Ronald Francis Perlman was born on April 13, 1950. He grew up in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan, New York, and attended George Washington High School, where he performed in his first theatrical production, ?Thieves? Carnival,? in which he played the lead role. He also acted in works by Arthur Miller and Rogers and Hammerstein. After graduating from Lehman College in New York City in 1971 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Theatre, Ron went on to study at the University of Minnesota from the fall of 1971 to the spring of 1973. He is quoted as saying that he chose this particular university so that he would be based near the famous Guthrie Theatre. He graduated on July 20, 1973, with a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Theatre. Ron performed in many productions during this two-year period, including ?The Two Gentlemen of Verona? by William Shakespeare in which he played the lead role of Valentine. He later reprised this role in his professional career under the direction of David Feldshuh.

The young actor was cast in The Architect and the Emperor of Assyria. The two-character, four-hour play marked the beginning of Perlman's long relationship with famed Broadway director Tom O'Horgan (Hair). For O'Horgan, Perlman performed in American Heroes, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, and Pal Joey. Perlman worked continuously in New York and regional theatres, cast in such plays as A Few Good Men, La Tragedie de Carmen, Tribele and her Demon, Measure for Measure, House of Blue Leaves, Two Gentleman of Verona, The Homecoming and The Iceman Cometh and starring in the title roles in Tartuffe and Woyzeck.

Ron Perlman began his film career starring for critically acclaimed director Jean-Jacques Annaud in Quest for Fire and Name of the Rose. This auspicious beginning led Perlman to a wide variety of roles in independent and studio features, including Alien Resurrection, City of Lost Children, The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Last Supper, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Cronos, When the Bough Breaks, Double Exposure, Sleepwalkers and Fluke. In addition to his work for stage and screen, Perlman has also enjoyed considerable success on television, starring in the CBS Western saga The Magnificent Seven as well as a lead role in the recent HBO political satire The Second Civil War. In addition to his Golden Globe Award, Perlman has received two Emmy nominations for his starring role in the popular series Beauty and the Beast. He also starred in The Cisco Kid opposite Jimmy Smits, working with producers Moctesuma Esparza and Robert Katz.