Peter Appel (actor)
Peter Appel (born 1959) is an American character actor whose screen career, running from 1989 to 2019, spans more than 50 film and television credits, with recurring work on New York-based crime and drama series and supporting roles in films such as Léon: The Professional (1994), Sleepers (1996), and Spider-Man (2002).1 • 2
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1959, New York City, New York, USA1 |
| Height | 6′ (1.83 m)1 |
| Training | M.F.A. from Brandeis University as artist-in-residence; studied at Rogers Williams College in England and the British Theatre Association acting program3 |
| Signature film roles | Malky in Léon: The Professional (1994); Sonny in The Jerky Boys (1995)4 |
| Notable TV roles | Kagle in HBO's Luck (3 episodes, 2011–2012); Lawrence Bailey in Oz; multiple roles across the Law & Order franchise1 • 2 |
| Screen debut | Silence Like Glass (1989)2 |
| Other media | Voice of a mobster in Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne (2003); motion capture performer on Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (2005)2 • 1 |
Training and stage work
Appel is a classically trained actor who has performed frequently with the New York Shakespeare Festival.1 His stage background also includes Playwrights Horizons, Second Stage, Yale Repertory, and Voice and Vision, and he performed in the Worth Street productions of The Coyote Bleeds and Measure for Measure.5 • 1 He earned a Master of Fine Arts as artist-in-residence at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, after schooling at Rogers Williams College in England, where he was invited by the British Theatre Association to take part in its acting program.3
Film career
Appel's screen career began with Silence Like Glass (1989), followed in 1990 by a cluster of studio releases: Everybody Wins with Debra Winger, Days of Thunder with Tom Cruise, and Presumed Innocent with Harrison Ford.2 Through the 1990s he worked steadily in supporting parts, including Regarding Henry (1991), Basic Instinct (1992), Mr. Wonderful (1993), Big Night (1996), Extreme Measures (1996), and Sleepers (1996).2 • 4
Two 1990s roles are the ones most often attached to his name. In Luc Besson's Léon: The Professional (1994) he played Malky, one of the corrupt DEA team members, and in The Jerky Boys (1995) he played Sonny, one of three gangsters working for Ernie Lazzaro (Alan Arkin).4 • 3 In the 2000s he appeared in Coyote Ugly (2000), Tadpole (2002), Roger Dodger (2002), and as a cabbie in Spider-Man (2002), and later in The Happening (2008) and Henry's Crime (2010).2 • 1 His later film work includes Bad Education (2019), in which he played Eddie, a custodian.1
Television
Appel has been a recurring presence in New York-shot television, particularly the Law & Order franchise: he played three different roles on the original Law & Order between 1991 and 2009, three roles on Law & Order: Criminal Intent between 2002 and 2010, and appeared on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order: Trial by Jury.1 His other series credits include Lawrence Bailey on HBO's prison drama Oz (1999), Kagle on HBO's horse-racing drama Luck (2011–2012, three episodes), single-episode parts on Boardwalk Empire (2012, as Alby Gold) and Blue Bloods (2012, as Joe Salducci), and a doorman on Curb Your Enthusiasm (2004).1 • 2 Earlier television work included the Emmy-winning production Separate But Equal with Sidney Poitier.5
Voice and video game work
Appel has also worked as a voice performer. He voiced a mobster in the video game Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne (Rockstar Games, 2003) and is credited as a motion capture performer on Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (2005).2 • 1
Other people named Peter Appel
The name is shared by several unrelated public figures, including a Dutch geologist who works as a senior researcher at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), and a Dutch dancer and ballet director born in Surabaya in 1933 who led the ballet at Bühnen Köln from 1969.6 • 7 A separate IMDb entry lists a Peter Appel known for the 1955 short What Price Freedom.8
References
- Peter Appel (I), IMDb
- Appel, Peter 1959–, Encyclopedia.com
- Peter Appel Biography, IMDb
- Peter Appel, Rotten Tomatoes
- The Speed of Life press kit, Transparent Films (2007)
- Women and Natural Resources interview mentioning Peter Appel of GEUS
- Peter Appel (*1933), Deutsches Tanzarchiv Köln
- Peter Appel (II), IMDb
Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames A
Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026
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