Peter Greene

Peter Greene, whose distinctive look and ability to play dark characters made for memorable turns in movies like "The Mask" and "Pulp Fiction," died in December 2025, in New York City at the age of 60.

Greene's career spanned nearly 100 roles across dozens of movies and television shows, including "The Usual Suspects," "Training Day," and "Justified."

"Peter was one of the most brilliant character actors on the planet," his friend and manager, Gregg Edwards, told NPR.

Born in Montclair, New Jersey, Greene struggled early in life. His youth included several years of homelessness, after having run away at 15. He did not get his start in acting until his 20s, but once he started landing roles, they never stopped coming. His start was modest, with small parts in episodes of "Hardball" and "As the World Turns." He hit the big screen in 1992's "Laws of Gravity," 1993's "Judgment Night," then broke out when he played the villainous Zed in 1994's "Pulp Fiction" and the equally evil Dorian in "The Mask" in the same year.

From then on, when Hollywood needed a distinctive face who could embrace dark villains, Greene was often on the call sheet. Sometimes, his attitude could carry a scene even through a mistake. For example, in "The Usual Suspects," Greene flicks a cigarette at Stephen Baldwin. The cigarette was supposed to hit Baldwin's chest. It hit his face instead, leading to a memorable mistake director Bryan Singer decided to keep in the movie.

Author Eric Pellinen put it most directly: "Peter Greene was cool in every role he played."

By Eric San Juan

(Image: Al Pereira/Getty Images/Michael Ochs Archives)