Luke Perry facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Luke Perry
Perry at San Diego Comic-Con in 2018
Born	Coy Luther Perry III (1966-10-11)October 11, 1966 Mansfield, Ohio, U.S.
Died	March 4, 2019(2019-03-04) (aged 52) Burbank, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1981–2019
Spouse(s)	Rachel Sharp ​ ​ (m. 1993; div. 2003)​
Children	2, including Jack

Coy Luther "Luke" Perry III (born October 11, 1966 – died March 4, 2019) was an American actor. He became very famous for playing Dylan McKay on the TV show Beverly Hills, 90210 from 1990 to 1995, and again from 1998 to 2000. He also starred as Fred Andrews on the TV series Riverdale.

Luke Perry appeared in many other popular shows like Criminal Minds, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The Simpsons, and Will & Grace. He also did voice work for cartoons like The Incredible Hulk. In movies, he was in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992), 8 Seconds (1994), The Fifth Element (1997), and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), which was his last movie.

Early Life and Beginnings

Luke Perry was born on October 11, 1966, in Mansfield, Ohio. He was the second of three children. His parents divorced when he was young, and his father passed away in 1980. Luke grew up in Fredericktown, Ohio. In high school, he was the school mascot, Freddie Bird.

After high school in 1984, Luke moved to Los Angeles to become an actor. He worked different jobs, like for an asphalt company and in a doorknob factory, while trying to get acting roles. He even appeared in a music video for the band Twisted Sister in 1985. It took him a while, but by 1988, after trying out for 256 jobs, he finally got his first acting role. His first TV roles were on daytime soap operas like Loving and Another World.

Rise to Fame: Beverly Hills, 90210

In 1990, Luke Perry got a big role as Dylan McKay on the TV show Beverly Hills, 90210. He played a cool, troubled millionaire's son. This role made him a huge teen idol. He was so popular that once, 10,000 teen girls showed up for an autograph session, causing a big crowd!

While on 90210, Luke also acted in movies. He was in the original Buffy The Vampire Slayer movie in 1992 and played a real-life rodeo star, Lane Frost, in the movie 8 Seconds in 1994.

In 1995, Luke left Beverly Hills, 90210 to try more grown-up roles. He acted in different films, including The Fifth Element (1997), a science fiction adventure movie. After three years, he returned to 90210 in 1998 and stayed until the show ended in 2000. He once said about his character, 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."

Later Work and Voice Acting

After Beverly Hills, 90210, Luke Perry continued to act in many TV shows and movies. From 2001 to 2002, he was in the HBO drama Oz. He also starred in the TV series Jeremiah from 2002 to 2004. In 2006, he was in Windfall, a show about friends who win the lottery.

Luke Perry also did a lot of voice acting for cartoons. He voiced himself as Krusty the Clown's half-brother in an episode of The Simpsons in 1993. He also voiced Rick Jones in The Incredible Hulk and characters in Biker Mice from Mars and Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm.

He appeared in guest roles on shows like Spin City (1997) and Will & Grace (2005). In 2005, he worked with his former 90210 co-star Jennie Garth again on the show What I Like About You. In 2008, he was in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Luke Perry also acted on stage. He was on Broadway in 2001 in The Rocky Horror Show. In 2004, he performed in London in a play called When Harry Met Sally.... He continued to appear in various TV shows, including Leverage and Community.

From 2017 until his death in 2019, Luke Perry starred as Fred Andrews, Archie's father, on the popular CW series Riverdale. His final movie role was in the 2019 film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, directed by Quentin Tarantino.

Personal Life

Luke Perry married Rachel Minnie Sharp in 1993. They had two children: a son named Jack Perry (born in 1997) and a daughter named Sophie Perry (born in 2000). They separated in 2003. His son, Jack, is a professional wrestler known as Jungle Boy.

Luke Perry became a supporter of colorectal cancer testing after a check-up in 2015 found some pre-cancerous growths. This experience made him want to encourage others to get tested. At the time of his death, he was engaged to Wendy Madison Bauer.

Death and Tributes

Luke Perry had a serious ischemic stroke at his home on February 27, 2019. He passed away on March 4, 2019, at the age of 52, in Burbank, California. He was buried at his family farm in VanLeer, Tennessee.

After his death, the TV show Riverdale dedicated its fourth season premiere episode to him and his character, Fred Andrews. His Beverly Hills, 90210 co-star Shannen Doherty also appeared in that tribute episode.

Filmography

Television

Film

Music videos

Images for kids

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  Perry in 2017

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  Perry at the 1991 Emmy Awards

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  Luke Perry in 2008 at the Sunshine Village ski resort near Banff, Alberta, Canada

See also

In Spanish: Luke Perry para niños