Actor. He is best remembered for his portrayal of the staunch Sgt. Benson in "Teenage Thunder" (1957). Born Gilbert Vincent Perkins, he was born into a large, impoverished family. Upon leaving home at a young age to serve as a deck hand in Norway, he soon developed an interest in acting and began his career performing as a leading man on the stage in stock companies. Following his immigration to the United States in the late 1920s, he was discovered by fellow actor H.B. Warner while attending a casting call for bit players. Impressed by his dark good looks, thick accent, and slim physique, he began arranged for him to begin a career in the film industry beginning with him appearing opposite him in a supporting role in "The Divine Lady" (1929). From there, he would go on to flourish as a notable character actor appearing in over 100 features; often typecast as husbands, fathers, relatives, playboys, gigolos, blue-collared guys, sergeants, lieutenants, corporals, cowboys, bailiffs, deputies, sheriffs, state troopers, policemen, doctors, clergymen, aristocrats, eccentrics, landlords, neighbors, curmudgeons, foreigners, immigrants, adventurers, aviators, mailmen, soda jerks, historical or literary figures, servants, guards, bankers, chauffeurs, retail clerks, bellhops, doormen, waiters, managers, salesmen, bartenders, bouncers, and patriarchs. He appeared in such feature films as "Journey's End" (1930), "Madison Square Garden" (1932), "A Feather in Her Hat" (1935), "Mummy's Boy" (1936), "Captains Courageous" (1937), "In Old Chicago" (1938), "Second Fiddle" (1939), "Wildcat Bus" (1940), "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (1941), "Mrs. Miniver" (1942), "Slightly Dangerous" (1943), "Heavenly Days" (1944), "I'll Remember April" (1945), "Cloak and Dagger" (1946), "Desire Me" (1947), "Hollow Triumph" (1948), "Bride of Vengeance" (1949), "Father of the Bride" (1950), "Show Boat" (1951), "Fearless Fagan" (1952), "Code Two" (1953), "The Big Chase" (1954), "I Died a Thousand Times" (1955), "Bundle of Joy" (1956), "Baby Face Nelson" (1957), "Violent Road" (1958), "Gunmen from Laredo" (1959), "The Beat Generation" (1960), "Portrait of a Mobster" (1961), "Experiment in Terror" (1962), "4 for Texas" (1963), "The Greatest Story Ever Told" (1965), "The Sand Pebbles" (1966), "Lost in Space" (1967), "What's Up, Doc?" (1972), "Sherlock Holmes in New York" (1976), "The Prisoner of Zenda" (1979), and "Raging Bull" (1980). On television, he appeared in numerous guest spots on such syndicated sitcoms as "The Adventures of Kit Carson," "The Red Skelton Hour," "I Love Lucy," "Screen Directors Playhouse," "Telephone Time," "Soldiers of Fortune," "The George Burns and Gracie Allen," "The Sheriff of Cochise," "Circus Boy," "The Silent Service," "Cheyenne," "Casey Jones," "M Squad," "Adventures of Wild Bill Hickock," "Colt .45," "The Californians," "Zane Grey Theatre," "Batman," "Wanted: Dead or Alive," "Bronco," "Black Saddle," "Trackdown," "Maverick," "Bourbon Street Beat," "Mr. Lucky," "Sugarfoot," "Lassie," "Thriller," "Peter Gunn," "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," "Have Gun - Will Travel," "The Jack Benny Program," "Tales of Wells Fargo," "The Untouchables," "The Joey Bishop Show," "Wagon Train," "Perry Mason," "It's a Man's World," "My Three Sons," "The Beverly Hillbillies," "Daniel Boone," "Rawhide," "Laredo," "The Lucy Show," "Daktari," "Bonanza," "Lost in Space," "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.," "Get Smart," "Cimarron Strip," "Star Trek," "Mission: Impossible," "Gunsmoke," "McMillian & Wife," "Land of the Giants," "Shaft," and "Kojak". During his career, he was a naturalized United States citizen, had been a member of the Screen Actors Guild, was supportive of the Motion Picture and Television Fund, had been a member of the Hollywood Republican Committee, was a regular parishioner of the Catholic church, presided on his local charters of the American Red Cross and the United Way, had been a theatrical instructor for the Pasadena Playhouse, was a stand-in for such actors as Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy, had been a contender for the role of Rhett Butler in "Gone with the Wind", was among the several founding members of the Canyon Theatre Guild, sat on the board of directors for the Stuntman's Association of Motion Pictures, had been the celebrity spokesman for BIC Ballpoint Pens and Arrow Outfitters, and he was romantically linked to such actresses as Joan Crawford and Lana Turner. Upon his 1980 retirement, Perkins, who never married nor had any children, spent the remainder of his life being a regular attendee at autograph conventions, as well as being involved in charitable and religious ventures until his death.