Osgood Perkins Bio
Osgood Robert Perkins II, born February 2, 1974, in New York City, is an American filmmaker and actor whose career spans more than four decades. He first appeared on screen as a child and later built a reputation behind the camera as a writer and director of atmospheric horror films. Over the years he has moved fluidly between acting and directing, establishing himself as a distinctive voice in contemporary genre cinema.
Since the 2010s, Perkins has written and directed the horror films The Blackcoat’s Daughter (2015), I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (2016), Gretel & Hansel (2020), Longlegs (2024), The Monkey (2025), and Keeper (2025). He continues to balance his work in front of the camera with his growing slate of projects as a filmmaker.
Early Life and Background
Osgood Robert Perkins II was born in the Manhattan borough of New York City on February 2, 1974. He is the son of actress Berry Berenson (1948–2001) and actor Anthony Perkins (1932–1992), making his entry into the entertainment world almost inevitable. He is the older brother of musician Elvis Perkins, the grandson of actor Osgood Perkins, and the nephew of actress Marisa Berenson.
His mother had French, Italian, Polish-Jewish, Russian-Jewish, and Swiss ancestry and was a descendant of astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli and fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli. She was a passenger on American Airlines Flight 11 and died in the September 11 attacks. His father was of English descent, with ancestors that included wood engraver Andrew Varick Stout Anthony, colonist Roger Conant, and Mayflower passengers William Brewster, John Howland, and Myles Standish. Although his father later identified as gay, his parents remained married until his father’s death from AIDS in September 1992.
Path to Directing
Perkins’ earliest exposure to filmmaking came through his family, where acting was a daily reality. His first professional role came in 1983 when he appeared in Psycho II as the young version of his father Anthony Perkins’ character Norman Bates. That experience offered him a direct look at how a film set operates and gave him a lifelong connection to one of cinema’s most iconic characters.
Through the 1990s and 2000s, he built a steady acting résumé, appearing in films such as Six Degrees of Separation (1993), Legally Blonde (2001), Not Another Teen Movie (2001), Secretary (2002), La Cucina (2007), Star Trek (2009), and Nope (2022), along with episodes of Alias and other television series. He also appeared in the 2022 Shudder documentary miniseries Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror, where he discussed the legacy of his father’s portrayal of Norman Bates. These years of working with different directors, writers, and crews gave him the foundation he needed to eventually step behind the camera himself.
Osgood Perkins Career
Early Career (1983–2009)
Perkins’ first notable work came in 1983 with his appearance in Psycho II, where he played the 12-year-old version of Norman Bates. He was a child actor at the time, and the role offered an early connection to the horror genre that would later define his own work. Through the 1990s he took supporting parts in independent and studio films, including a memorable role in Six Degrees of Separation (1993).
By the 2000s, Perkins had accumulated a varied list of credits in both comedy and drama, with appearances in Legally Blonde (2001), Not Another Teen Movie (2001), Secretary (2002), and La Cucina (2007). He also appeared in the J. J. Abrams-directed Star Trek (2009). These roles gave him range as a performer and a working knowledge of the film industry that would shape his later work as a director.
Breakthrough (2015–Present)
Perkins made his directorial debut with the horror film The Blackcoat’s Daughter in 2015, a chilly, slow-building story that announced him as a filmmaker with a strong sense of mood and restraint. That same year he co-wrote The Girl in the Photographs (2015). He followed these early efforts with I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (2016), another quiet, ghost-driven piece that further developed his reputation for atmospheric storytelling.
In 2020 he wrote and directed Gretel & Hansel, a dark reimagining of the classic fairy tale that brought his work to a wider audience. His biggest commercial and critical moment came with Longlegs (2024), a serial-killer horror film that became one of the most talked-about genre releases of the year. He then released The Monkey (2025) and Keeper (2025), continuing his streak of year-spanning horror productions.
Notable Works and Milestones
Perkins’ signature work is Longlegs (2024), which cemented his standing as a leading voice in modern horror. His run of self-written, self-directed genre films, including The Blackcoat’s Daughter, I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, Gretel & Hansel, and The Monkey, has become a defining feature of his career. In May 2025, he co-founded the production company Phobos with producer Chris Ferguson, and the company signed a first-look deal with Neon, marking a new chapter in his career as both a creator and a producer.
Osgood Perkins Award Nominations
Verified award nomination details are not available from the source material provided. As a result, this section does not list specific nominations, years, or awarding bodies. Any unsupported totals have been omitted to keep the record accurate.
Osgood Perkins Awards Won
Verified award win details are not available from the source material provided. Specific wins, years, and categories have therefore been omitted from this section. Only fully supported honors have been included elsewhere in the page, and unverified totals are not listed.
Osgood Perkins Family
Perkins was born into a family with deep roots in entertainment. His father, Anthony Perkins, was an acclaimed actor best known for his role as Norman Bates in Psycho (1960) and its sequels. His mother, Berry Berenson, was an actress and photographer who came from a distinguished family that included fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli and astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli among her ancestors.
His brother, Elvis Perkins, is a musician, and his aunt, Marisa Berenson, is a well-known actress and model. His paternal grandfather, Osgood Perkins, was also an actor, continuing a multi-generational connection to the stage and screen. The family also includes notable American ancestors connected to the Mayflower, including William Brewster, John Howland, and Myles Standish.
Personal Life
Perkins married Sidney in 1999, and together they had a son and a daughter before divorcing in 2016. He also has a son from a subsequent relationship, bringing his total number of children to three. Beyond these public family details, limited verified personal information is available from the source material provided.
Upcoming Projects
In 2025, Perkins co-founded the production company Phobos with producer Chris Ferguson. The company signed a first-look deal with Neon, positioning Perkins to develop and produce additional genre projects beyond his own directing work. The exact upcoming titles attached to the new company are not detailed in the source material provided.
