{cite web|url=http://www.wellesnet.com/trial%20bbc%20interview.htm |title=Orson Welles on THE TRIAL |first=Huw |last=Wheldon |publisher=BBC |year=1962 |via=Wellesnet |access-date=March 6, 2010}}</ref> It was the first of four collaborations between Perkins and Welles.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=239}}

[[File:APerkinsBBardotPublicity.jpg|thumb|left|Perkins embracing Brigitte Bardot in a publicity still for ''Une ravissante idiote'']]

His final disturbed role in another romantic motion picture was in ''[[Le glaive et la balance]]'' (1963), shot in France. It had a very insignificant impact.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=243}} His next film, however, was ''[[Une ravissante idiote]]'' (1964) with [[Brigitte Bardot]], which was a comedy. It followed a Russian spy (Perkins) who employs a gorgeous but dim-witted woman (Bardot) as his accomplice in procuring secret documents. Perkins made history as the first American actor to play B.B.'s love interest,{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=250}} although Perkins later openly admitted Bardot was his least favorite costar, calling her "Bardot-do-do."<ref name="Hadleigh 1996"/> Bardot was another woman on Perkins's roster of suitors, but Perkins always denied Bardot's invitations to her penthouse. Perkins was incredibly uncomfortable around Bardot,{{Sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=251}} which was drastically different from his behavior around his previous (older) costars.

After ''Une ravissante idiote'' , Perkins shot ''[[The Fool Killer]]'' (1965) in Mexico.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=249}} An art film, the movie followed a 12-year-old boy ([[Edward Albert]]) who wanders the Civil War-ravaged South with a philosophical axe murderer (Perkins), and was Perkins's second film about the American Civil War. The film was well received but not overly popular at the box office,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.knoxtntoday.com/the-summer-anthony-perkins-came-to-concord/|title=The Summer Anthony Perkins Came to Concord|last=Smith|first=Mona B.|website=Knox TN Today|date=June 2, 2020 |access-date=January 23, 2022}}</ref> and Perkins returned to France for a cameo in ''[[Is Paris Burning? (film)|Is Paris Burning?]]'' (1966), a war film about the liberation of Paris in 1944 at the hands of the French Resistance. This was his second Welles collaboration and reunited him with director [[René Clément]], who had had the same occupation over Perkins in 1957's ''This Angry Age''. In addition, Perkins's friend, [[Gore Vidal]], wrote the script.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060814/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm|title=Is Paris Burning? (1966): Full Cast and Crew|publisher=IMDb|access-date=January 23, 2022}}</ref>

==== Return to the United States ====
[[File:Evening Primrose Anthony Perkins Charmian Carr 1966 redone.jpg|thumb|Perkins with [[Charmian Carr]] in ''[[Evening Primrose (musical)|Evening Primrose]]'', 1966]]

Although he was still living in France at the time, in 1966, Sondheim began writing a horror musical ''[[Evening Primrose (musical)|Evening Primrose]]'', which was set to be aired on ''[[ABC Stage 67]]'', for Perkins.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=259}} Perkins returned to America to star in the musical alongside [[Charmian Carr]], who was fresh off her success in ''[[The Sound of Music]]''. The plot followed Charles Snell, a struggling poet who decides to live in a department store by night and pretend to be a mannequin by day. He encounters a secret society, the Dark Men, that already had the idea, and falls in love with Ella Hawkins (Carr), who is the maid of the society's leader and is forbidden from speaking to Snell. If they attempt to leave the department store, the Dark Men will kill them and turn them into mannequins.<ref name="Evening Primrose">{{Cite web|url=https://sites.google.com/site/cultoddities/home/television/evening-primrose |title=Evening Primrose|website=Cult Oddities|access-date=January 10, 2022}}</ref> Sondheim referred to it as one of his favorite musicals he ever wrote, and announced Perkins as the lead of ''[[Company (musical)|Company]] '' shortly thereafter. Perkins, however, withdrew from the role, but he remained something like a muse for Sondheim for quite a few years.<ref name="Evening Primrose"/>{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=288}}

