Perillán was born and raised in Bethesda, Maryland, on the outskirts of Washington, DC, the third of four children of two immigrants from Spain.

His first job in Spain was a lead role in Fragile (2004), directed by Basque filmmaker Juanma Bajo Ulloa.

[2] He has subsequently appeared in films including The Dark Hour and Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

His role as Max Linder in the documentary The Mystery of the King of Kinema got him nominated as best lead actor for the 2016 Goya film awards.

[3] He has appeared on Spanish television in Los Ochenta and El comisario on Telecinco, Hospital Central on Antena3, and Cuéntame cómo pasó (TVE).