Oz Perkins

Osgood Robert Perkins II (born February 2, 1974) is an American filmmaker and actor. Since the 2010s, he directed the horror films The Blackcoat's Daughter, I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (2016), Gretel & Hansel (2020), Longlegs (2024), The Monkey and Keeper (both in 2025).

He began his career as a child actor, portraying the young version of his father Anthony Perkins' character Norman Bates in Psycho II (1983), and later appeared in films such as Six Degrees of Separation (1993), Legally Blonde (2001), Not Another Teen Movie (2001), Star Trek (2009), and Nope (2022).

Early life Osgood Robert Perkins II was born in the Manhattan borough of New York City on February 2, 1974, the son of actress Berry Berenson (1948–2001) and actor Anthony Perkins (1932–1992). He is the older brother of musician Elvis Perkins, the grandson of actor Osgood Perkins, and the nephew of actress Marisa Berenson. Perkins' parents remained married until his father, who had long struggled with his sexual orientation, died of AIDS in September 1992.

Perkins' mother had French, Italian, 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 subsequently died in the September 11 attacks. His father was of English descent and counted wood engraver Andrew Varick Stout Anthony and colonist Roger Conant among his ancestors, as well as Mayflower passengers William Brewster, John Howland, and Myles Standish.

Career

Perkins' first acting role was in Psycho II (1983), in which he briefly appeared as the 12-year-old version of his father's character Norman Bates. He has since appeared in the films Six Degrees of Separation (1993), Legally Blonde (2001), Not Another Teen Movie (2001), Secretary (2002), La Cucina (2007), Star Trek (2009), and Nope (2022), as well as episodes of Alias and other television shows. He was featured in the second episode of the Shudder documentary miniseries Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror (2022), in which he discussed the legacy of his father's role as Norman Bates in Psycho (1960) and its sequels.

Perkins made his directorial debut with the horror film The Blackcoat's Daughter (2015) and has since become known for writing and/or directing horror films such as The Girl in the Photographs (2015), I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (2016), Gretel & Hansel (2020), Longlegs (2024), The Monkey (2025), and Keeper (2025). Perkins credits his father's career with influencing his own approach to the horror genre. As a teenager, Perkins felt that his father was relegated to appearing in "bad horror movies". This led him to perceive the horror genre as having a "love-hate, push-pull, respect-degrading quality", and to make "some off-balance, off-center things".

In May 2025, Perkins co-founded the production company Phobos with producer Chris Ferguson. Perkins and the company signed a first-look deal with Neon.

Personal life Perkins married Sidney in 1999, and they had a son and daughter together before divorcing in 2016.

Filmography Filmmaking credits Film Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes 2010 Removal 2013 Cold Comes the Night 2015 The Blackcoat's Daughter The Girl in the Photographs 2016 I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House 2020 Gretel & Hansel 2024 Longlegs 2025 The Monkey Keeper 2026 Backrooms Post-production TBA Post-production

Television Year Title Director Writer Notes 2020 The Twilight Zone Episode: "You Might Also Like"

Acting roles Film

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" 2022 Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror Himself Docuseries