PERKINS, OSGOOD

(1892-1937)

A native of West Newton, Massachusetts, Osgood Perkins graduated from Harvard University in 1914, where he studied withGeorge Pierce Bakerat Harvard University, where he graduated in 1914. He served inWorldWar I and acted in silent motion pictures, forming the Film Guild. Perkins made his Broadway debut in asupportingrole in George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly'sBeggar on Horseback(1924), followed by Lynn Starling'sWeak Sister(1925). His greatest stage success came as the cynical newspaper editor Walter Burns inThe Front Page(1928), which amply demonstrated Perkins's versatility in moving easily from comedy to drama. He subsequently appeared in a variety of innocuous plays, includingThe Masque of Venice(1926),Pomeroy's Past(1926),Loose Ankles(1926),Say It with Flowers(1926),Spread Eagle(1927),Women Go On Forever(1927), andSalvation(1928). After 1930, Perkins was well-received as Astrov in a revival ofUncle Vanya(1930), and also appeared inPoint Valaine* (1935),Ceiling Zero* (1935), andEnd of Summer* (1936), among others. Perkins also acted in several films, includingScarface(1931), and was the father of actor Anthony Perkins.*