He was actually one of the three major apostles along with St John the Evangelist and  St James.  They were there at most of the most important times of Jesus’s time on earth.
He is widely regarded as being quite an impetuous man according to the New testament.
Peter had quite  a few starring roles, for instance walking on water at Jesus’s bidding.  He is also remembered for his denials of knowing Jesus anf for drawing a sword when he was arrested.

In Mathew, Peter made a famous statement to Jesus’s question – “who do you say I am?”, he replied “You are the Messiah the son of the living God – (Matthew 16:15-16).
Peter used the power of the Holy Spirit to heal the sick and even raise the dead. He made a trip to Antioch (Galatians 2:1), and possibly Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:12).Peter later travelled to Rome and indeed was martyred there by cruxifixion in 64 AD.Apparently he requested that he be crucified upside down, feeling he wasn’t worthy to die in teh same way as his Lord.

There are two Epistles, Peter 1 and Peter 2 supposed to be written by him in the New Testament. Papias, a disciple of the Apostle John, wrote that Mark’s Gospel was influenced by Peter’s writings.

The name Peter, in the Greek language, which was spoken by people in the land of Israel during the 1st Century, as was Aramaic and Hebrew, means “rock.” So, too, does the name Cephas, which is an Aramaic word for “rock,” as used by Jesus in John 1:42.