Peter Greene, “Pulp Fiction” and “The Mask” villain, dies at 60
- - Peter Greene, “Pulp Fiction” and “The Mask” villain, dies at 60
Wesley StenzelDecember 14, 2025 at 12:54 AM
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New Line Cinema / courtesy Everett Collection
Peter Greene in 1994's 'The Mask'
Peter Greene, the character actor who appeared in major '90s films like Pulp Fiction and The Mask, has died.
Greene died at 60 in his Manhattan apartment on Friday, the actor's manager, Gregg Edwards, confirmed in a statement obtained by Entertainment Weekly. A cause of death was not provided.
Edwards told NBC News that he spoke with Greene earlier this week and that someone requested a wellness check on him after reports that music had been playing in the actor's apartment for more than 24 hours straight.
Al Pereira/Getty
Peter Greene on the set of 'Lowball' at Arturo's Coal Oven Restaurant and Pizzeria in New York City in 1994
Born in Montclair, N.J., in 1965, Greene began acting in his mid-20s, making his screen debut in a 1990 episode of Hardball. His first film, 1992's crime drama Laws of Gravity, cast him in the lead role opposite Edie Falco. The movie also featured a score by the Police alum Stewart Copeland.
In 1993, Greene played a supporting role in Judgment Night, the action film starring Emilio Estevez, Cuba Gooding Jr., Denis Leary, Stephen Dorff, and Jeremy Piven. That same year, he led the drama Clean, Shaven.
Greene played memorable villains in two of the most seminal films of the decade in 1994. In Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, he portrayed Zed, one of two thugs who rapes Ving Rhames' Marsellus Wallace in the basement of a pawn shop before Bruce Willis' Butch shoots him in the crotch.
Miramax Films
Peter Greene in 'Pulp Fiction'
The actor also played Dorian Tyrell, the main antagonist in the movie The Mask, a mobster who overthrows his boss Niko (Orestes Matacena) and clashes with Jim Carrey's titular protagonist. While donning the mystical Mask, Greene's character was played by Garret T. Sato and wrestler Jeep Swenson.
The following year, Greene played the uncredited minor character Redfoot the Fence in the Oscar-winning crime thriller The Usual Suspects, portrayed a mercenary in the Steven Seagal action sequel Under Siege 2: Dark Territory, and headlined the action movie Bang opposite Lucy Liu.
Roy Rochlin/Getty
Peter Greene in 2018
Greene appeared in more than 60 movies following that early run, including the Martin Lawrence comedy Blue Streak, the Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke crime drama Training Day, and the Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler rom-com The Bounty Hunter. He teamed up with Hawke again in 2020 for the biopic Tesla.
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The actor was also a series regular on the short-lived NBC drama The Black Donnellys and appeared in the opening scene of the FX Western Justified. He was a recurring cast member on shows like ABC's Life on Mars, NBC's Chicago P.D., CMT's Still the King, and ABC's For Life. He also appeared in episodes of shows like Law & Order, Hawaii Five-0, and the John Wick spinoff series The Continental.
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
