Ken Foree played Peter in George A. Romero’s 1978 film Dawn of the Dead.
Peter Washington is one of the film’s four central survivors. He is a SWAT officer who escapes the initial crisis with fellow officer Roger DiMarco, television traffic reporter Stephen Andrews, and traffic reporter Francine Parker. The group eventually takes refuge inside a large shopping mall.
Foree’s performance made Peter one of the most recognizable protagonists in zombie cinema. The character is resourceful, calm under pressure, and central to the film’s emotional and philosophical tension as the survivors try to preserve their humanity while surrounded by the undead.
The cast is sometimes confused because several performers share major screen time. David Emge played Stephen, Scott Reiniger played Roger, and Gaylen Ross played Francine. The film was Romero’s second major zombie feature after Night of the Living Dead and became influential for combining horror with consumer-society satire.