Peter Crombie, who played 'Crazy' Joe Davola on Seinfeld, dies at 71

His infamous character's extreme hatred for Jerry led him to attack the comedian in the show's fourth season.

By
Emlyn Travis
Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at Entertainment Weekly with over five years of experience covering the latest in entertainment. A proud Kingston University alum, Emlyn has written about music, fandom, film, television, and awards for multiple outlets including MTV News, Teen Vogue, Bustle, BuzzFeed, Paper Magazine, Dazed, and NME. She joined EW in August 2022.

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Published on January 13, 2024 12:05PM EST

Peter Crombie, the actor known for playing “Crazy” Joe Davola on Seinfeld, has died. He was 71. 

His ex-wife, Nadine Kijner, announced his death in an Instagram post on Wednesday. Speaking with TMZ, she revealed that Crombie died the morning of Jan. 11 following a short illness. 

“It is with shock and extreme sadness that I share my ex-husband died this morning,” Kijner wrote in her post. “Thank you for so many wonderful memories and being such a good man. Fly free into the unboundless source of light, Peter.” 

Peter Crombie on Seinfeld
Peter Crombie on 'Seinfeld'.

Randy Tepper/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty 

She continued, “May you be greeted with love by your parents and Oliver. So, so many people loved you because you were a kind, giving, caring, and creative soul.”

Alongside her tribute to Crombie, Kijner included several snapshots from their wedding day that featured the pair embracing at their reception, sharing bites of cake, and exchanging a kiss by the altar. 

Crombie is best known for starring as “Crazy” Joe Davola, a psychopath dead set on terrorizing Jerry throughout a stint of episodes in season 4 of Seinfeld. His character’s obsessive hatred for Jerry leads him to send threatening messages, attack him, and, at one point, even begin dating Jerry's close friend Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). 

The actor's other credits include spotlight roles in television shows like Loving, Law & Order, NYPD Blue, Picket Fences, L.A. Firefighters, Diagnosis Murder, and Get Smart. He also appeared in films such as Se7en, The Doors, Rising Sun, My Dog Skip, Natural Born Killers, and The Blob. He made his final onscreen performance in a 2000 episode of Walker, Texas Ranger.

Alongside Kijner, Crombie's close friend and comedian Lewis Black honored Crombie in a poignant social media post. “Am heartbroken by the death of my good friend Peter Crombie," he wrote. "He was a gifted artist. Not only was he a wonderful actor, but an immensely talented writer. More importantly, he was as sweet as he was intelligent, and I am a better person for knowing him.”

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