Peter Greene, ‘Pulp Fiction’ and ‘The Mask’ Actor, Dies at 60
Peter Greene, the veteran character actor best known for his unsettling villain roles in some of the most influential films of the 1990s, has died. He was 60.
Greene died Friday in his Manhattan apartment, according to his manager, Gregg Edwards, who confirmed the death in a statement obtained by Entertainment Weekly. A cause of death was not disclosed.
Edwards told NBC News that he had spoken with Greene earlier in the week. He said a wellness check was requested after reports that music had been playing continuously inside the actor’s apartment for more than 24 hours.
Early Life and Breakthrough Roles
Born in Montclair, New Jersey, in 1965, Greene began pursuing acting in his mid-20s. He made his screen debut in a 1990 episode of the television series Hardball before landing his first major film role in the 1992 crime drama Laws of Gravity. The film starred Greene opposite Edie Falco and featured a score by Stewart Copeland, formerly of The Police.
Greene’s early career quickly gained momentum. In 1993, he appeared in the ensemble action film Judgment Night, which starred Emilio Estevez, Cuba Gooding Jr., Denis Leary, Stephen Dorff, and Jeremy Piven. That same year, he took on the lead role in the psychological drama Clean, Shaven, a performance that earned critical attention for its intensity.
Iconic Villain Performances
Greene became widely known for playing disturbing antagonists in two major films released in 1994.
In Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, Greene portrayed Zed, one of two men who assault Ving Rhames’ character, Marsellus Wallace, in a pawn shop basement scene that remains one of the film’s most shocking moments.
That same year, Greene played Dorian Tyrell, the primary antagonist in The Mask. His character, a violent mob lieutenant who overthrows his boss and clashes with Jim Carrey’s Stanley Ipkiss, helped define the film’s darker edge. When Tyrell dons the supernatural Mask, the role was physically portrayed by Garret T. Sato and wrestler Jeep Swenson.
Expansive Film Career
Following those breakout roles, Greene maintained a steady presence in film throughout the next three decades. In 1995 alone, he appeared as Redfoot the Fence in the Oscar-winning The Usual Suspects, played a mercenary in Under Siege 2: Dark Territory, and starred opposite Lucy Liu in the action film Bang.
Over the course of his career, Greene appeared in more than 60 films. His credits include Blue Streak, Training Day, The Bounty Hunter, and the 2020 biopic Tesla, which he appeared in alongside Ethan Hawke.
Television Work and Later Years
Greene also built a substantial television résumé. He was a series regular on NBC’s short-lived drama The Black Donnellys and appeared in the opening scene of FX’s Justified. He held recurring roles on Life on Mars, Chicago P.D., Still the King, and For Life.
His television appearances also included episodes of Law & Order, Hawaii Five-0, and The Continental, the John Wick spinoff series.
Though rarely cast as a traditional leading man, Greene carved out a lasting career as a performer known for his raw intensity and memorable screen presence. His work remains closely tied to a defining era of American crime and action cinema.
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