'Pulp Fiction' actor Peter Greene, 60, found dead

Peter Greene, the American character actor best known for his chilling portrayal of Zed in Pulp Fiction, was found dead Friday in his Lower East Side apartment in New York City, his manager confirmed. He was 60 years old. 

Greene’s body was discovered unresponsive inside his Clinton Street home just after 3:25 p.m. local time, according to police and his longtime representative, Gregg Edwards.

Emergency responders pronounced him dead at the scene. Authorities told The New York Post that no foul play is suspected, and a medical examiner will determine the official cause of death.

Edwards, who managed Greene for more than a decade, described the actor as “a terrific guy” and “one of the great actors of our generation,” noting his versatility on screen and generosity off.

“His heart was as big as gold,” Edwards said in comments shared with multiple outlets. 

Greene became a distinctive presence in Hollywood in the early 1990s, often cast as intense, ominous figures. He gained widespread attention for his role as the sadistic security guard Zed in Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 crime classic Pulp Fiction and as crime boss Dorian Tyrell in the Jim Carrey comedy The Mask that same year.

Born in Montclair, New Jersey, Greene parlayed his raw screen persona into a career spanning more than three decades with roughly 95 film and television credits, according to his filmography.

His other notable roles included appearances in The Usual Suspects, Training Day, Blue Streak, Laws of Gravity, and Clean, Shaven, the latter earning him critical praise in the early 1990s. 

At the time of his death, Greene was preparing to start work on the independent thriller Mascots, co-starring Mickey Rourke, scheduled to begin production in early 2026.

He also had been involved in a documentary project examining the federal government’s withdrawal of funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development. 

He is survived by a sister and a brother. Friends and associates have begun paying tribute to Greene’s work and character.—MCG, GMA Integrated News