Osgood Perkins
Encyclopedia
Osgood Perkins was an American
actor.
, the son of Helen Virginia (née
Anthony) and Henry Phelps Perkins. He is a descendant of a Mayflower passenger John Howland
. Perkins made his Broadway
debut in 1924 in the George S. Kaufman
– Marc Connelly
play Beggar on Horseback
. Within the next dozen years he would appear in 24 productions, including The Front Page
and Uncle Vanya
.
Despite his success as a leading man
in the theatre, Hollywood viewed him as a character actor
. He appeared in 12 silent film
s, such as Puritan Passions
, before graduating to talkies
, including Scarface
and Gold Diggers of 1937
.
"The best actor I ever worked with was Osgood Perkins," Louise Brooks
told Kevin Brownlow
. "You know what makes an actor great to work with? Timing. You don't have to feel anything. It's like dancing with a perfect dancing partner. Osgood Perkins would give you a line so that you would react perfectly. It was timing -- because emotion means nothing." Brooks and Perkins appeared together in Love 'Em and Leave 'Em (1926).
Perkins married Janet Esselstyn Rane, in 1922. They had one child, actor Anthony Perkins
. Osgood died of a heart attack in Washington, D.C.
, at age 45. Anthony was just five-years-old at the time.
Osgood Perkins was inducted, posthumously, into the American Theatre Hall of Fame
in 1981.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor.
Life and career
Perkins was born James Ripley Osgood Perkins in West Newton, MassachusettsWest Newton, Massachusetts
West Newton is a village of the City of Newton, Massachusetts and is one of the oldest of the thirteen Newton villages. The postal code 02465 roughly matches the village limits.-Location:...
, the son of Helen Virginia (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Anthony) and Henry Phelps Perkins. He is a descendant of a Mayflower passenger John Howland
John Howland
John Howland was a passenger on the Mayflower. He was an indentured servant who accompanied the separatists, also called the Pilgrims, when they left England to settle in Plymouth, Massachusetts...
. Perkins made his Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut in 1924 in the George S. Kaufman
George S. Kaufman
George Simon Kaufman was an American playwright, theatre director and producer, humorist, and drama critic. In addition to comedies and political satire, he wrote several musicals, notably for the Marx Brothers...
– Marc Connelly
Marc Connelly
Marcus Cook Connelly was an American playwright, director, producer, performer, and lyricist. He was a key member of the Algonquin Round Table, and received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1930.-Biography:...
play Beggar on Horseback
Beggar on Horseback
Beggar on Horseback is a play by George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly.A parody of the expressionistic parables that were popular at the time, it rails against the perils of trading one's artistic talents for commercial gain. At its core is Neil McRae, a poor, young classical composer...
. Within the next dozen years he would appear in 24 productions, including The Front Page
The Front Page
The Front Page is a hit Broadway comedy about tabloid newspaper reporters on the police beat, written by one-time Chicago reporters Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur which was first produced in 1928.-Synopsis:...
and Uncle Vanya
Uncle Vanya
Uncle Vanya is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1897 and received its Moscow première in 1899 in a production by the Moscow Art Theatre, under the direction of Konstantin Stanislavski....
.
Despite his success as a leading man
Leading man
Leading man or leading gentleman is an informal term for the actor who plays a love interest to the leading actress in a film or play. A leading man is usually an all rounder; capable of singing, dancing, and acting at a professional level, but never outshining his female co-star...
in the theatre, Hollywood viewed him as a character actor
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
. He appeared in 12 silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
s, such as Puritan Passions
Puritan Passions
Puritan Passions is a 1923 silent film directed by Frank Tuttle, based on Percy MacKaye's 1908 play, The Scarecrow, which was itself based on Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story "Feathertop". The film stars Glenn Hunter, Mary Astor, and stage actor Osgood Perkins. It follows the play faithfully,...
, before graduating to talkies
Sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades would pass before sound motion pictures were made commercially...
, including Scarface
Scarface (1932 film)
Scarface is a 1932 American gangster film starring Paul Muni and George Raft, produced by Howard Hughes, directed by Howard Hawks and Richard Rosson, and written by Ben Hecht based on the 1929 novel of the same name by Armitage Trail...
and Gold Diggers of 1937
Gold Diggers of 1937
Gold Diggers of 1937 is a 1936 Warner Bros. movie musical directed by Lloyd Bacon with musical numbers created and directed by Busby Berkeley, and starring Dick Powell and Joan Blondell, who were married at the time, and Victor Moore. The film features songs by the teams of Harold Arlen and E.Y...
.