After his return to American television, Perkins appeared on Broadway in the [[Neil Simon]] play ''[[The Star-Spangled Girl]]'' (1966–67). For a brief moment, he was able to once again shed his typecast role as a mentally disturbed man, instead playing a radical roommate vying for the attention of a young woman. Among his costars was [[Connie Stevens]], and although they were both offered compliments for the performances they salvaged from the source material, the play was not on the whole well received.<ref>{{cite web| url= https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/91294/star-spangled-girl#notes |title= ''The Star-Spangled Girl'' Notes| website= Turner Classic Movies| access-date= October 18, 2017}}</ref> Neil Simon later commented that ''The Star-Spangled Girl'' "was written 'from an emotional identity rather than personal identity{{nbsp}}... I knew this one didn't have the body of the others. I knew it never had a chance to be a powerful comedy{{nbsp}}... I didn't make it'".<ref>{{cite news| last= Funke| first= Lewis| title= News of the Rialto Simon Says, 'I've Learned'| work= The New York Times| date= January 1, 1967| page= 57}}</ref> Shortly thereafter, Perkins returned to his beloved Europe and he starred in another French film, ''[[The Champagne Murders]]'' (1967), for [[Claude Chabrol]].{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=232}} The film was well-received, with the ''New York Times'' writing "Mr. Chabrol{{nbsp}}... has made a film that has the shape and structure of a murder mystery, but which is, essentially, a funny, sardonic social drama."<ref>{{cite news|author=Canby, Vincent|author-link=Vincent Canby|date=April 24, 1968|title=Screen: Lucille Ball and Fonda Star in a Comedy|page=53|work=The New York Times}}</ref> Despite this, it was insignificant at the box office.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=233}}

In 1968 Perkins made his first Hollywood movie since ''Psycho'', ''[[Pretty Poison (film)|Pretty Poison]]'' with [[Tuesday Weld]], in which he was typecast - for a fifth time - in the role of a psychotic young man. The plot revolves around Dennis Pitt (Perkins), on parole from a psychiatric hospital who meets Sue Ann Stepenek (Weld). He tells her he is a secret agent, after which they go on "missions" together, culminating in an attack on a factory. This was the first of two films with Weld, whom he had dated in the early 60s; they were reportedly chilly but respectful to each other on set.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=297}} Although the film wasn't a box office success, with Weld labeling it as her worst,<ref name="tues">{{cite news|title=Tuesday's got her dukes up: Watch out, Tuesday's got her dukes up|author=Reed, Rex|work=Chicago Tribune|date=October 31, 1971|page=r7}}</ref> it has since become a notable cult favorite.<ref name="perkins">{{cite news|title=A PERSONAL REVOLUTION: Anthony Perkins Trying to Mature Boyish Image |author=Thomas, Kevin|work=Los Angeles Times|date=December 20, 1967|page=c1}}</ref>

===1970s===

==== Shift to supporting roles ====
In the 1970s, Perkins moved into supporting roles in Hollywood-feature films. The first of such motion pictures was 1970's ''[[Catch-22 (film)|Catch-22]]'', playing [[Chaplain Tappman]]. This was followed by a brief appearance in ''[[WUSA (film)|WUSA]]'' (1970), starring [[Paul Newman]] and [[Joanne Woodward]]. [[Off-Broadway]], he appeared in and directed ''[[Steambath (play)|Steambath]]'' (1970).{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=290}}

After that, Perkins shifted his focus away from movies briefly to star on the made-for-television film ''[[How Awful About Allan]]'' (1970), where he once again played a psychotic character, this time opposite the gifted and acclaimed leading ladies [[Julie Harris]] and [[Joan Hackett]]. Although the film was hardly a significant work at the time of its release, it eventually gained a minor cult following over the years, thanks in large part to its ubiquity as a result of its entering into the public domain, making it more and more available and accessible for future audiences.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=294}} He returned to motion pictures soon after, assisting [[Charles Bronson]] in the French crime drama ''[[Someone Behind the Door]]'' (1971), playing yet another mentally disturbed man. This was also an insignificant endeavor.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=298}}

[[File:Anthony Perkins Paul Newman Judge Roy Bean.jpg|thumb|Anthony Perkins (left) with Paul Newman (right) in ''The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean'' (1972)]]
It seemed that Perkins could not escape his murderous image on screen, especially after he starred in Chabrol's murder mystery ''[[Ten Days' Wonder (film)|Ten Days' Wonder]]'' (1971), his third film with Orson Welles. It was also the third film where he fell in love with his step-mother (after 1958's ''Desire Under the Elms'' and 1962's ''Phaedra''). Perkins was reunited with another one of his older costars when he supported Tuesday Weld in ''[[Play It as It Lays (film)|Play It as It Lays]]'' (1972), based on the [[Play It as It Lays|Joan Didion novel]]. It follows Maria (Weld), a washed-up model who pursues a meaning in life beyond her dull marriage. She is friends with B.Z. (Perkins), a closeted producer who is being paid by his mother to also remain in a loveless marriage. For both stars, their roles were almost autobiographical, resulting in stunning performances. The ''Chicago-Sun Times'' praised, "What makes the movie work so well on this difficult ground is, happily, easy to say: It has been well-written and directed, and Tuesday Weld and Anthony Perkins are perfectly cast as Maria and her friend B.Z. The material is so thin (and has to be) that the actors have to bring the human texture along with them. They do, and they make us care about characters who have given up caring for themselves."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/play-it-as-it-lays-1973|title=Play It as It Lays movie review (1973) &#124; Roger Ebert|first=Roger|last=Ebert|website=rogerebert.com/}}</ref> Weld received a [[Golden Globe]] for her role, and both actors were expected to be nominated for Academy Awards. Neither were. However, Perkins publicly labelled the film as being his best performance.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=304}}

