Michael Madsen, actor of 'Reservoir Dogs' and 'Kill Bill' fame, dies at 67
Michael Madsen, whose menacing characters in 'Reservoir Dogs' and 'Kill Bill' made him a standout in Quentin Tarantino's films, has died. He was 67.
Madsen was found unresponsive in his home in Malibu, California, on Thursday morning and pronounced dead, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Watch Commander Christopher Jauregui said. He is believed to have died of natural causes and authorities do not suspect any foul play was involved. Madsen's manager Ron Smith said cardiac arrest was the apparent cause.
Madsen's career spanned more than 300 credits stretching back to the early 1980s, many in low-budget films. But his most memorable screen moment may have been the sadistic torture of a captured police officer — while dancing to Stealers Wheel's 'Stuck in the Middle with You' — as Mr. Blonde in 1992's 'Reservoir Dogs.'
Michael Madsen
News in 90 Seconds - Thursday, July 3
He would become a Tarantino regular, appearing in the 'Kill Bill' films and 'The Hateful Eight.'
'In the last two years Michael Madsen has been doing some incredible work with independent film including upcoming feature films 'Resurrection Road,' 'Concessions and 'Cookbook for Southern Housewives,' and was really looking forward to this next chapter in his life," his managers Smith and Susan Ferris and publicist Liz Rodriguez said in a statement. They added that he "was one of Hollywood's most iconic actors, who will be missed by many.'
During a handprint ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theatre in November 2020, Madsen reflected on his first visit to Hollywood in the early 1980s.
'I got out and I walked around and I looked and I wondered if there were someday some way that that was going to be a part of me. And I didn't know because I didn't know what I was going to do at that point with myself," he said. "I could have been a bricklayer. I could have been an architect. I could have been a garbage man. I could have been nothing. But I got lucky. I got lucky as an actor.'
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Irish Independent
9 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Obituary: Michael Madsen, actor who will forever be known for that cut-throat razor scene in ‘Reservoir Dogs'
Star was usually cast as an unrepentant tough guy, but he was also the dad in 'Free Willy' Telegraph obituaries Michael Madsen, who has died of a heart attack at the age of 67, was an actor who made his name as the psychopathic Mr Blonde in Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs and went on to appear in four more Tarantino films. Over a vastly prolific career, with more than 300 credits, he specialised in charismatic hardmen, imbuing every role with a sense of danger and unpredictability. But if Madsen had had his way he would not have played Reservoir Dogs' most grimly memorable role. When casting his violent directorial debut about a heist gone badly wrong, Tarantino offered Madsen the part of Vic Vega — Mr Blonde for the purposes of the robbery — but the actor was set on playing Mr Pink, because he had more lines with Harvey Keitel. Tarantino agreed to audition him for the role, he recalled. 'For one of the only times in my life I'd rehearsed the dialogue, so I did a few Mr Pink scenes. When I was done, Quentin looked at me and went, 'Is that it? OK, good. You're not Mr Pink. You're Mr Blonde, and if you're not Mr Blonde, then you're not in the movie'.' Steve Buscemi played Mr Pink. While Madsen carved out a Hollywood niche as an unrepentant tough guy, he insisted that in real life he was very different (though there were brushes with the law). 'People have been afraid of me because of the parts I played. Nobody remembers that I was the dad in Free Willy.' Madsen was born in Chicago on September 25, 1957, one of three children. His father, Calvin, a US Navy veteran from World War II, was a firefighter, and his mother, Elaine (nee Melson), worked in finance before becoming an author and Emmy-winning film producer; the couple divorced when Michael was 11. After leaving school, he worked as a mechanic, then as a paramedic, but his life changed in 1980 when a friend took him to see a production of Of Mice and Men by the Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Enthralled, he went backstage and found the play's star, John Malkovich, who encouraged him to take acting classes. A few months later, Madsen was treading the boards in another production of the same play. He moved to LA and supported himself by working in a garage, and from 1982 began accumulating small roles, including two episodes of hospital drama St Elsewhere, and as a policeman in the 1983 thriller WarGames. His big break came in 1991 as Susan Sarandon's easygoing musician boyfriend in Thelma & Louise. 'It was one of the only times I got to play a sympathetic character,' he said. ADVERTISEMENT Tarantino wanted him to play Vincent Vega in 'Pulp Fiction' That brought him on to Tarantino's radar and the offer to play Mr Blonde, making the film his own in the unforgettable scene involving a razor, an ear and Stuck in the Middle with You. But his career took an immediate downturn. Tarantino wanted him to play Vincent Vega in his 1994 follow-up Pulp Fiction, but Madsen was contracted to Lawrence Kasdan's Western, Wyatt Earp, starring Kevin Costner. The three-hour epic was an epic flop; Pulp Fiction won the Palme d'Or at Cannes, an Academy Award and two Baftas, while the hitherto moribund career of Oscar-nominated John Travolta, who got the part, was super-charged back into life. A decade of hard graft followed for Madsen, one of the highlights being his portrayal of the real-life mobster Sonny Black in Mike Newell's Donny Brasco (1997). Then, in 2003 and 2004 he was reunited with Tarantino in the two Kill Bill films as the strip-club bouncer and hitman Budd (codename Sidewinder), an early target for Uma Thurman as she sets out on her gory voyage of revenge. In Tarantino's 2015 western The Hateful Eight he was the cattlehand Joe Gage, then four years later Sheriff Hackett in Bounty Law, the fictional 1960s TV Western that features in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. In 1984, Madsen married Georganne LaPiere, Cher's half-sister; they divorced in 1988. In 1991, he married Jeannine Bisignano; they had two sons, Christian and Max, who are both actors. They divorced in 1995, and the following year he married DeAnna Morgan; they had three sons, one of whom, Hudson, a US Army sergeant, took his own life in 2022. She survives him with his other four sons and a daughter from another relationship.
