Berry Berenson

Berry Berenson

Berenson's name is located on Panel N-76 of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum's North Pool, along with those of other passengers of Flight 11.
Born

Berinthia Berenson
April 14, 1948(1948-04-14)

Murray Hill, Manhattan, New York
Died September 11, 2001(2001-09-11) (aged 53)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Cause of death Airplane Hijacking and Crash (American Airlines Flight 11)
Occupation Actress, model, photographer
Years active 1960s–2001
Spouse Anthony Perkins
(1973–1992)

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

Contents

Early life and family

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]

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.

Marriage

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

Death

Berenson died at age 53 in the September 11 attacks aboard American Airlines Flight 11, one day before the ninth anniversary of Perkins' death. She was returning to her California home following a holiday on Cape Cod.

At the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, Berenson is memorialized at the North Pool, on Panel N-76.[11]

See also

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, February 3, 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. ^ Thurman, Judith (2009-01-07). "New Yorker article about Elsa Schiaparelli". Newyorker.com. http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2003/10/27/031027fa_fact_thurman. Retrieved 2010-11-12. 
  7. ^ "Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica entry". Ritmanlibrary.nl. 2006-02-27. http://www.ritmanlibrary.nl/c/p/h/bel_18.html. Retrieved 2010-11-12. 
  8. ^ "Encyclopaedia Britannica Online entry". Britannica.com. 1954-02-16. http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9125376/Senda-Berenson#668134.hook. Retrieved 2010-11-12. 
  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, January 12, 1977, page 58
  11. ^ Berry Berenson Perkins. Memorial Guide: National 9/11 Memorial. Retrieved October 28, 2011.

External links