Peter Greene, the actor known for his roles in “The Mask” and “Pulp Fiction,” was found dead at his New York City apartment on Friday. He was 60.
New York Daily news reports that authorities responded to a 911 call about an unconscious man early Friday afternoon. They received the call from Greene’s neighborhood, who had been hearing Christmas music for 24 hours from his apartment. When the locksmith opened the door, Greene was found faced down, surrounded by blood. When police arrived, they announced Greene’s death on the scene. Investigators say there was no foul play as they await the autopsy report.
Peter Greene’s manager, Gregg Edwards, told The New York Post that the actor was scheduled to have surgery Friday morning, the day of his death. The two had spoken on the phone on Wednesday.
“He was a little nervous about the operation going in, but he said it wasn’t super serious,” Edwards said. “He sounded okay. It was just a totally normal conversation.”
Fans will always remember Greene as Zed, the security guard villain in Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 cult classic Pulp Fiction. That same year, he delivered another standout performance as Dorian in Jim Carrey’s The Mask.
While often cast as the bad guy, those close to Greene say his real-life personality was the opposite.
“Nobody played a bad guy better than Peter,” Edwards said in a phone interview. “But he also had, you know, a gentle side that most people never saw, and a heart as big as gold.”
Greene is survived by his 16 year-old son, Ryder.