Luke Perry, also known as Coy Luther Perry III, was an acclaimed American actor who gained fame as a heartthrob for his portrayal of Dylan McKay on the popular Fox show Beverly Hills, 90210. He reprised this role from 1990 to 1995, and again from 1998 to 2000. Perry also captured audiences with his performance as Fred Andrews on the CW’s Riverdale.
Luke Perry Movies & TV Shows
Beverly Hills, 90210
There is a reason why Luke Perry’s portrayal of Dylan McKay on Beverly Hills, 90210 is considered iconic. It transformed him into a teenage heartthrob and represented the troubled male identity of the 1990s.
Perry was cast as the brooding son of a millionaire, Dylan McKay, on the Fox teen drama Beverly Hills, 90210 in 1990. He had initially tried out for the character Steve Sanders but was beaten out by Ian Ziering.
This part propelled Perry to become a beloved heartthrob among teenagers; a frenzy erupted when 10,000 young girls showed up at The Fashion Mall at Plantation for an autograph session in August 1991, causing him to leave after only 90 seconds.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Buffy The Vampire Slayer originally started as a film featuring Kristy Swanson and Luke Perry, before becoming a popular TV series. Perry’s portrayal of Oliver Pike in the movie has become legendary.
In a pivotal moment, Pike reassures Buffy during a moral dilemma by declaring, “Buffy, you’re the guy. You’re the chosen one.” If we could bring one aspect from the movie to the TV show, it would be Pike.
In March 2024, Fran Rubel Kuzui, the director of the 1992 movie, told Vanity Fair,
“If it wasn’t for Luke Perry, Buffy the Vampire Slayer would’ve never happened.”
Jeremiah
After some time away, Luke Perry made a comeback to television in the role of Jeremiah, a solitary survivor in a post-apocalyptic world who becomes entangled in a grand scheme to potentially rescue humanity. Although the series had a brief run, it was a delight to witness Perry’s return to the small screen.
Jeremiah, a show on Showtime from 2002 to 2004, is an action-packed drama set in a post-apocalyptic world. Luke Perry and Malcolm-Jamal Warner play the lead roles in this series, which is set in a future where a fatal virus has decimated the adult population.
Riverdale
Luke Perry played the role of Fred Andrews, Archie’s father and the owner of Andrews Construction, on the CW show Riverdale from 2017 until his passing in 2019.
The first episode to air after his death, “Chapter Forty-Nine: Fire Walk with Me”, was dedicated to him and all subsequent episodes of that season were also dedicated to him. Despite his passing on March 4, 2019, there were still four unaired episodes of Season 3 in which Perry appeared.
The show included a diverse group of actors portraying the characters from Archie Comics, such as KJ Apa as Archie Andrews, Lili Reinhart playing Betty Cooper, Camila Mendes as Veronica Lodge, and Cole Sprouse as the narrator, Jughead Jones.
Guest Appearances
Perry made special appearances as gay on the television shows Spin City (1997) and Will & Grace (2005). In the former, he portrayed the former lover of Carter Heywood who later develops feelings for a woman. In the latter, he portrayed a bird enthusiast who catches the attention of Jack McFarland.
In 2005, Luke Perry and his former 90210 co-star Jennie Garth were reunited on the show What I Like About You, in a comedic take on their characters’ relationship. Three years later, Perry made a guest appearance as rapist Noah Sibert in the first episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
He also played cult leader Benjamin Cyrus in an episode of Criminal Minds. Towards the end of 2009, Perry was featured in The Killers’ music video for their holiday single “¡Happy Birthday Guadalupe!”.