Perkins changed genres for his next film, ''[[The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean]]'' (1972). He played a wandering minister who assists the title character ([[Paul Newman]]), following him as he causes mayhem in the town. This was his second film with Newman and his only film with ex-partner Tab Hunter, whom Hunter later recalled he bumped into at the Tucson location:
<blockquote>"We hadn't seen each other in nearly ten years{{nbsp}}... What I didn't know at the time of our brief union was that Tony's long-running battle with his personal demons had reached a breaking point. He was ending a long relationship with dancer [[Grover Dale]] and had started therapy with Mildred Newman{{nbsp}}... Newman convinced Tony that his personal problems stemmed in large measure from him being gay, and she prescribed a course of action–including electroshock therapy–to turn him straight."{{sfn|Hunter|2006|p=287}}</blockquote>

According to Perkins, he had his first heterosexual experience on the set of the film with costar [[Victoria Principal]].<ref name=People/>

==== Sondheim-Perkins collaborations and unconventional roles ====
[[File:Anthony-Perkins-Stephen-Sondheim.jpg|thumb|left|Perkins (left) with [[Pat Ast]] (center), [[Marisa Berenson]] (right) and Stephen Sondheim (seated), 1973]]
In 1973, Perkins reunited with close friend Stephen Sondheim to co-write ''[[The Last of Sheila]]'', a 1973 American mystery film directed by [[Herbert Ross]]. It was based on the games Perkins and Sondheim made up together and revolved around a movie producer who tries to discover who murdered his unfaithful wife by taking his rich friends on a maze through exotic locations, each with a piece of gossip applying to one of the other people aboard a yacht. The characters were influenced by people Perkins and Sondheim knew in real life:<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XanCQXL6y_M/|title=Last of Sheila (1973) Production Short|date=August 15, 2020 |via=YouTube|access-date=January 10, 2022}}</ref> The film was a commercial success, and led to Perkins and Sondheim sharing the [[Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay]], which led them to try to collaborate again two more times.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}} The next project was announced in 1975, titled ''The Chorus Girl Murder Case''. "It's a sort of stew based on all those Bob Hope wartime comedies, plus a little ''[[Lady of Burlesque]]'' and a little [[Orson Welles]] magic show, all cooked into a ''Last of Sheila''-type plot", said Perkins.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Flatley, Guy|date=December 28, 1975|title=It's Been One of Tony Perkins' Better Years: A Good Year for Tony Perkins|page=O27|work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> He later said other inspirations were ''[[They Got Me Covered]]'', ''[[The Ipcress File (film)|The Ipcress File]]'' and ''[[Cloak and Dagger (1946 film)|Cloak and Dagger]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Flatley, Guy|date=February 19, 1978|title=Perkins: Film 'sickie' turns to reel bigamy|page=E23|work=Chicago Tribune}}</ref> They had sold the synopsis in October 1974.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Winer, Linda|date=October 20, 1974|title=Filling blanks in the puzzle of Sondheim", ''Chicago Tribune''|page=E3}}</ref> At one point, [[Michael Bennett (theater)|Michael Bennett]] was to direct, with [[Tommy Tune]] to star.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=327}} In November 1979, Sondheim said they had finished it.<ref>{{cite news|author=Mann, Roderick|date=November 29, 1979|title=Cool Down on 'Rough Cut'|page=G25|work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> However, the film was never made.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=327}} In the 1980s, Perkins and Sondheim collaborated on another project, the seven-part ''Crime and Variations'' for Motown Productions. In October 1984 they had submitted a treatment to Motown.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Mann, Roderick|date=October 7, 1984|title=TONY PERKINS: THE 'CRIMES' OF HIS HEART|page=X24|work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> It was a 75-page treatment set in the New York socialite world about a crime puzzle. Another writer was to write the script. It, too, was never made.<ref>{{cite book|last=Zadan|first=Craig|title=Sondheim & Co.|publisher=Harper & Row|year=1986|pages=352–53}}</ref>

