John Perkins was a fictional character that appeared on Santa Barbara from July to November 1984. He was portrayed by actor Robert Alan Browne.

John Perkins was the patriarch of the blue-collar Perkins family. He was married to Marisa and father to Joe, Amy and Jade. His first scene in the first episode saw him coming home to the news that Joe had been released after spending five years in prison for the murder of Channing Capwell Jr. John was less than enthusiastic about this and refused to accompany Marisa and Jade to the bus depot to welcome Joe home, claiming that his bad leg was bothering him. That same day, John was pressured by his employer and Channing's father, C.C. Capwell, to get Joe out of town.

Moving out
The Perkins family started to fall apart soon after Joe's return. Although Joe insisted that he didn't kill Channing, John didn't believe his son and blamed Joe's trial for putting the family in debt. Joe was understandably hurt and offered to leave, but Marisa, believing in her son's innocence, told John to get out of the house instead, which he did. When the Perkins house was later bombed, John blamed Joe for creating this nightmare. Joe made several attempts to talk to his father, but it was to no avail.

John and Marisa remained estranged for months. When a depressed Joe planned to leave town, he met with John at the State Street Bar and told him the news. Joe ended up staying, however, and later claimed to have found a witness that could prove his innocence. Since Joe had taken John's gun to a meeting with this alibi, he almost called the police but Marisa managed to stop her husband. Unfortunately, when Joe lost his witness, John believed there had never been one.

Meanwhile, John gave Jade permission to go to Hollywood to try her luck at becoming an actress. With Joe out of prison, he figured that Hollywood was safer for her. Upon Jade's return, she tried to get her parents back together by going out so they could be alone. This enabled John and Marisa to share a nice evening and grow somewhat closer.

Reconciliation
Tragedy befell the Perkins family when Joe disappeared at sea. Kelly Capwell, who had testified against Joe at his trial, told John that she now believed his son was innocent. This prompted John to finally consider the possibility. Sadly, the search for Joe was soon called off and a memorial service was held in his honor. This brought John and Marisa's other daughter, Amy, back to town. John was genuinely devastated about Joe and when he was discovered to be alive, Marisa couldn't keep the truth from her husband. Grateful for this second chance, John asked Joe to forgive him. Father and son reconciled, as did John and Marisa. The two even planned to go on a second honeymoon, but Joe was arrested before they could leave. This time, John didn't turn his back on Joe and promised to help him.

Death
When Santa Barbara was hit by an earthquake, Marisa had a bad feeling about John and found him at the Capwell Hotel. He was in critical condition and died after thanking Marisa for giving him a second chance. The Perkins family was devastated. A year later, Amy's son was born and named after John.