Late PSYCHO star Anthony Perkins was so addicted to cannabis he wore a mask to enable him to breathe in as much marijuana smoke as possible, according to a new biography. CHARLES WINECOFF's book ANTHONY PERKINS: SPLIT IMAGE reveals the troubled actor's growing dependency on the drug - claiming the minute he returned home he would strap a specially made mask over his face in order to inhale only smoke. Perkins, who had just taken on the uncomfortable mantle of family man after the birth of his son OSGOOD in 1974, found smoking marijuana was the only way to open up and show affection. Winecoff writes: "Under the influence of the drug (cannabis), the usually withdrawn actor opened up, becoming friendly, even intimate. "He became so dependent that he had a special inhaling device made, weirdly resembling a gas mask. After the theatre or a session of therapy, he would come home and immediately pull the rubber strap over the back of his head, covering his nose and mouth so he could breathe only smoke. "He also began experimenting with LSD and cocaine." Anthony Perkins: Split Image is published next month (MAY06).