Peter Crombie, a character actor best known for his recurring character on the hit sitcom Seinfeld, has passed away. TMZ brings word that Crombie died an unknown illness on Wednesday, his ex-wife Nadine Kijner confirmed the news. She tells the outlet, “He was the kindest most caring, giving, considerate man. He was loved by everybody, generous and never had anything bad to say about anyone.” He was 71.
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Across multiple episodes of Seinfeld, Crombie appeared as “Crazy” Joe Davola, one of the few actually sinister antagonists of the entire sitcom. Throughout his appearances he quickly becomes enemies with Jerry and Kramer, and actually begins dating Elaine. Things take a major turn with their relationship when it becomes clear that he’s not stable mentally though, attempting to attack her and keep her restrained in his apartment. His most famous sequence however comes from crossing paths with Kramer, and later Jerry & Elaine, while dressed as the clown Pagliaccio. He even has a brief moment of beating up three ne’er-do-wells while in the clown makeup. Despite only appearing in five episodes, Peter Crombie’s “Crazy” Joe Davola made a big impact.
Though perhaps best known for his appearances on Seinfeld, Peter Crombie had an extensive career in television, appearing in episodes of Law & Order, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Perfect Strangers, Walker, Texas Ranger, NYPD Blue, L.A. Law, and Diagnosis Murder. He would also play Frankenstein’s monster in the 1997 TV miniseries House of Frankenstein, starring opposite Adrian Pasdar, CCH Pounder, and Teri Polo.
Peter Crombie made his way onto the big screen as well in his career, including roles in the 1988 remake of The Blob, David Fincher’s Se7en, plus three different Oliver Stone movies including Born on the Fourth of July, Natural Born Killers, and The Doors.
Our thoughts go out to his family and friends during this difficult time.
