# 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](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0032216) • [2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/appel-peter-1959)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1959, New York City, New York, USA[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0032216) |
| Height | 6′ (1.83 m)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0032216) |
| Training | M.F.A. from Brandeis University as artist-in-residence; studied at Rogers Williams College in England and the British Theatre Association acting program[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0032216/bio/) |
| Signature film roles | Malky in *Léon: The Professional* (1994); Sonny in *The Jerky Boys* (1995)[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/peter_appel) |
| Notable TV roles | Kagle in HBO's *Luck* (3 episodes, 2011–2012); Lawrence Bailey in *Oz*; multiple roles across the *Law & Order* franchise[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0032216) • [2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/appel-peter-1959) |
| Screen debut | *Silence Like Glass* (1989)[2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/appel-peter-1959) |
| 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](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/appel-peter-1959) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0032216) |
## Training and stage work
Appel is a classically trained actor who has performed frequently with the New York Shakespeare Festival.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0032216) 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](https://iradeutchman.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/SPEED-OF-LIFE-press-kit.pdf) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0032216) He earned a Master of Fine Arts as artist-in-residence at [Brandeis University](https://www.edgepedia.org/brandeis-university) in [Waltham, Massachusetts](https://www.edgepedia.org/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](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0032216/bio/)
## 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](https://www.edgepedia.org/debra-winger), *Days of Thunder* with [Tom Cruise](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-cruise), and *Presumed Innocent* with [Harrison Ford](https://www.edgepedia.org/harrison-ford).[2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/appel-peter-1959) 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](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/appel-peter-1959) • [4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/peter_appel)
Two 1990s roles are the ones most often attached to his name. In [Luc Besson](https://www.edgepedia.org/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](https://www.edgepedia.org/alan-arkin)).[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/peter_appel) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0032216/bio/) 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](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-happening-2008-film)* (2008) and *Henry's Crime* (2010).[2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/appel-peter-1959) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0032216) His later film work includes *Bad Education* (2019), in which he played Eddie, a custodian.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0032216)
## 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](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0032216) 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](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0032216) • [2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/appel-peter-1959) Earlier television work included the Emmy-winning production *Separate But Equal* with [Sidney Poitier](https://www.edgepedia.org/sidney-poitier).[5](https://iradeutchman.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/SPEED-OF-LIFE-press-kit.pdf)
## 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](https://www.edgepedia.org/rockstar-games), 2003) and is credited as a motion capture performer on *[Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories](https://www.edgepedia.org/grand-theft-auto-liberty-city-stories)* (2005).[2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/appel-peter-1959) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0032216)
## 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](https://www.edgepedia.org/greenland) (GEUS), and a Dutch dancer and ballet director born in Surabaya in 1933 who led the ballet at Bühnen Köln from 1969.[6](https://kun.no/assets/6c252618-7aea-41d5-b354-47c32ef6c1a3) • [7](https://www.deutsches-tanzarchiv.de/fileadmin/user_upload/www.tanzarchiv-koeln.de/Ausstellungen/2024_Goldene_Jahre_-_Koelner_Tanztraeume/4_Peter_Appel_ENG.pdf) A separate IMDb entry lists a Peter Appel known for the 1955 short *What Price Freedom*.[8](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9203402/)
## References
1. [Peter Appel (I), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0032216)
2. [Appel, Peter 1959–, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/appel-peter-1959)
3. [Peter Appel Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0032216/bio/)
4. [Peter Appel, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/peter_appel)
5. [The Speed of Life press kit, Transparent Films (2007)](https://iradeutchman.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/SPEED-OF-LIFE-press-kit.pdf)
6. [Women and Natural Resources interview mentioning Peter Appel of GEUS](https://kun.no/assets/6c252618-7aea-41d5-b354-47c32ef6c1a3)
7. [Peter Appel (*1933), Deutsches Tanzarchiv Köln](https://www.deutsches-tanzarchiv.de/fileadmin/user_upload/www.tanzarchiv-koeln.de/Ausstellungen/2024_Goldene_Jahre_-_Koelner_Tanztraeume/4_Peter_Appel_ENG.pdf)
8. [Peter Appel (II), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9203402/)
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*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*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license