UPDATE Feb. 18, 2026, 6:15 PM CST
Renowned character actor Peter Greene has died from an accidental gunshot wound, the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed. TMZ reports the official cause of death as a “gunshot wound of the left axilla with injury of the brachial artery,” meaning Greene, 60, accidentally shot himself under the left arm. His death has been classified as accidental. Greene, best known for his iconic villain roles in Pulp Fiction, The Mask, and The Usual Suspects, was found in his Manhattan apartment in December after a neighbor requested a welfare check.
Dec. 13, 2025, 11:30 AM CST
Peter Greene, celebrated for his chilling portrayals of villains in films such as Pulp Fiction and The Mask, has died at the age of 60. His manager, Gregg Edwards, told Deadline that Greene was found dead in his Manhattan apartment on Friday. At the time, no cause of death had been disclosed. A wellness check was conducted after neighbors reported hearing music from his apartment for more than a day, according to NBC News.
Born on Oct. 8, 1965, in Montclair, New Jersey, Greene began his on-screen career in 1990 with an appearance on NBC’s crime drama Hardball. He made his film debut in 1992’s Laws of Gravity alongside Edie Falco. Greene quickly rose to prominence with leading roles, including 1993’s Clean, Shaven, which screened at Cannes the following year. In 1994, he achieved widespread recognition for his roles as Zed, the sadistic criminal in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, and mobster Dorian Tyrell, the antagonist to Jim Carrey in The Mask.
Greene’s film credits also included Kiss & Tell, Blue Streak, End Game, The Bounty Hunter, The Usual Suspects, and Training Day. On television, he was a series regular on NBC’s The Black Donnellys and had recurring roles on ABC’s Life on Mars and NBC’s Chicago PD. Most recently, he appeared in an episode of The Continental, the John Wick prequel series.
Edwards described Greene as “one of the best character actors on the planet” and noted that the actor had two upcoming projects: the film Mascots with Mickey Rourke, and a documentary he was narrating, From the American People: The Withdrawal of USAID, featuring Jason Alexander and Kathleen Turner. Greene was dedicated to highlighting the consequences of U.S. foreign aid reductions.
Edwards added, “He was a good friend who would give you the shirt off his back. He was loved and will be missed. Nobody played a bad guy better than Peter.” Greene is survived by a brother and a sister.