Extra.ie
a day ago
- Extra.ie
Inside Michael Madsen's blended family life
Acting legend Michael Madsen has died aged 67. Michael, who was best known for menacing roles in Quentin Tarantino films such as Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill, was found unresponsive by authorities who were responding to a 911 call. He was pronounced dead at the scene, with his manager saying that he died of cardiac arrest. Actor Michael Madsen attends 'Reservoir Dogs' 25th Anniversary Screening during the 2017 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles Center Theatre. Pic: Getty Images Known for playing sadistic, menacing characters, Michael Madsen has over 300 acting credits to his name. He had his first notable acting role in WarGames, the 1983 thriller starring Matthew Broderick. However, he became best known for his role as Mr Blonde in Quentin Tarantino's feature-length debut, Reservoir Dogs — where he participated in the film's most infamous scene, torturing a police officer while Stuck In the Middle With You played in the background. From there, he collaborated with Tarantino on three more films where he had notable roles — playing Budd in Kill Bill Volumes 1 & 2, and as 'Grouch' Douglass in The Hateful Eight. His other credits include Donnie Brasco, Free Willy and Sin City. Michael's credits include Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill and the Hateful Eight. Pic: REX Michael's mother Elaine was an Emmy Award winning filmmaker and author, winning an award for her work on the documentary Better Than It Has to Be. His sister Virginia Madsen was also nominated for an Oscar in 2004, and is best known for her roles in Candyman and Sideways. He has a daughter, Jessica, with his former partner Jeannine Bisignano. In 1984, Michael married his first wife, Georganne LaPierre, before they divorced in 1988. From 1991 to 1995 he was married to Jeannine Bisignano, with the couple having two sons, Christian and Max, both of whom are actors — Christian best known for his work in Palo Alto and Divergent. In 1996, he married DeAnna Morgan while on a break from filming Donnie Brasco, with the couple having three children together — Luke, Kalvin and Hudson. Tragically, however, Hudson took his own life in 2022. Susan Sarandon and Michael Madsen star in the film 'Thelma And Louise', 1991. Pic: Getty Images He was also known for his charity work, winning an award for his work with the Shriner's Children's Hospital in 2002. In 2016, he hosted An Intimate Evening with Michael Madsen to benefit Children's Paediatric Cancer. Speaking during a handprint ceremony at the famous Chinese Theatre in LA back in 2020, Michael spoke about his first time in Hollywood in the 1980s — saying 'I got out and I walked around and I looked and I wondered if there were someday, some way that that was going to be a part of me. 'I didn't know because I didn't know what I was going to do at that point with myself.I could have been a bricklayer. I could have been an architect. I could have been a garbage man. I could have been nothing. But I got lucky. I got lucky as an actor.' Michael is survived by his daughter Jessica, sons Christian, Max, Luke and Kalvin, and is predeceased by his son Hudson.
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Irish Independent
Michael Madsen, star of ‘Kill Bill' and ‘Reservoir Dogs', dies age 67
Actor was found unresponsive in Los Angeles home ©Associated Press Michael Madsen, whose menacing characters in Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill made him a standout in Quentin Tarantino's films, has died aged 67. Madsen was found unresponsive in his home in Malibu, California, yesterday morning and pronounced dead, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Watch Commander Christopher Jauregui said. Register for free to read this story Register and create a profile to get access to our free stories. You'll also unlock more free stories each week.
