Biography
An actor with publicized demons, Peter Greene made a name for himself with his ability to convey raw yet quiet menace. Born and raised in New Jersey, Greene headed to New York as a teenager, but did not discover acting until his mid-20s. Trained at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, Greene acted in several plays and made his film debut as one of the central thieves in
Nick Gomez's edgy New York story
Laws of Gravity (1991). Burnishing his baleful screen presence with performances as an insane father in the violent indie Clean, Shaven (1993) and a gangster in
Judgment Night (1993), Greene relocated to Hollywood and made his intense presence felt in a trio of hit films. Following a substantial supporting role as one of the bad guys in the
Jim Carrey comedy
The Mask (1994), Greene played small yet crucial parts in two key 1990s gangster films: the infamous sadist (and chopper owner) Zed in
Pulp Fiction (1994) and the sinister fence Redfoot in
The Usual Suspects (1995). Following his performance as a blackmailer in
The Rich Man's Wife (1996), Greene went into rehab to kick a near-lethal drug addiction. After his release, Greene returned to playing the heavy in both indie and Hollywood productions, including a bad cop in
Bang (1997),
Martin Lawrence's former criminal partner in
Blue Streak (1999), and one of
Ben Stiller's drug buddies in the addiction memoir
Permanent Midnight (1998). ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide