Actor Michael Madsen, known for his roles in “Reservoir Dogs” and “Kill Bill,” has died at the age of 67.
Madsen’s death was confirmed Thursday by his publicist, Liz Rodriguez.
Madsen was found unresponsive Thursday morning at his home in Malibu, California, and is believed to have died due to cardiac arrest, Rodriguez told ABC News.
“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,” Rodriguez said in a statement also written by Madsen’s managers, Susan Ferris and Ron Smith. “Michael was also preparing to release a new book called ‘Tears For My Father: Outlaw Thoughts and Poems,’ currently being edited.”
Actor Michael Madsen poses for a portrait during the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, Jan. 24, 2008 in Park City, Utah.
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The statement continued, “Michael Madsen was one of Hollywood’s most iconic actors, who will be missed by many.”
Madsen had a decadeslong career in Hollywood that included roles in over 300 films, including several that are still in production, according to his IMDB page.
Born on Sept. 25, 1957, the actor’s first acting role was in the 1982 Edward T. McDougal directed-film “Against All Hope”, in which he played the lead role of a man struggling with alcoholism who turns to a reverend for help.
He went on to land more roles across television and film, including the 1985 TV series, “Our Family Honor,” and the 1991 Ridley Scott-directed film “Thelma and Louise,” which he starred in with Brad Pitt, Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis.
In 1992 he starred in his first Quentin Tarantino-directed film, “Reservoir Dogs” as Mr. Blonde/Vic. The film followed a jewelry heist gone wrong and also starred Tim Roth and Harvey Keitel.
Madsen spoke to ABC News in 2017 at the Tribeca Film Festival for the 25th anniversary of “Reservoir Dogs” and said he was “very lucky and very blessed” to be in the film.
“I had a great director and I had a great script,” he said. “I didn’t know what I was going to do. I was very young. It was one of my first pictures. He (Tarantino) let me improv quite a bit.”
As for the iconic dance scene he delivered in the film to “Stuck in the Middle With You,” Madsen said he “made it up on the spot.”
“Honestly, I didn’t know what to do,” he said. “And he (Tarantino) never made me rehearse it because I was intimidated by it. Because I’m not a dancer. And I started thinking of this Jimmy (James) Cagney movie that I saw — about college or something, and he does this little dance and it came into my head right before I had to do it. And I didn’t know it was gonna work but Quentin let me get away with it and thank God he let me do it.”
Michael Madsen thinks back on ‘Reservoir Dogs’ 25 years later Live from the red carpet for the ‘Reservoir Dogs’ 25th anniversary, actor, Madsen reminisces on his experience with the movie.
ABCNews.com
His role as Mr. Blonde was the first of many wise-cracking tough guys he would play in Tarantino films from Budd a.k.a. Sidewinder in all three “Kill Bill” films, Sheriff Hackett on Bounty Law in “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” and Joe Gage in “The Hateful Eight.”
While speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in 2018, Madsen reflected on his career in Hollywood and the roles he’s played and called fame a “two-edged sword.”
“There are a lot of blessings but also a lot of heavy things that come with it,” he said. ” I think it has a lot to do with the characters I’ve played. I think I’ve been more believable than I should have been. I think people really fear me. They see me and go: “Holy s—, there’s that guy!” But I’m not that guy. I’m just an actor. I’m a father, I’ve got seven children. I’m married, I’ve been married 20 years.”
He added, “When I’m not making a movie, I’m home, in pajamas, watching The Rifleman on TV, hopefully with my 12-year-old making me a cheeseburger. I sure as hell had my rabble-rousing days, but sooner or later you have to get over that and move on.”
Madsen has been married three times. He was first married to “General Hospital” actress Georganne LaPiere from 1984 to 1988. He then married actress Jeannine Bisignano in 1991. The two divorced in 1995. They shared two sons together: Christian and Max.
In 1996, he married actress DeAnna Madsen had three sons together: Calvin, Luke and Hudson Madsen.
Michael Madsen poses at the Hollywood Life House, Jan. 22, 2008 in Park City, Utah.
L. Busacca/WireImage via Getty Images
In 2022, Madsen suffered a personal tragedy when his son, 26-year-old Hudson Madsen, died by suicide. Madsen said in a statement to The Los Angeles Times after his son’s death that he was trying to “make sense” of it.
“I am in shock as my son, whom I just spoke with a few days ago, said he was happy — my last text from him was ‘I love you dad,'” Madsen said in a statement to the Times. “I didn’t see any signs of depression. It’s so tragic and sad. I’m just trying to make sense of everything and understand what happened.”
Two years after Hudson Madsen’s death, the actor filed for divorce from DeAnna Madsen.