Perkins was one of the many stars featured in ''[[Murder on the Orient Express (1974 film)|Murder on the Orient Express]]'' (1974), adapted from a popular [[Agatha Christie]] novel. He played the suspicious McQueen, and was reunited with previous costars Ingrid Bergman (1961's ''Goodbye Again'') and Martin Balsam (1960's ''Psycho''), as well as being teamed up with legendary actors such as [[Lauren Bacall]]. The picture was a massive box office smash, the 10th-highest-grossing film of that year, a hit with critics, and was nominated for six Academy Awards, including a third (and final) career win for co-star Bergman.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=342}} Also in 1974, Perkins co-starred with [[Beau Bridges]] and [[Blythe Danner]] in ''[[Lovin' Molly]]'', a drama film directed by [[Sidney Lumet]]. It had a budget of over $1.2&nbsp;million and was relatively well received.<ref>So You Make a Movie-Will the Public Ever See It?: Movies So You Make a Movie -- Will the Public See It? By STEPHEN FARBER. New York Times February 24, 1974: 105.</ref>

He enjoyed success on Broadway in [[Peter Shaffer]]'s 1974 play ''[[Equus (play)|Equus]]'' (where he was a replacement in the leading role originally played by [[Anthony Hopkins]]). In the show, he played a psychiatrist who attempts to rid his patient of their unnatural obsession with horses, shedding his stereotypical performance as a mentally disturbed man. His role was received to rave reviews, perhaps some of the best of his Broadway career.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/07/17/archives/stage-perkins-in-equus-shaffer-drama-is-still-magnificent-theater.html|title=Stage: Perkins in 'Equus'|last=Barnes|first=Clive|date=July 17, 1975|work=The New York Times|access-date=October 26, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> He continued with his stage work and directed the Off-Broadway production ''The Wager'' (1974), which had an insignificant impact.<ref>''Split Image'', 1996</ref>

Perkins returned to film supporting [[Diana Ross]] in ''[[Mahogany (film)|Mahogany]]'' (1975), where he played a photographer bent on making a young model (Ross) into a star. Perkins and Ross were good friends on set, to the point where Perkins's wife joked about their running off together, but this did not result in any strain from production. Perkins's photographer character, Sean, was rewritten shortly before filming began to capitalize on his ''Psycho'' persona. This was made worse by the fact that the once explicitly gay character was now simply queer-coded {{Clarify|date=July 2023}}, as well as being written in a homophobic way.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=352}} It was because of this and other factors that Perkins thought the film was mediocre, but it did well at the box office, setting attendance records shortly after its release.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=353}}

[[File:AnthonyPerkinsSNL.jpg|thumb|Perkins posing for the intro of his ''Saturday Night Live'' episode, 1976]]

Continuing in the vein of comedy appearances, Perkins hosted television's ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' in its first season in 1976. On the show, he poked fun at his serious image, crying out for his "good-luck panties." He briefly addressed the audience during his opening monologue, thanking them for seeing "the real Tony Perkins," before launching into a skit about Norman Bates's School for Motel Management, reprising his infamous role from ''Psycho''. He also played a singing psychiatrist (perhaps influenced by ''Equus'', something also mentioned in his opening monologue) and a victim in numerous pretend horror films. Towards the end of the program, Perkins posed and chatted with [[The Muppets]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://archive.org/details/saturday-night-live-s-01e-16-anthony-perkins-3-13-1976|title=Saturday Night Live S01E16|date=March 13, 1976 |access-date=January 11, 2022}}</ref>

Two years after his ''SNL'' appearance, Perkins co-starred with [[Geraldine Chaplin]] in ''[[Remember My Name (film)|Remember My Name]]'' (1978). Perkins plays the husband of his real-life wife, Berry Berenson. Perkins's character is besieged by his ex-spouse (Chaplin) who has just been released from prison and is bent on getting him back.<ref>{{cite news |last=Flatley |first=Guy |title=At The Movies |page=64 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=December 16, 1977 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/12/16/archives/at-the-movies-tony-perkins-goes-from-callow-troubles-to-more-mature.html |access-date=July 30, 2011}}</ref> Director-writer [[Alan Rudolph]] described it as "an update of the classic woman's melodramas of the [[Bette Davis]], [[Barbara Stanwyck]], [[Joan Crawford]] era."<ref>Rosenbaum, Jonathan. "Remember My Name". ''Film Quarterly''. Vol. 32, no. 3, Spring, 1979</ref> The motion picture was surprisingly popular and well-received, with the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' giving the film 4 out of 5 stars. They also praised both Perkins's and Chaplin's performances as "extraordinary."<ref>LaSalle, Mick. ''Mr. Perkins and the Vicious Stalker''. ''San Francisco Chronicle''. January 13, 1995.</ref>

