Peter Greene, the actor who played memorable villains in ’90s classics including Pulp Fiction and The Mask, has died at the age of 60.
He was found unresponsive in his New York apartment on Friday (December 12), his manager confirmed to the New York Post, with a cause of death to be determined. Police have said that no foul play is suspected.
Greene was most famous for his role as Zed, a sadistic, rapist security guard, in the 1994 Quentin Tarantino classic. In the film, he holds captive characters Butch and Marcellus, played by Bruce Willis and Ving Rhames.
The same year, he took home the Best Actor prize at the 1994 Taormina International Film Festival for his role in Lodge Kerrigan’s 1993 Clean, Shaven, in which he played a man with schizophrenia who is a suspect in a murder.
Greene was also known for his iconic villain role as mafia kingpin Dorian Tyrell in The Mask, opposite Jim Carrey, also released in 1994.
“He was a terrific guy,” Greene’s manager Gregg Edwards said in a statement. “Truly one of the great actors of our generation. His heart was as big as there was. I’m going to miss him. He was a great friend.”
“Nobody played a bad guy better than Peter,” he continued. “But he also had, you know, a gentle side that most people never saw, and a heart as big as gold.”
With around 95 acting credits to his name, Greene is also remembered for his roles in Training Day alongside Denzel Washington, Judgement Night, The Usual Suspects, Laws of Gravity, Blue Streak, and Life on Mars, among others.
Greene was born in Montclair, New Jersey, and leaves behind a sister and a brother.
Edwards told The Post that Greene was due to begin production in January with Mickey Rourke on an independent thriller called Mascots.
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