Osgood Robert "Oz" Perkins II (born February 2, 1974) is an American director, screenwriter, and actor.
Oz Perkins | |
|---|---|
 Perkins in 2009 | |
| Born | Osgood Robert Perkins II February 2, 1974 New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Director, screenwriter, actor |
| Years active | 1983, 1993–1994, 2001–present |
| Spouse |
Sidney Perkins
(m. 1999; div. 2016) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Elvis Perkins (brother) Osgood Perkins (grandfather) Marisa Berenson (aunt) Elsa Schiaparelli (great-grandmother) |
Early life
editPerkins was born in Manhattan, New York City, the elder son of actor Anthony Perkins (1932–1992) and photographer and actress Berry Berenson (1948–2001). He is the brother of musician Elvis Perkins, a grandson of the stage actor Osgood Perkins (1892–1937), a nephew of the actress Marisa Berenson, and a great-grandson of the fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli (1890–1973), who was a great-niece of Giovanni Schiaparelli, the Italian astronomer. His maternal grandfather was of Lithuanian-Jewish descent, and his family's original surname was "Valvrojenski".[1][2][3]
Career
editPerkins' first acting role was in Psycho II (1983), in which he briefly appeared as the twelve-year-old version of the Norman Bates character his father portrayed. Since then, he has appeared in the films Six Degrees of Separation (1993), Legally Blonde (2001) as "Dorky David”, Not Another Teen Movie (also 2001) and Secretary (2002), and in episodes of Alias and other television shows. He also has a brief role in the film Star Trek (2009) as a Starfleet Academy trainee. In the award winning indie film La Cucina (2007), he plays Chris, opposite Leisha Hailey.
As a filmmaker, Perkins is best known for his work in horror films. He wrote and directed films such as The Blackcoat's Daughter (2015), I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (2016) and Longlegs (2024), and directed the dark fantasy-horror adaptation Gretel & Hansel (2020). He also appeared as one of numerous commentators in the second episode of the Shudder documentary mini-series Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror (2022),[4] primarily discussing implications of his father's role as Norman Bates in Psycho and its sequels.
Personal life
editPerkins filed for divorce from his wife Sidney in July 2016; they had been married since 1999. They have two children.[5]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Removal | No | Yes | |
| 2013 | Cold Comes the Night | No | Yes | |
| 2015 | The Blackcoat's Daughter | Yes | Yes | Credited as Osgood Perkins |
| The Girl in the Photographs | No | Yes | ||
| 2016 | I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House | Yes | Yes | Credited as Osgood Perkins |
| 2020 | Gretel & Hansel | Yes | No | Credited as Osgood Perkins |
| 2024 | Longlegs | Yes | Yes | Credited as Osgood Perkins |
| 2025 | The Monkey | Yes | Yes | Post-production[6] |
| TBA | Keeper | Yes | No | Post-production[7] |
Acting roles
editFilm
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| 2005 | Erosion | Steve | |
| 2006 | The Utah Murder Project | Detective Charlie DeSantis | |
| 2007 | La Cucina | Chris | |
| 2009 | Star Trek | Enterprise Communications Officer | |
| 2010 | Removal | Henry Sharpe | |
| 2014 | Electric Slide | Andy Segal | |
| 2017 | 78/52: Hitchcock's Shower Scene | Himself | Documentary |
| 2022 | Nope | Fynn Bachman | |
| 2025 | The Monkey | TBA | Post-production[8] |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | She Spies | Karg | Episode "The Martini Shot" |
| 2005 | Alias | Coke Bottle Glasses | Episodes "Mirage" and "A Clean Conscience" |
| 2006 | Close to Home | Charlie Forsberg | Episode "Dead or Alive" |
| 2008 | October Road | Dr. Joshua Stone | Episode "The Fine Art of Surfacing" |
| 2020 | The Twilight Zone | Kanamit #2 | Episode "You Might Also Like" (credited as "Osgood Perkins") |
| 2022 | Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror | Himself | Docuseries |
Recurring collaborators
editWork Actor |
2015 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | 2025 | TBA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Keeper
| ||||||
| Lucy Boynton | ||||||
| Beatrix Perkins | ||||||
| Erin Boyes | ||||||
| Tatiana Maslany | ||||||
| Kiernan Shipka |
References
edit- ^ Bernard Berenson. Sketch for a Self-Portrait. New York. Pantheon. 1949
- ^ "Robert L. Berenson, Ex-Envoy and Head of Shipping Line, Dies". The New York Times. February 3, 1965, page 35
- ^ "Marisa $chiaparelli Is Married in Gown Designed. by Her Mother, the Cougurlere". The New York Times.
- ^ "Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror". IMDb.com. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
- ^ "'Legally Blonde' Actor Not So Sweet 16 ... Files for Divorce". TMZ. July 29, 2016.
- ^ Cooper, Alison (February 29, 2024). "17 movies and TV shows filming in Vancouver in March". Daily Hive. Archived from the original on March 1, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ Willmore, Alison (July 12, 2024). "Osgood Perkins Gets Into the Family Business". Vulture. Vox Media. Archived from the original on August 9, 2024.
- ^ Levitt, Barry (July 12, 2024). "Osgood Perkins makes exquisite horror films. He's got it in his blood". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 1, 2024.