Peter Greene, a veteran character actor best known for portraying menacing and morally complex figures on screen, has died at the age of 60. He was found dead on Friday, Dec. 12, inside his Manhattan apartment, with the cause of death not yet determined. Born on Oct. 8, 1965, in Montclair, New Jersey, Greene began his acting career with a television appearance on the short-lived NBC crime drama Hardball in 1990 before making his feature film debut in 1992’s Laws of Gravity, where he appeared opposite Edie Falco. His early performances quickly drew attention within the industry, setting the stage for a rapid ascent in the early 1990s. In 1993, he delivered a haunting and widely praised lead performance in Clean, Shaven, a psychological drama that later screened at the Cannes Film Festival, firmly establishing him as a formidable talent capable of intense and unsettling roles.
Greene’s career reached a broader audience in 1994 with two high-profile films that would define his legacy. He portrayed the sadistic criminal Zed in Pulp Fiction and followed that with a turn as the primary antagonist, Dorian Tyrell, opposite Jim Carrey in The Mask. From there, he maintained a steady presence in film and television, appearing in movies such as Kiss & Tell, Blue Streak, End Game, and The Bounty Hunter, while also leaving lasting impressions in ensemble films including The Usual Suspects and Training Day. On television, he was a series regular on The Black Donnellys and had recurring roles on Life on Mars and Chicago P.D., with his most recent appearance coming in an episode of the John Wick prequel series The Continental. Beyond his on-screen work, Greene was remembered by those close to him as deeply generous, passionate, and socially engaged, with two upcoming projects underway at the time of his death, including a feature film and a documentary he was set to narrate focused on the global impact of U.S. foreign aid policy. He is survived by his brother and sister, and is remembered as a fiercely committed actor and a loyal friend whose presence left a lasting mark on those who knew him.