Luke Perry was an American actor, primarily remembered as a teen idol throughout the 1990s and the early 2000s. Perry was born in Mansfield, Ohio in 1966. Mansfield was known at the time as a center for the home appliances and stove manufacturing industries. The city's largest employer used to be the Westinghouse Electric Corporation.

Perry's parents were the steelworker Coy Luther Perry Jr. (1944-1980) and his wife Ann. Perry's parents divorced in 1972, when he was 6-years-old. Ann gained custody over her children, and later married construction worker Steve Bennett. Luke was mostly raised by his mother and stepfather, and did not have a close relationship with his biological father. Coy Perry suffered a heart attack in 1980 and died, when Luke was 14-years-old. Luke attended his funeral.

Perry was mostly raised in the village of Fredericktown, Ohio, and attended the Fredericktown High School. In his high school years, Perry served in the role of the school mascot, the "Freddie Bird".

In 1984, the 18-year-old Perry moved to Los Angeles, with the intention of becoming a professional actor. For several years, Perry kept auditioning for various roles without ever being hired. He supported himself financially by working at odd jobs, and serving as an extra for music videos. His most notable role in this period was in the 1986 music video for the song "Be Chrool to Your Scuel" (1985) by the heavy metal band "Twisted Sister".

Perry's first successful audition landed him the role of a recurring character in the soap opera Loving (1983) (1983-1995). From 1987 to 1988, he played the character of Ned Bates. In Perry's own words: "Ned was a dirt-poor mechanic from Tennessee who always got taken advantage of".

Perry next received a recurring role in another soap opera, Another World (1964) (1964-1999). From 1988 to 1989, he played the character of Kenny, the manager of aspiring model and actress Josie Watt (played by Alexandra Wilson).

In 1990, Perry landed the most significant role of his career, depicting the character of Dylan McKay in the teen drama Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990) (1990-2000). He played the character for a total of 199 episodes. Dylan was the teenage rebel son of business tycoon Jack McKay and hippie ex-wife Iris McKay. He started the series as a loner, but he offered help to nerdy schoolmate Scott Scanlon (played by Douglas Emerson) against the local bullies. This act of bravery gained him new friends and the romantic attention of Brenda Walsh (played by Shannen Doherty).

Rachel Sharp (20 November 1993 - 11 October 2003) ( 2 children)

Trivia

Second child with ex-wife Rachel Sharp, a daughter named Sophie Perry was born June 7, 2000, weighing 7 lbs 14 ounces.
Auditioned for the role of Steve on Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990) before being cast as Dylan.
Graduated high school in 1984 and was voted "Biggest Flirt" by his high school classmates.
First child with ex-wife Rachel Sharp, a son named Jack Perry was born June 15, 1997.
Had two boxers named Casey and Mac.
Had a potbellied pig named "Jerry Lee", named after Jerry Lee Lewis.
He once worked at a doorknob factory.
Ranked #6 in TV Guide's list of "TV's 25 Greatest Teen Idols" (January 23, 2005 issue).
Lived in Los Angeles, California and Vanleer, Tennessee.
Starring in the London West End adaptation of 'When Harry Met Sally' [February 2004]
Filming the movie, Antligen midsommar! (2009), in Trosa Sweden, with actors Olle Sarri, Lisa Werlinder, Kari Hamfors Wernolf, Per Wernolf, Daniel Gustavsson, Anna Littorin, Alexander Karim and Annica McCrudden. [September 2008]
Decided to leave Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990) early in Season 6 to pursue more mature roles. However, due to financial reasons he decided to return to the show in Season 9.
Was hospitalized after suffering a massive stroke [February 27, 2019].
Was engaged to Madison Bauer prior to his death. Their wedding was to be held on August 17, 2019.
Son of Ann and Coy Luther Perry, Jr. and survived by his step-father Steve Bennett, brother Tom Perry, and sister Amy Coder.
He played himself (as Krusty the Clown's half brother) in an episode of The Simpsons: Krusty Gets Kancelled (1993).
In an interview with Whoopi Goldberg in the 1990s, Perry said he auditioned for 215 acting jobs in New York before getting work on a television commercial.
Early in his career he was touted as a "James Dean look-alike".
His father was a construction worker.
Following his death, his body was kept in a funeral home on March 11, 2019, in the city of Dickson near Vanleer, Tennessee, USA, where he owned a farm and was living there part-time since 1995. His body was subsequently cremated and his ashes spread on his farm.
Posthumously honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on March 11, 2019.

Personal Quotes 

I knew that I was going to do Westerns. I like 'em.
I go four-wheeling in my truck. I also like to fish, cook, do stuff around my house. I even studied fencing for a while.
I don't think what I have to say is that important.
It's hard and sometimes it's scary. It still amazes my mother. I went home for Christmas one year and there were fans all over the front lawn, hoping to see me.
I've had tons of odd jobs, but I think that I would probably be a fireman because you get to see the results of your job. You get there and there is a house on fire. You leave and there's not a fire anymore.
When I was a kid, I was at a bowling alley and I ran into a soda machine. I still have the scar on my right eyebrow obviously.
My high school was nothing like West Beverly High, let me tell you. I grew up in Fredericktown, Ohio.
I'm not much of a matchmaker. I think people have to make their own choices and mistakes and all that stuff.
I think that sometimes kids use the show as a jumping off point for talking about things with their parents.
I open to anything... just about anything.
It was a fun film. I had a great time doing it. I was looking for a role just like that for my first movie role. I didn't want to have a starring role, because I wanted a chance to learn. I didn't want the whole thing riding on me.
I was something of a prankster. One time I put a ski mask on my head and used a fake gun on the school secretary so that I could get some of my friends out of detention.
I have a girlfriend, but I don't really want to talk about her. I won't name her. She isn't in show business, has nothing to do with it. So I'd rather just keep her out of it.
I always felt like something of an outsider. But I identified with people up on the screen. That made me feel like I wanted to be up on the screen too. I felt like eventually I would get there.
Growing up in the Midwest, people don't drive Porsches and Ferraris. They drive Fords and Chevys. And so even if you have the opportunity to buy a more expensive car, it doesn't occur to you because it's not what you relate to.
Why doesn't Apple stop for a year and make medical devices? When people talk about technology, that's where I start to get a little hot under the collar because I know that it's the key to solving some of the world's biggest problems. Having a faster, thinner telephone is not one of the world's biggest problems.
When I was a kid, I just devoured TV 24 hours a day. Now that it's actually available 24 hours a day, I'm usually busy doing other stuff. But I do watch TV when I can.
There's a big difference between me and a real, legitimate working hand, or a world-champion rodeo cowboy. I play 'em, and I aspire to be like that, but those guys are tough.