"The best actor I ever worked with was Osgood Perkins," Louise Brooks
Louise Brooks
Mary Louise Brooks , generally known by her stage name Louise Brooks, was an American dancer, model, showgirl and silent film actress, noted for popularizing the bobbed haircut. Brooks is best known for her three feature roles including two G. W...
told Kevin Brownlow
Kevin Brownlow
Kevin Brownlow is a filmmaker, film historian, television documentary-maker, author, and Academy Award recipient. Brownlow is best known for his work documenting the history of the silent era. Brownlow became interested in silent film at the age of eleven. This interest grew into a career spent...
. "You know what makes an actor great to work with? Timing. You don't have to feel anything. It's like dancing with a perfect dancing partner. Osgood Perkins would give you a line so that you would react perfectly. It was timing -- because emotion means nothing." Brooks and Perkins appeared together in Love 'Em and Leave 'Em (1926).
Perkins married Janet Esselstyn Rane, in 1922. They had one child, actor Anthony Perkins
Anthony Perkins
Anthony Perkins was an American actor, best known for his Oscar-nominated role in Friendly Persuasion and as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho , and its three sequels.-Early life:...
. Osgood died of a heart attack in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, at age 45. Anthony was just five-years-old at the time.
Osgood Perkins was inducted, posthumously, into the American Theatre Hall of Fame
American Theatre Hall of Fame
The American Theatre Hall of Fame in New York City was founded in 1972. Earl Blackwell was the first head of the Executive Committee. In an announcement at a luncheon meeting on March 1972, he said that the new Theater Hall of Fame would be located in the Uris Theatre . James M...
in 1981.
Selected filmography
- Puritan PassionsPuritan PassionsPuritan Passions is a 1923 silent film directed by Frank Tuttle, based on Percy MacKaye's 1908 play, The Scarecrow, which was itself based on Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story "Feathertop". The film stars Glenn Hunter, Mary Astor, and stage actor Osgood Perkins. It follows the play faithfully,...
(1923) - Love 'Em and Leave 'EmLove 'Em and Leave 'Em (film)Love 'Em and Leave 'Em is a 1926 silent American comedy-drama film directed by Frank Tuttle and starring Evelyn Brent.- Cast :* Evelyn Brent as Mame Walsh* Lawrence Gray as Bill Billingsley* Louise Brooks as Janie Walsh* Osgood Perkins as Lem Woodruff...
(1926) - SyncopationSyncopation (1929 film)Syncopation is the second film produced by RKO Pictures but the first distribution. It is a musical, starring Barbara Bennett, Bobby Watson, and Ian Hunter, and is based on the novel Stepping High by Gene Markey.-Cast:*Barbara Bennett as Fleurette...
(1929) - Mother's BoyMother's Boy (1929 film)Mother's Boy is a 1929 American black-and-white musical film.-Cast:*Morton Downey - Tommy O'Day*Beryl Mercer - Mrs.O'Day*John T. Doyle - Mr.O'Day*Brian Donlevy - Harry O'Day*Helen Chandler - Rose Lyndon*Osgood Perkins - Jake Sturmberg...
(1929) - Tarnished LadyTarnished LadyTarnished Lady is a 1931 American drama film directed by George Cukor. The screenplay by Donald Ogden Stewart is based on his short story "A Story of a New York Lady."-Plot:...
(1931) - ScarfaceScarface (1932 film)Scarface is a 1932 American gangster film starring Paul Muni and George Raft, produced by Howard Hughes, directed by Howard Hawks and Richard Rosson, and written by Ben Hecht based on the 1929 novel of the same name by Armitage Trail...
(1932) - Madame DuBarryMadame Du Barry (1934 film)Madame DuBarry is a 1934 American historical film directed by William Dieterle and starring Dolores del Rio, Reginald Owen, Victor Jory and Osgood Perkins. The film portrays the life of Madame Du Barry, the last mistress of King Louis XV of France...
(1934) - The President VanishesThe President Vanishes (film)The President Vanishes, released in the United Kingdom as Strange Conspiracy, is a 1934 American political drama film directed by William A. Wellman and produced by Walter Wanger...
(1934) - I Dream Too MuchI Dream Too MuchI Dream Too Much is a 1935 romantic comedy film directed by John Cromwell. It stars Henry Fonda, Lily Pons, and Lucille Ball in one of her earliest roles. It has been described as a "somewhat wispy operetta." Songs are by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields...
(1935) - Gold Diggers of 1937Gold Diggers of 1937Gold Diggers of 1937 is a 1936 Warner Bros. movie musical directed by Lloyd Bacon with musical numbers created and directed by Busby Berkeley, and starring Dick Powell and Joan Blondell, who were married at the time, and Victor Moore. The film features songs by the teams of Harold Arlen and E.Y...
(1936)
External links
- Osgood Perkins portrait gallery NY Public Library