Peter Greene, a well-known character actor best known for his scary villain roles in Pulp Fiction and The Mask, was found dead in his New York City apartment on December 12, 2025. He was 60.
A neighbor found Greene unresponsive in his Lower East Side Clinton Street apartment around 3:25 p.m. after hearing Christmas music playing for days. The police said he was dead at the scene, and they didn’t think there was any foul play. The cause of death is still being looked into by the medical examiner.
Greene played the sadistic Zed in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, the security guard who attacks Marsellus Wallace, and the ruthless mobster Dorian Tyrell opposite Jim Carrey in The Mask. He was praised as one of the best character actors for his intense roles in movies like The Usual Suspects as Redfoot, Training Day, and Clean, Shaven.
Gregg Edwards, Greene’s longtime manager, said Greene was “unique” and “one of the most brilliant character actors.” He also said Greene was a perfectionist, even though he had a bad reputation. Greene had gotten over his past problems with addiction and was going to film the thriller Mascots with Mickey Rourke in January.
