Perkins began his career as a juvenile lead in the early 1950s and distinguished himself in films including "Tin Star" (1957) and, as baseball star Jim Piersall, "Fear Strikes Out" (1957). His gripping recreation of Piersall's mental problems made him a suitable choice for what would become his signature role, the mother-fixated Norman Bates in Hitchcock's classic thriller, "Psycho" (1960). He went on to appear in a number of interesting works, including Orson Welles' adaptation of Kafka's "The Trial" (1962), but could never quite shake the "Psycho" mantle. In the mid-1980s, Perkins returned to the scene of his early triumph, reprising the Bates role in three progressively campy sequels, the second of which also marked his directorial debut. He was the son of actor Osgood Perkins (Johnny Lovo in "Scarface" 1932) and husband of Berry Berenson, who appeared opposite him in two films, "Remember My Name" (1978) and "Winter Kills" (1979).