After ''Remember My Name'', Perkins had more roles on television, playing [[Mary Tyler Moore]]'s husband in ''[[First, You Cry]]'' (1978),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077555/fullcredits|title=First, You Cry (1978 TV movie): Full Cast and Crew|publisher=IMDb|access-date=January 23, 2022}}</ref> a biographical drama film based on the 1976 autobiography of NBC News correspondent [[Betty Rollin]] recounting her battle with breast cancer.<ref>{{cite web|title= Harper Collins|url= http://www.harpercollins.com/browseinside/index.aspx?isbn13=9780060956301|access-date= June 15, 2016|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121021031906/http://www.harpercollins.com/browseinside/index.aspx?isbn13=9780060956301|archive-date= October 21, 2012|url-status= dead}}</ref> The film was nominated for numerous awards, including the [[Golden Globe Award]] for Best Motion Picture Made for Television and numerous [[Primetime Emmys]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077555/awards/?ref_=tt_awd|title=First, You Cry (1978 TV Movie): Awards|publisher=IMDb|access-date=January 23, 2022}}</ref> In 1979, it was parodied on an episode of ''SNL'' with a sketch titled "First He Cries." It follows a husband ([[Bill Murray]]) who's distraught over his wife's ([[Gilda Radner]]) mastectomy. The sketch was poorly received, resulting in over 200 calls and 300 letters of complaint.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://screenrant.com/snl-skits-aged-poorly/|title=SNL: 10 Skits That Aged Poorly|website=Screenrant|date=April 6, 2020 |access-date=January 24, 2022}}</ref>

After the modest success of ''First, You Cry'', Perkins continued on his television streak when he played Javert in ''[[Les Misérables (1978 film)|Les Misérables]]'' (1978)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077936/fullcredits|title=Les Misérables (1978 TV Movie): Full Cast and Crew|publisher=IMDb|access-date=January 23, 2022}}</ref> based on Victor Hugo's 2,000-page novel about the [[June Rebellion]], opposite [[Richard Jordan]] as Jean Valjean. He projected a more kid-friendly light when he was featured in [[Walt Disney]]'s mammoth science fiction epic ''[[The Black Hole (1979 film)|The Black Hole]]'' in 1979, where he reunited with crew members from ''Fear Strikes Out'', whom he hadn't seen in twenty-two years. The film also developed a large cult status with sci-fi fans, and was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Cinematography, as well as a nod for its complex and groundbreaking visual effects.<ref name="Turner Classic Movies">{{Cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/68882/the-black-hole/|title=The Black Hole|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref>

Shortly thereafter, Perkins returned to the boards in 1979 in another Broadway success with the play ''[[Romantic Comedy (play)|Romantic Comedy]]'' by [[Bernard Slade]], the author of ''[[Same Time, Next Year (play)|Same Time, Next Year]]''. He played playwright Jason Carmichael who meets Phoebe Craddock ([[Mia Farrow]]) and falls in love with her, and they decide to work together on a production. The show was a wild success and ran for 396 performances.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/production/romantic-comedy-ethel-barrymore-theatre-vault-0000004321|title=Romantic Comedy Broadway|website=Playbill|access-date=January 11, 2022}}</ref> The ''New York Post'' wrote: "A darling of a play{{nbsp}}... zesty entertainment of cool wit and warm sentiment."

=== 1980s ===
Perkins played a slick, unrelentingly-psychotic villain in the 1980 action film ''[[North Sea Hijack]]'' (also known as ''Assault Force,'' better known as ''ffolkes'') co-starring [[Roger Moore]]. He was one of the many names appearing in the all-star cast of ''[[Winter Kills (film)|Winter Kills]]'' (1980), a dark comedy about geo-politics and presidential assassinations. The film starred the likes of [[Jeff Bridges]], [[John Huston]], [[Richard Boone]], [[Eli Wallach]], [[Dorothy Malone]], [[Toshiro Mifune]], [[Belinda Bauer (actress)|Belinda Bauer]] and [[Elizabeth Taylor]]; he played John Cerruti, the purported puppetmaster behind a Kennedy-esque family and political dynasty, headed by John Huston. Perkins's real-life wife, Berry Berenson, played a bit part as a morgue attendant. The film was a box-office bomb, losing more than $4&nbsp;million. Like so many other Perkins films, this picture has also earned a cult following.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Echart|first1=Pablo|last2=Castrillo|first2=Pablo|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283800760|title=Towards a narrative definition of the American political thriller film|website=Communication & Society|access-date=January 23, 2022}}</ref>

