'THE BEAST' TAKES A TURN AS AN AMISH FARMER

by Gene Grey

A lot of people won't recognize the mellow-looking bearded fellow who stars in A Stoning in Fulham County on TV Monday. That's because it's only one of the many faces of actor Ron Perlman.

He was the grotesque hunchback in Sean Connery's The Name of the Rose. He was a caveman in Quest For Fire. And he is Vincent, the prince of the world-beneath-the-streets who sends female viewers swooning weekly in Beauty and the Beast.

"It's the best role I've ever had," says Perlman of beastly Vincent. "It's why I became an actor; to create a fantasy that sweeps people in."

In A Stoning in Fulham County - his first major role without strange makeup -fans can see what's beneath Vincent's lion-like mask. The film, on NBC at 9 p.m. EDT/PDT, is about "a man's sense of duty," says the 38-year-old actor, who was drawn to the Amish culture. "Against all odds, the Amish preserved their culture for more than 300 years. I found the character eminently playable."

Perlman studied Amish ways and developed a dialect with Germanic and rural-USA influences. Just two years ago, he was a struggling off-Broadway actor. Overweight as a kid, Perlman once considered getting a nose job--and he still has feelings of inferiority.

But since the 6-2 actor created Vincent, he has become a hirsute sex symbol who gets hundreds of letters weekly, many proposing marriage. Fans soon will be able to listen to that tender deep voice reciting Shakespearean love poems on a new album, Beauty and the Beast.

In real life, Perlman is spoken for. He and wife/fashion designer Opal Stone have a daughter, Blake Amanda, four and a half, and live in Hollywood.

When not working, Perlman is learning golf, plays softball, and is starting a collection of works by young American artists. "Nobody famous yet, but who knows."

Low-key and straightforward, Perlman keeps his own stardom in perspective.

"You spend all of your life trying to get a word in edgewise; then everyone wants to know what you think. The interest is inflated--like the dollar--and has no real value. People want to brush up against you. It just becomes a part of your day. It hasn't much to do with reality."

USA Weekend October 21-23, 1989