Luke Perry
Luke Perry, February 14, 2004
Born	Coy Luther Perry III October 11, 1965(1965-10-11) (age 44) Mansfield, Ohio, United States

Luke Perry (born Coy Luther Perry III; October 11, 1965)^[1] is an American actor. Perry starred as Dylan McKay on the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role he played from 1990–95, and then from 1998–2000. Much publicity was garnered over the fact that even though he was playing a sixteen year old when 90210 began, Perry was actually in his mid-twenties at that time. Perry returned to 90210 in 1998 (this time billed as a permanent "Special Guest Star") and remained with the series until its conclusion in 2000.

[edit] Television and film career

After appearing in the music video "Be Chrool To Your Scuel" for the band Twisted Sister alongside Alice Cooper, Perry's earliest roles were in the daytime soap operas Loving (1987–88) and Another World (1988–89).

Following this, he then won the role of brooding millionaire's son Dylan McKay on Fox's appealing teen drama, Beverly Hills 90210. Ironically, he had auditioned for the role of Steve Sanders, a role that went to actor Ian Ziering before being cast as Dylan McKay. While starring on 90210, Perry then won a supporting role in the original film version of the Joss Whedon-written Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1992). Even though the film wasn't very successful, Perry had already become a very popular teen idol in the early 1990s. Perry also starred in Terminal Bliss in 1992.

Perry starred as Lane Frost in 8 Seconds in 1994. In an attempt to find more mature roles, he decided to leave Beverly Hills 90210 in 1995. In the same year, he took a part in the Italian movie Vacanze di Natale '95, playing himself. Although he announced that 90210 was behind him, his departure would eventually turn out to be for only three years. During that time, Perry starred in the independent film Normal Life opposite Ashley Judd, starred in the TV sci-fi movie Invasion (1997), a Rodney King-era drama Riot (1997) and also had a small role in Luc Besson's sci-fi adventure film The Fifth Element (1997). Even though Perry had left 90210 in 1995, he returned in 1998 due to financial reasons. Perry starred in the 1999 film Storm. He then went on to star in a 2002 television movie called The Triangle.

From 2002 to 2004, he starred in the post-apocalyptic TV series Jeremiah. In 2006, Perry co-starred in the ensemble drama series Windfall, about a group of friends who win the lottery. The series ran for 13 episodes during the summer of 2006 on NBC. In 2007, he landed the role of Tommy "Santa" Santorelli on the film The Sandlot: Heading Home and in the 2008 western A Gunfighter's Pledge.

Perry appeared in the HBO series John from Cincinnati, which premiered on June 10, 2007, and ran for 10 episodes, with the series finale airing on August 12, 2007.

Perry also stars in the Swedish film Midsommarfesten (The Midsummer Party) which was released in the summer of 2009.

Perry starred as Superman in the film Superman: The Quest For Steve.^[2]

[edit] Guest work

Perry has done considerable voice-over work for various animated series, often playing himself. He played himself (as Krusty the Clown's half brother) in an episode of The Simpsons (1993). He voiced himself in an episode of Johnny Bravo, giving Johnny dating advice after Johnny saved him from a stampede of fan girls. Perry then voiced himself once again in an episode of Family Guy, where he was labeled as gay by Peter and sues the family. Peter tries to seduce Perry into revealing his homosexuality and fails. However, by the end of the episode Perry is seen with Mayor Adam West, about to engage in sex. His other voice work includes The Incredible Hulk, Biker Mice from Mars, Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, and The Night of the Headless Horseman.

Aside from his self-parodying role on Family Guy, Perry has also guest-starred as gay characters in the sitcoms Spin City (1997) and Will and Grace (2005). He appeared as Carter Heywood's ex-boyfriend who subsequently fell in love with a woman on Spin City, and played a geeky birdwatcher who caught the eye of Jack McFarland on Will & Grace. In 2005, Perry was reunited with former 90210 co-star Jennie Garth when he guest starred in What I Like About You, where he played a character who claimed he had been dating Kelly's (Jennie Garth) best friend when he and Val became romantically involved (clearly a parody of the 90210 "Brenda years"). He guest-starred as Rev. Jeremiah Cloutier in the HBO television series Oz. He was also featured in a full-frontal nudity scene in Oz. In 2008, Perry guest-starred as rapist Noah Sibert, in the season premiere of the television series Law & Order: SVU.^[3] He also guest-starred as cult leader Benjamin Cyrus in an episode of Criminal Minds.

[edit] The stage

Perry appeared on Broadway in 2001 in a revival of The Rocky Horror Show playing Brad Majors.^[4]

In 2004 he appeared in the London production of When Harry Met Sally as Harry, alongside Alyson Hannigan as Sally.^[5]

[edit] Personal life

Perry was born in Mansfield, Ohio^[1] and raised in Fredericktown, Ohio, where he was the school mascot, the Fredericktown High School Freddie. His mother, Ann Bennett, was a homemaker, and his father, Coy Luther Perry, Jr., a steelworker.^[6] Perry likes to get home annually for the Fredericktown Tomato Show,^[7] an annual street fair. For the 2009 Tomato Show, he has agreed to be Grand Marshall of the parade.^{[citation needed]}

He was married to former model Rachel Minnie Sharp from 1993 to 2003. The couple share joint custody of their two children, Jack (born June 1997) and Sophie (born June 2000).

During the 90s, Luke Perry dated his former Beverly Hills 90210 co-star Shannen Doherty, the pair also were the famous on-screen couple, Brenda Walsh and Dylan McKay.

In an interview, Luke Perry revealed that he has had only one serious girlfriend, revealed to be actress Yasmine Bleeth, of whom he dated during the late 80s.

In the fall of 2008 he appeared at a rally with Bruce Springsteen and encouraged people to vote for Barack Obama.^{[citation needed]}

Perry said of his role on Beverly Hills 90210 as bad boy Dylan McKay, “I’m going to be linked with him until I die, but that’s actually just fine. I created Dylan McKay. He’s mine,” however he has revealed he will definetley not be reprising his role on the spin-off.^{[citation needed]} “When you're in the professional acting business,” he begins, “you have to look into all these offers and I don't mean anything bad about it but creatively it's something I have done before and I don't know how it will benefit me if I do it again.” He finally revealed a major reason as to why he doesn't want to be part of this revival, citing the show's long-time producer Aaron Spelling. “The difference between CW bringing something back and Aaron Spelling doing something back is significant,” he says. “And I cannot do it without Aaron.” However, Shannen Doherty, Jennie Garth and Tori Spelling will be reprising their roles.

During the 90s, Luke Perry was a very popular teen idol. He revealed that the crowd once got too big at a shopping mall and because of this he had to be escorted outside in a trolley by security.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Luke Perry at the Internet Movie Database