After ''Winter Kills'' he also starred in the 1980 Canadian film ''[[Deadly Companion]]'' (also known as ''Double Negative'') opposite [[Michael Sarrazin]], [[Susan Clark]], [[Kate Reid]], and in a very small role, a soon-to-be famous comic actor [[John Candy]], with whom Perkins got on well on-set. It was largely disregarded by the public and even more so by critics.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=383}} The attention it did receive was bleak, save for some kind remarks for Perkins. ''Spies and Sleuths'' called the movie "a muddle film that cannot untie its tangled skein of a plot, although a Perkins performance is always worth watching."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mulay |first1=James J. |last2=Curran |first2=Daniel |last3=Wallenfeldt |first3=Jeffrey H. |title=Spies and Sleuths: Mystery, Spy and Suspense Films on Videocassette |date=1988 |publisher=CineBooks |isbn=978-0933997189 |page=30 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780933997189/page/30/mode/2up |access-date=January 23, 2022}}</ref> Another nice review for Perkins came from ''Starburst'': "This convoluted thriller is not without its merits (not least some clever dialogue and well observed performances by, among others, Anthony Perkins.)"<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Forshaw |first1=Barry |title=Muddled Negative |journal=[[Starburst (magazine)|Starburst]] |date=August 1984 |issue=72 |page=42 |url=https://archive.org/details/Starburst_Magazine_072_1984-08_Marvel-UK/page/n41/mode/2up |access-date=January 23, 2022}}</ref>[[File:Anthony Perkins (1983).jpg|thumb|right|Perkins in 1983]]
Perkins reprised the role of Norman Bates in ''Psycho''{{'}}s three sequels. The first, ''[[Psycho II (film)|Psycho II]]'' (1983), was a large box office success 23 years after the original film, competing with films of the likes of ''[[Trading Places]]'' and ''[[WarGames]]'', as well as a string of other screen sequels, including ''[[Return of the Jedi]]'', ''[[Superman III]]'' and ''[[Jaws 3-D]]''. ''Psycho II'' followed Norman Bates's life after being released from a mental institution he resided in for more than two decades.

Later that same year, former partner Tab Hunter met Perkins at his Mulholland Drive home, accompanied by the latter's wife and children, asking him to star in ''[[Lust in the Dust]]''. ''Lust'' was a Western spoof of ''[[Duel in the Sun (film)|Duel in the Sun]]'', and Hunter's love interest was played by drag performer [[Divine (performer)|Divine]], with whom he had already caused a stir in [[John Waters]]'s ''[[Polyester (film)|Polyester]]''. Hunter's partner and future husband, [[Allan Glaser]], who was a producer on the film, requested that Perkins play the villain, Hardcase Williams, something Hunter believed was influenced by the sudden success of ''Psycho II''. Glaser knew nothing of Hunter's past with Perkins. "I tried to convince him to [do the film]," Hunter remembered, "...{{nbsp}}but he refused. I choose not to think about the reasons for his turning down what would have been a wonderful role. When Tony and I said good-bye that afternoon, I was sincerely happy for him{{nbsp}}... It would be the last time we ever saw each other."{{sfn|Hunter|2006|p=322}}

After turning down ''Lust'', Perkins went to Australia to appear in the TV mini-series ''[[For the Term of His Natural Life (miniseries)|For the Term  of his Natural Life]]'' in 1983. The show was produced in three parts, with an overall runtime of 6 hours, following an educated, adventurous British aristocrat Richard Devine. The show was well received by critics, becoming the eleventh highest rated Australian mini series on Sydney television between 1978 and 2000, with a rating of 37, and the third highest on Melbourne television with a rating of 45.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/fact-finders/television/australian-content/in-the-archive/top-mini-series-of-all-time|website=Screen Australia|title=Top Mini series of all time}}</ref> After that was ''[[The Glory Boys]]'' (1984) for British television, a thriller mini-series with [[Rod Steiger]]. There was an intense dislike between Perkins and Steiger after the latter received a larger trailer, and Steiger labeled Perkins as "so jittery and jinxed by the chemicals he was taking."{{sfn|Hutchinson|1998|p=151}}

Following his feud with Rod Steiger on the set of ''Glory'', Perkins found a more hospitable movie set when he made ''[[Crimes of Passion (1984 film)|Crimes of Passion]]'' (1984) for [[Ken Russell]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/150440%7C14386/anthony-perkins#biography|title=Biography for Anthony Perkins|website=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=October 26, 2017}}</ref> The film centered around a minister who attempts to rid a sultry woman of her sexual ways, but the movie was so explicit that it retained an X-rating for its first cut. The motion picture was majorly edited and received an R-rating instead. Although Perkins believed the editing ruined the film, it has become a cult favorite.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=420}} He then starred in and directed ''[[Psycho III]]'' (1986), in which Norman Bates falls in love with a tragic wayward nun who comes to the Bates Motel. Perkins's performance in this entry of the ''Psycho'' series earned him a [[Saturn Award]] nomination for Best Actor. The film, however, proved to be less successful (both critically and commercially) than its predecessors. This led to bouts of diminished self-confidence,{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=429}} but it did not mark the end of his directorial career.

