Peter Greene found dead at 60: Pulp Fiction actor's personal life, career highlights, and more explored

Peter Greene, the actor best known for portraying villains in films like Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, was found dead at his Lower East Side apartment in New York City on Friday at the age of 60, his longtime manager Gregg Edwards confirmed.

Authorities responded to a 911 call reporting an unconscious male at a Clinton Street address at 3:25 p.m., and EMS declared Greene dead at the scene. A cause of death has not yet been disclosed.

Greene earned widespread recognition for his role as Zed, the sadistic security guard in Pulp Fiction (1994), as well as for his performance as the villain Dorian in The Mask, also released in 1994. Reflecting on Greene’s career and personality, Edwards said,

“Nobody played a bad guy better than Peter. But he also had, you know, a gentle side that most people never saw, and a heart as big as gold.”

The sudden death of Greene has made a memorable impression on his colleagues, fans, and neighbors.

According to Edwards, over 24 hours of music playing at the apartment of Greene sounded an alarm, prompting a wellness check that led to the discovery of his passing.

“I spoke with him earlier this week,” Edwards said, describing the late actor as a professional with a kind heart who balanced his intense on-screen persona with warmth in his personal life.

Actor Peter Greene, known for his roles in ‘Pulp Fiction’, ‘Blue Streak’ and ‘The Mask,’ died yesterday at the age of 60.

RIP to a legend 🕊️ pic.twitter.com/riiMO1WRwA

— Complex (@Complex) December 13, 2025

Peter Greene’s personal life and lasting legacy in film

Peter Greene's personal life remained private. He was married briefly in the 1990s. Edwards has verified that Greene has a sister and a brother.

Peter Greene’s filmography also includes notable appearances in The Usual Suspects and Training Day.

In The Usual Suspects, he played Redfoot, a fence who informs the crime crew about a jeweler robbery that results in a murder. In Training Day, Greene took on the role of Jeff, a detective involved in a complex scenario orchestrated by Denzel Washington’s character, Alonzo Harris.

A memorable line from the film, “Kiss me, baby,” is remembered as he is shot twice in a bullet-resistant vest to make a crime appear staged.

Also alongside his memorable supporting turns, Greene appeared in the 1993 film Clean, Shaven, as a man with schizophrenia who has become the suspect in a murder case and starts self-harming.

The New York Times called his performance a success, saying it transformed his personality into a captivatingly agonizing, oscillating character, one who did not even have to cut himself up to draw the attention of an audience.

Greene began his acting career in the 20s when he resided in New York City. Throughout his career, he had built a prolific character acting career with several of his roles being characteristically complex and intense.

The skillful depiction of villains and subtle supporting characters will always be the hallmark of Peter Greene and his legacy, which has embedded itself in the history of the movie industry through the memorable roles that are still being referenced even today.