Norman Bates is a fictional character created by American author Robert Bloch as the main antagonist in his 1959 thriller novel Psycho, as the serial killer Mother, embodied by a split personality tulpa presenting as his mother Norma Bates. He was portrayed by Anthony Perkins in the 1960 version of Psycho directed by Alfred Hitchcock and in the Psycho franchise. He was also portrayed by Vince Vaughn in the 1998 version of Psycho, and by Freddie Highmore in the television series Bates Motel (2013–2017).[1]
Unlike the franchise produced by Universal Studios, Norman is not the principal antagonist in Bloch's subsequent novels and is succeeded by copycat killers who assume Norman's identity after his death in Psycho II (1982). There is a wide-ranging assumption that the character was directly inspired by the Wisconsin murderer Ed Gein. Bloch later revealed he was inspired more by the circumstances surrounding Gein's case - the idea that "the man next door may be a monster unsuspected even in the gossip-ridden microcosm of small-town life." Years later, when the full details of Gein's crimes were revealed, he was struck by "how closely the imaginary character I'd created resembled the real Ed Gein both in overt act and apparent motivation."[2]
Norman Bates has been suggested to play 205 roles. Click below to see other actors suggested for each role, and vote for who you think would play the role best.