After the disappointment of ''Psycho III'', Perkins returned to television and had a supporting role in ''[[Napoleon and Josephine: A Love Story]]'' (1987), based on [[Napoleon Bonaparte]]'s romance with [[Joséphine de Beauharnais]], where Perkins played diplomat [[Talleyrand]]. The show was poorly received,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20097503,00.html |title=Picks and Pans Review: Napoleon and Josephine: a Love Story |last=Jarvis |first=Jeff |author-link=Jeff Jarvis |work=People |date=November 9, 1987 |access-date=January 21, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-11-10-ca-20055-story.html |title='Napoleon and Josephine': French History Goes Bust |last=Rosenberg |first=Howard |author-link=Howard Rosenberg |work=Los Angeles Times |date=November 10, 1987 |access-date=January 21, 2022}}</ref> but was nominated for two [[Emmy]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.emmys.com/shows/napoleon-and-josephine-love-story |title=Awards & Nominations |publisher=[[Emmys]] |access-date=January 21, 2022}}</ref>

Perkins drastically changed genres for his next project, the slasher film ''[[Destroyer (1988 film)|Destroyer]]'' (1988), where he again had a supporting role. Perkins was praised for his role, but the overall film was deemed a disappointment.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://reelfilm.com/destroyer/|title = Destroyer – Reel Film Reviews}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=May 5, 1988 |author=Richard Harrington |title=Destroyer |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/destroyerrharrington_a0aa80.htm |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] }}</ref> Perkins disappeared briefly from the screen, directing but not appearing in the comedy ''[[Lucky Stiff (film)|Lucky Stiff]]'' (1988), which was a humorous take on cannibalism and incest. While a box office failure, the film developed a cult following due to its quotable dialogue and exposure in ''[[Fangoria]]'', who did a feature on the film.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/gibron051028-2496179327.html|title = Mudlark Movies: Lucky Stiff, PopMatters|date=October 27, 2005}}</ref>

=== 1990s ===
Following his directorial pursuit, Perkins starred in additional horror films, including ''[[Edge of Sanity (film)|Edge of Sanity]]'' (1989), ''[[Daughter of Darkness (1990 film)|Daughter of Darkness]]'' (1990), and ''[[I'm Dangerous Tonight]]'' (1990). He found a reprieve while filming the pilot for the light-hearted show ''The Ghost Writer'' about a horror novelist named Anthony Strack (Perkins) who is haunted by his deceased wife after he remarries. The pilot ended with Perkins finishing the manuscript of his next novel, which was based on a supernatural encounter he had with the ghost of his wife. The pilot never sold.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=441}} He gave in to typecasting and played Norman Bates again in the made-for-cable film ''[[Psycho IV: The Beginning]]'' (1990). It was on the set of this film that Perkins learned he was [[HIV-positive people|HIV-positive]].<ref name="Weinraub">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/16/arts/anthony-perkins-s-wife-tells-of-2-years-of-secrecy.html|title=Anthony Perkins's Wife Tells of 2 Years of Secrecy|work=The New York Times|first=Bernard|last=Weinraub|date=September 16, 1992|access-date=August 22, 2013}}</ref>

Perkins appeared in six television productions from 1990 to 1992 while privately battling with AIDS, including ''[[Daughter of Darkness (1990 film)|Daughter of Darkness]]'' (1990) and hosting a 12-episode horror anthology series titled ''Chillers'' (1990). He made his final appearance in ''[[In the Deep Woods]]'' (1992) with [[Rosanna Arquette]], which was released posthumously. All of these appearances tied back to horror, further solidifying the typecast role he had fallen into.<ref name="Charles">{{cite web|last=Charles|first=John|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/150440%7C14386/Anthony-Perkins#biography|title=Anthony Perkins (Biography)|website=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=January 21, 2022}}</ref>

