Peter Greene, a New York character actor who often played villains and criminals including Zed in Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction,” was found dead in his New York apartment on Friday. He was 60.
His manager Gregg Edwards told NBC News he was found in his apartment on the Lower East Side.
In the Jim Carrey movie “The Mask” the same year, Greene played the villain Dorian Tyrell.
His role as the sadistic security guard Zed in “Pulp Fiction” became one of his most memorable. Zed was one of the three “psycho hillbillies” that rape Marsellus in Maynard’s shop’s basement, and their characters were an homage to the film “Deliverance,” the Daily Beast explained.
“Nobody played a bad guy better than Peter,” Edwards told NBC. “But he also had, you know, a gentle side that most people never saw, and a heart as big as gold.”
Born in Montclair, N.J., Greene trained at Lee Strasberg’s studio and had his first major role in the indie “Laws of Gravity” in 1992. The next year, Lodge Kerrigan cast his as the lead in “Clean Shaven,” which brought him to Tarantino’s attention.
He went on to appear in nearly 100 films and TV shows, including a recurring role on the series “For Life,” and appearances in “Chicago P.D.,” “Hawaii Five-O,” “Justified” and “Life on Mars.”
On “The Black Donnellys,” he had a recurring role as Derek “Dokey” Farrell.
His film roles included parts in “Tesla,” “City of Lies,” “Once Fallen” and “Permanent Midnight.”
He also worked as a producer on the films “Cross” and “Lowball.”
