Luke Perry was always far more comfortable in a second-
hand Chevy Blazer and a well-worn pair of Levis than he
was wearing the mantle of teen idol. “Man, I hate those
two f---ing words,” he told People in 1991. Still, few
actors made young hearts flutter the way Perry did. He
brought a lithe sexuality to the role of renegade-with-
a-heart-of-gold Dylan, who, with his loner’s stance and
retro good looks, recalled rebel icon James Dean.
Born Coy Luther Perry III, he grew up in
Fredericktown, Ohio, the son of Coy Sr., a steelworker,
and Ann, a homemaker. “I love where I come from,”
the actor, then 25, told People in 1991. “The people
there are good people. When they say, ‘Thank you,’
they mean it. A lot of people say nice things to me out
here [ in Los Angeles] because they’re getting paid to.”
His parents divorced when Luke was 6, but by that
time their son had already begun to ponder an acting
career after lying in bed and listening while his mom
watched Cool Hand Luke on TV. “I kept hearing
Strother Martin saying ‘Luke’ this and ‘Luke’ that, ”
Perry said. “I got out of bed and snuck around the
corner just as he’s whacking Paul Newman over the
head with a blackjack. I was proud that my [nick-]
name was Luke from that point on. When I found out
Paul Newman was from Ohio, that intrigued the
hell out of me. I thought, ‘Wow, maybe I can do the
same thing.’ ”
Perry earned money for acting classes by working in
a doorknob factory and laying asphalt, eventually
landing roles on the soap operas Loving and Another
World before his star-making role on 90210. Even at
the height of his fame, Perry avoided the limelight,
settling into a quiet life in the San Fernando Valley
where he kept Vietnamese potbellied pigs. He married
furniture saleswoman Minnie Sharp in 1993 and had
two children, Jack and Sophie, before their relationship
ended in 2003.
Recently Perry found renewed stardom on another
teen drama, the comic-book-inspired TV series
Riverdale, playing Archie’s father, Fred Andrews. “I’ve
learned so much from Luke,” his onscreen son KJ Apa
told People in 2017. “He’s amazing and a real father
figure to us as well.”
Tragically Perry died on March 4 at 52 following a
massive stroke. He was surrounded by his loved ones,
including fiancée Wendy Madison Bauer, ex-wife
Sharp and their children. His sudden loss triggered an
outpouring of emotion: His 90210 costar Tori Spelling
told People, “He truly was family to me. A protector
and a brother.”
LUKE PERRY
1966-2019
90210 ’S REBEL PRINCE LIVED
MODESTLY AND DIED YOUNG
FONDLY REMEMBERED
From top: Perry with fiancée Wendy Madison Bauer in 2017; with son
Jack and daughter Sophie in L.A. in 2004; as Fred Andrews with
KJ Apa, who plays his son Archie on Riverdale.