=== Missed roles ===
* Perkins was offered the lead role in ''Dancing in the Checkered Shade'', a John Van Druten play. "I had little money and was practically set for ''Dancing in the Checkered Shade''," Perkins recalled in 1956. "My agents were split in their decisions. New York said I should stay and do the play. Hollywood said I should come out and do [''Friendly Persuasion'']. It was like flipping a coin. So I took the picture." ''Dancing'' never made it to Broadway, while ''Friendly Persuasion'' earned Perkins an Academy Award nomination and Hollywood stardom.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=97}}
[[File:Anthony-Perkins-Drag.png|thumb|Perkins (wearing veil) in drag for ''The Matchmaker'' (1958), despite the fact that Paramount had just forbidden him from doing ''Some Like It Hot'' for its flamboyance]]
* Perkins tried out for the lead in ''[[East of Eden (film)|East of Eden]]'' and ''[[Rebel Without a Cause]]'', both of which went to [[James Dean]]. There were rumors that Perkins's ''East of Eden'' loss led [[Elia Kazan]], the film's director, to give Perkins the role of Tom Lee in ''Tea and Sympathy'', the Broadway play he was directing, but Kazan dismissed those notions as "bullshit."{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=76}} (Perkins, however, was chosen over Dean for ''Friendly Persuasion'' and replaced him after his death in ''This Angry Age''.)
* Perkins was optioned as the lead in [[Harold Robbins]]'s ''A Stone for Danny Fisher'', but he was not interested in the film and turned it down. It later was known as ''[[King Creole]]'', a musical vehicle for popular teen idol and pop singer [[Elvis Presley]], whom Perkins was sometimes mistaken for.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=108}}
* Perkins was offered the role of Shell Oil Jr. in the 1959 comedy ''[[Some Like It Hot]]'' with [[Marilyn Monroe]], which Monroe was reportedly excited about. Perkins, however, was forced to decline the opportunity by Paramount Studios executives, who did not want Perkins, who was already sexually ambiguous, in drag for a film.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=163}}
* Perkins, just as he was signed onto the commercially, critically, and culturally significant ''Psycho'', was encouraged to take the title role in a 20th-Century Fox biographical film, ''Dooley'', who just happened to be gay. ''Tea and Sympathy''{{'}}s [[Robert Anderson (playwright)|Robert Anderson]] wrote the script, and ''Greenwillow''{{'}}s [[George Roy Hill]] and ''Tall Story''{{'}}s [[Joshua Logan]] had expressed an interest in directing the film. [[Jack Lemmon]] and [[Montgomery Clift]] were also strong contenders for the main role. Perkins, however, was not allowed to audition after Paramount balked at the production cost.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=229}}
* Perkins was seriously considered for the role of Tony in the 1961 adaptation of ''[[West Side Story (1961 film)|West Side Story]]'', although Paramount forced Perkins to rescind his audition as well. This instead planted the seeds of Perkins's lifelong friendship with ''West Side Story''{{'}}s lyricist, Stephen Sondheim.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=209}}
* Perkins was the first choice of [[Tennessee Williams]] and the play's director, [[Tony Richardson]], in the 1963 Broadway revival of Williams's play ''[[The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore]]'' with [[Tallulah Bankhead]]. As Tab Hunter said "Tony [Perkins] suggested me to Richardson after a scheduling conflict kept him from playing the part. This gesture meant the world to me{{nbsp}}... but in a very classy move, neither Richardson nor Perkins ever let on that I wasn't the first choice. It would be many years before I learned the truth, too many to be able to thank my old friend."{{sfn|Hunter|2006|p=247}} The show, partly due to the then-recent [[assassination of John F. Kennedy|assassination of United States president John F. Kennedy]] which kept people inside, closed after three performances.
* Perkins was cast as Robert, the lead role, in the [[Stephen Sondheim]]-penned ''[[Company (musical)|Company]]'', which Perkins declined due to scheduling conflicts. Later in life, Perkins attributed his refusal to anxiety as well: "I had signed up to do the lead in ''Company'' and suddenly this specter rose up in front of me–of performing again for a year and a half–and I dreaded it." Some people also believed his refusal was because Robert was a seemingly flamboyant character.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=288}}
* Perkins, after cowriting the script of the movie with Stephen Sondheim, was encouraged to take the role of Clinton, the lead antagonist, in ''[[The Last of Sheila]]'' (1973). Sondheim was one of the major supporters of this casting, seeing Perkins as perfect for the role. Perkins, however, thought it played too much into his already-established deranged persona and passed it up to [[James Coburn]] instead.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=326}}
* Perkins played a horror writer, Anthony Strack, in the television pilot for the show ''The Ghost Writer'', which Perkins was enthusiastic about in terms of its prospects, believing it would be the perfect way for him to transition into more comical roles on both stage and screen. The pilot never sold.{{sfn|Winecoff|1996|p=441}}
* Perkins agreed to provide the voice for the role of the dentist, Dr. Wolfe, in ''[[The Simpsons]]'' episode "[[Last Exit to Springfield]]", but died before the part could be recorded. The character was voiced by ''Simpsons'' regular [[Hank Azaria]].<ref name="Jean">{{cite video|people=Jean, Al|year=2004|title=The Simpsons season 4 DVD commentary for the episode 'Last Exit to Springfield'| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref>