Actor Peter Greene has passed away at the age of 60, according to confirmation from his agent.
Peter Greene, aged 60, was discovered in his New York apartment on the Lower East Side on December 12 at approximately 3:25 pm local time. His manager of 10 years reported that Greene was pronounced dead at the scene.
Currently, no official cause of death has been identified, but authorities have stated that they are not considering the death to be suspicious.
The medical examiner is set to determine the cause of death for the actor.
During the 1990s, Greene became recognized for portraying villainous characters on screen.
His roles included the mafia antagonist Dorian Tyrell in The Mask and a part in Quentin Tarantino’s acclaimed film Pulp Fiction.
In a statement, Greene’s manager, Gregg Edwards, honored the late actor by saying: “He was a terrific guy.”
He further mentioned: “Truly one of the great actors of our generation. His heart was as big as there was. I’m going to miss him. He was a great friend.”
Edwards continued: “He worked with so many amazing actors and directors.”
Greene’s portrayal of the villainous Dorian Tyrell in The Mask, which featured Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz, was described by his manager as ‘arguably his best role’.
He also noted: “He fought his demons but overcame them.”
Recently, Greene had taken on a part alongside Mickey Rourke in an independent thriller titled Mascots, which was scheduled to begin production in January, Edwards disclosed.
Edwards shared that when he informed the film’s director, Kerry Mondragón, about Greene’s passing, Mondragón was overwhelmed with emotion.
“They were very upset,” Edwards mentioned.
In Pulp Fiction, Greene’s role as Zed remains notable, involving a particularly disturbing scene.
In a 2011 interview, Greene disclosed that he initially declined the role due to its graphic nature, which depicted Zed instructing a masked accomplice to oversee Butch, played by Bruce Willis, while he assaulted Marcellus, portrayed by Ving Rhames.
Greene expressed: “When I got the script, I was thoroughly disappointed,”
“The way it was written wasn’t my cup of tea. If you ever saw Deliverance, you never saw the guy who took Ned Beatty and made him ‘squeal like a pig’ ever again, so I didn’t think it was a great career move.”