Peter Greene, a character actor best known for his role as the iconic villain Zed in Pulp Fiction, has died. He was 60.
He died in his home in New York City, his manager Gregg Edwards confirmed on Friday.
Greene’s cause of death has not been confirmed.
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Edwards told NBC that a wellness check was performed at Greene’s house after neighbours heard music playing from his apartment for over 24 hours.
“He was just a terrific guy,” said Edwards. “Arguably one of the greatest character actors on the planet; Has worked with everybody.”
Born in Montclair, New Jersey, Greene landed some of his first leading roles in Laws of Gravity in 1992 and Clean, Shaven in 1993, according to IMDb.
In 1994, he played the memorable villain in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, who is brought in to torture characters played by Bruce Willis and Ving Rhames. That same year, he played another leading villain opposite Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz in The Mask.
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Greene was working on two projects when he died, including a documentary about the federal government’s withdrawal of funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development, according to Edwards.
“We’ve been friends for over a decade,” said Edwards. “Just the nicest man.”
Greene ran away from home at age 15, living on the streets of New York where he eventually turned to drug use and dealing, according to a 1996 profile with Premier magazine.
He attempted suicide in March 1996, after which he sought treatment for his addiction.
The actor previously revealed how he was cast in Pulp Fiction, with director Quentin Tarantino offering him a role after his performance in 1993’s Clean Shaven
“I had seen Reservoir Dogs, but I didn’t like it that much. He wanted me to play that part,” he recalled in 2022.
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He also spoke about working with Cameron Diaz in The Mask, sharing, “She’s really cool [and] she was, like, one of the boys”.
He added that Chuck Russell, the director of the film, instructed him, “Listen, no tongue or anything when you kiss her. Watch that kiss.”
In the wake of his death, many fellow actors and fans have shared their condolences and memories of watching the star.
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Peter Greene,” actress Monique Dupree shared on X, formerly Twitter, “He was so good at his craft and he was kind to others. We had such a fun time on set. RIP.”
Daniel Godfrey, a performer in I Am The Icarus, shared that Greene totally stole every scene” in The Mask
“Any time Peter Greene popped up, you just knew he was gonna play the scuzziest villain,” another fan added, “Such a memorable character actor. RIP.”
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