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Arts & EntertainmentObituary

Peter Greene, ‘Pulp Fiction’ actor famous for ‘Zed’s dead’ line, dies at 60

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The Associated Press
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December 14, 2025, 6:28 AM ET
Peter Greene
Actor Peter Greene attend the "Keep Your Enemies Closer: Checkmate" screening at the School of Visual Arts Theater on October 1, 2012 in New York City. Jim Spellman/WireImage

Peter Greene, a character actor best known for his role as the iconic villain Zed in “Pulp Fiction,” has died. He was 60.

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He died in his home in New York City, his manager, Gregg Edwards confirmed on Friday. His cause of death was not immediately released.

“He was just a terrific guy,” said Edwards. “Arguably one of the greatest character actors on the planet; Has worked with everybody.”

Born in Montclair, New Jersey, Greene landed some of his first leading roles in “Laws of Gravity” in 1992 and “Clean, Shaven” in 1993, according to IMDb.

In 1994, he played the memorable villain in Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction,” who is brought in to torture characters played by Bruce Willis and Ving Rhames. That same year, he played another leading villain opposite Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz in “The Mask.”

Greene was working on two projects when he died, including a documentary about the federal government’s withdrawal of funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development, according to Edwards.

“We’ve been friends for over a decade,” said Edwards. “Just the nicest man.”

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