Peter Greene, the actor known for portraying villains in films like Pulp Fiction and The Mask, died December 12, 2025, in Manhattan, New York City, from an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner.
The medical examiner’s office determined the cause of death to be a gunshot wound to the left armpit, with injury to the brachial artery, resulting in significant blood loss. The manner of death was ruled accidental, according to a statement released Wednesday, February 18, 2026.
Born Peter Green on May 10, 1965, in Montclair, New Jersey, Greene, 60 at the time of his death, built a career playing menacing characters. He rose to prominence in 1994 with dual roles in Pulp Fiction, as the sadistic security guard Zed, and The Mask, playing the mobster Dorian Tyrell. He followed that success in 1995 with the role of “Redfoot” in The Usual Suspects.
Greene’s filmography includes nearly 100 credits spanning film and television. His early work included roles in Laws of Gravity (1992) and Judgment Night (1993). Later appearances included Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995), Blue Streak (1999), and Training Day (2001), where he played a corrupt narcotics officer. More recent roles included appearances on television series such as Hawaii Five-O, Justified, Chicago P.D., and the John Wick spinoff, The Continental (2023).
“Nobody played a bad guy better than Peter,” his manager, Gregg Edwards, told NBC News. “But he similarly had, you know, a gentle side that most people never saw, and a heart as substantial as gold.”
Prior to his acting career, Greene ran away from home at age 15 and experienced several years of homelessness, not pursuing acting until his mid-20s.