Peter Greene, who is best known for his chilling turns in Pulp Fiction and The Mask, was found dead inside his Lower East Side apartment in New York City on Friday. He was 60. The news was first reported by the New York Daily News and later confirmed by his manager, Gregg Edwards. The cause of death has not been disclosed.Edwards told NBC News that authorities went to Greene’s residence for a wellness check after music was heard playing continuously in his apartment for more than 24 hours. He added that Greene had spoken to him earlier in the week, making the discovery all the more shocking.
‘Nobody played a bad guy better than Peter’
Remembering the actor, Edwards said Greene had an unmatched presence when it came to playing villains. “Nobody played a bad guy better than Peter [Greene],” he said, before adding that there was much more to him than audiences ever saw.“But he also had, you know, a gentle side that most people never saw, and a heart as big as gold,” Edwards shared.Speaking to Deadline, the manager described Greene as an actor’s actor. “He was one of the best character actors on the planet,” Edwards said. “He was a good friend who would give you the shirt off his back. He was loved and will be missed.”
A career defined by unforgettable villains
Greene first appeared on screen in 1990 with an episode of the NBC crime drama Hardball. He made his film debut two years later with Laws of Gravity, starring alongside Edie Falco. According to IMDb, his early leading roles included Laws of Gravity (1992) and the critically acclaimed Clean, Shaven (1993).In 1994, Greene delivered one of his most memorable performances as a menacing antagonist in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction. That same year, he terrified audiences again as the villain opposite Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz in The Mask, cementing his reputation as a formidable screen presence.“He was just a terrific guy,” Edwards said. “Arguably one of the greatest character actors on the planet; has worked with everybody.”
Still working till the end
Despite decades in the industry, Greene had not slowed down. At the time of his death, he was working on two projects, including a documentary about the federal government’s withdrawal of funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development, according to Edwards.Reflecting on their long friendship, Edwards added quietly, “We’ve been friends for over a decade. Just the nicest man.”
