Berry Berenson

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Berry Berenson
B.B.sept11.jpg
Birth name Berinthia Berenson
Date of birth April 14, 1948(1948-04-14)
Place of birth New York City, New York
Date of death September 11, 2001 (aged 53)
Place of death New York City, New York
Spouse(s) Anthony Perkins
(1973-1992)

Berinthia "Berry" Berenson Perkins (April 14, 1948 – September 11, 2001), was an American photographer, actress, and model who was also known for being the wife of actor Anthony Perkins, died in the attacks of 9/11 as a passenger on American Airlines Flight 11.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Background

Berinthia Berenson was the younger daughter of Robert L. Berenson, an American diplomat turned shipping executive, who was of Lithuanian Jewish descent; his family's original surname was Valvrojenski.[1][2] Her mother was born Countess Maria Luisa Yvonne Radha de Wendt de Kerlor, better known as Gogo Schiaparelli, a socialite of Italian, Swiss, French, and Egyptian ancestry.[3][4]

Her maternal grandmother was the Italian-born fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli,[5] and her maternal grandfather was Count Wilhelm de Wendt de Kerlor, a Theosophist and psychic medium.[3][6][7] Her elder sister, Marisa Berenson, became a well-known model and actress. She also was a great-grandniece of Giovanni Schiaparelli, an Italian astronomer who believed he had discovered the supposed canals of Mars, and a great-grandniece of art expert Bernard Berenson (1865–1959) and his sister Senda Berenson (1868–1954), an athlete and educator who was one of the first two women elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame.[8]

[edit] Career

Following a brief modeling career in the late 1960s, Berenson became a freelance photographer. By 1973, her photographs had been published in Life, Glamour, Vogue and Newsweek.[9]

She also appeared in several motion pictures, including Cat People, with Malcolm McDowell. She starred opposite Anthony Perkins in the 1978 Alan Rudolph film Remember My Name and opposite Jeff Bridges in the 1979 film Winter Kills.

[edit] Marriage

On 9 August 1973, in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Berenson married the actor Anthony Perkins. They had two sons: the actor-musician Oz Perkins (born 2 February 1974) and the folk/rock singer-songwriter Elvis Perkins (born 9 February 1976).[10] They remained married until Perkins' death of AIDS on 12 September 1992.

[edit] Death

Berenson died at age 53 in the September 11, 2001 attacks aboard American Airlines Flight 11. She was returning to her California home following a holiday on Cape Cod.

[edit] Quotes

"I hope she didn't suffer. It's hard to take in. I have hope and tremendous faith. I think that's what gets you through life ... through tragedies is when you have faith." Marisa Berenson on the death of her sister Berry Berenson in the attacks on September 11.[11]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Bernard Berenson, "Sketch for a Self-Portrait", NY: Pantheon, 1949
  2. ^ "Robert L. Berenson, Ex-Envoy and Head of Shipping Line, Dies", The New York Times, 3 February 1965, page 35
  3. ^ a b Elsa Schiaparelli, "Shocking Life", NY: Dutton, 1954
  4. ^ She married, as her second husband, Gino, Marchese Cacciapuoti di Giugliano, an actor and director.
  5. ^ Linda Greenhouse, "Schiaparelli Dies in Paris; Brought Color to Fashion", The New York Times, 15 November 1973
  6. ^ New Yorker article about Elsa Schiaparelli
  7. ^ Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica entry
  8. ^ "Encyclopaedia Britannica Online entry"
  9. ^ Judy Klemesrud, "And Now, Make Room for the Berenson Sisters", The New York Times, 19 April 1973, page 54
  10. ^ Joyce Maynard, "Tony Perkins and Family: A Study in Informal Togetherness", The New York Times, Westchester Weekly Section, 12 January 1977, page 58
  11. ^ "48 Hours: And Then There Were Two"

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berry_Berenson"