Peter Crombie, the actor known for his appearance in the series “Seinfeld”, has died at the age of 71

Peter Crombie, the actor best known for playing “crazy” Joe Davola in five episodes of the hit TV comedy “Seinfeld,” died Wednesday at a healthcare facility in Palm Springs, Calif. He was 71.

His ex-wife, Nadine Keigner, said Crombie was recovering from an unspecified surgery Certain His death.

In his role as Davola, Crombie played a temperamental character who stalks Jerry – a semi-fictionalized version of comedian Jerry Seinfeld – and develops a deep hatred for him.

tall and slim, Crombie's character had a flat, menacing effect And an unblinking gaze for 1,000 yards. In the series, he also stalks New Yorker Ellen, in one case plastering black-and-white surveillance photos of her on the wall of his apartment.

Aside from his role in “Seinfeld,” Crombie was also… Roles in the movies “Seven(1995)sunshine“(1993) and”He was born on the 4th of July(1989), among other television and film acting credits.

Crombie was born on June 26, 1952, and grew up in a neighborhood outside Chicago.

His father was an art teacher, and his mother taught home economics, Ms. Keigner said. Crombie trained at the Yale School of Drama before moving to New York.

Crombie and Keigner met in Boston in the late 1980s before marrying in 1991. Although they divorced a few years later, they remained friends.

“He was like a rock,” she said. “He was someone you could always call and count on.”

Crombie is survived by his brother, Jim, Keigner said. She said Crombie stepped back from acting around 2000 and worked on his other passions, one of which was writing.

Comedian Lewis Black paid tribute to Crombie on social media, calling him a “wonderful actor” and “extremely talented writer.”

“Most importantly, he was as kind as he was intelligent and I am a better person for knowing him,” Mr. Black said books.

“Seinfeld” writer Larry Charles also mourned Mr. Crombie.

“His portrayal of Joe Davola manages to feel realistic, grounded, psychopathic, silly and funny all at the same time,” Mr. Charles said. books On social media. “This was a juxtaposition I was always looking for in episodes of Seinfeld and it came to a head with ‘The Opera.’ Seinfeld was a sitcom that could make you uncomfortable, and no guest actor walked that line better than Peter.”