LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� Michael Madsen, the actor best known for his coolly menacing, steely-eyed, often sadistic characters in the of including 鈥淩eservoir Dogs鈥� and 鈥淜ill Bill: Vol. 2,鈥� has died.
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. He was 67.
Madsen鈥檚 career spanned more than 300 credits stretching back to the early 1980s, many in low-budget and independent films. He often played low-level thugs, gangsters and shady cops in small roles. Tarantino would use that identity, but make him a main character.
His torture of a captured police officer in Tarantino's 1992 directorial debut 鈥淩eservoir Dogs,鈥� in which Madsen's black-suited bank robber Vic 鈥淢r. Blonde鈥� Vega severs the man's ear while dancing to Stealers Wheel鈥檚 "Stuck in the Middle with You鈥� was an early career-defining moment for both director and actor.
Madsen told the Associated Press in 2012 that he hated having to do the scene, especially after the actor playing the officer, Kirk Baltz, ad-libbed a line where he begged for his life because he had children.
鈥淚 just said, 鈥極h my God,鈥� I couldn鈥檛 do it, I didn鈥檛 want to do it,鈥� Madsen said. 鈥淎cting is such a humiliating profession.鈥�
He would become a Tarantino regular. He had a small role as the cowboy-hatted desert dweller Budd, a member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, in 2003's 鈥淜ill Bill: Vol. 1," then a starring role the following year in the sequel, in which he battles with Uma Thurman's protagonist The Bride and buries her alive.
Madsen also appeared in Tarantino's 鈥淭he Hateful Eight鈥� and "Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood." He was an alternate choice to play the hit man role that revived John Travolta's career in 1994's 鈥淧ulp Fiction.鈥� The character, Vincent Vega, is the brother of Madsen's 鈥淩eservoir Dogs鈥� robber in Tarantino's cinematic universe.
His sister, Oscar-nominated 鈥淪ideways鈥� actor Virginia Madsen, was among those paying him tribute on Thursday.
鈥淗e was thunder and velvet. Mischief wrapped in tenderness. A poet disguised as an outlaw. A father, a son, a brother鈥攅tched in contradiction, tempered by love that left its mark,鈥� she said in a statement. 鈥淚鈥檒l miss our inside jokes, the sudden laughter, the sound of him. I鈥檒l miss the boy he was before the legend. I miss my big brother.鈥�
His 鈥淗ateful Eight鈥� co-star and fellow Tarantino favorite .
鈥淢ichael Madsen鈥� this man鈥� this artist鈥� this poet鈥� this rascal鈥︹�� Goggins wrote. 鈥淎ura like no one else. Ain鈥檛 enough words so I鈥檒l just say this鈥�. I love you buddy. A H8TER forever.鈥�
James Woods, Madsen's co-star in two films, , 鈥淚 was always touched by his sweet nature and generosity, the absolute opposite of the 鈥榯ough guys鈥� he portrayed so brilliantly.鈥�
Madsen was born in Chicago to a family of three children.
He performed on stage with the city's Steppenwolf Theatre Company alongside actors including John Malkovich.
During a handprint ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theatre in November 2020, Madsen reflected on his first visit to Hollywood in the early 1980s.
鈥淚 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鈥檛 know because I didn鈥檛 know what I was going to do at that point with myself,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 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.鈥�
His first film role of any significance was in the 1983 hacker thriller 鈥淲arGames鈥� with Matthew Broderick. The following year he played pro baseball player Bump Bailey alongside Robert Redford in 鈥淭he Natural.鈥�
He spent much of the rest of the 1980s doing one-off guest roles on television dramas including 鈥淢iami Vice鈥� and 鈥淨uantum Leap.鈥�
1991 would bring a career boost with roles in 鈥淭he Doors," where he played a buddy of Val Kilmer's Jim Morrison, and 鈥淭helma and Louise鈥� where he played the boyfriend of Susan Sarandon's Louise.
Then would come 鈥淩eservoir Dogs.鈥�
In 1995, he played a black ops mercenary in the sci-fi thriller 鈥淪pecies鈥� and in 1997 he was third billed after Al Pacino and Johnny Depp as a member of a crew of gangsters in 鈥淒onnie Brasco.鈥�
He occasionally played against type. In the 1993 family orca adventure 鈥淔ree Willy鈥� he was the foster father to the orphan protagonist.
Madsen would return to smaller roles but worked constantly in the final two decades of his career.
Madsen had six children. He had struggled in recent years after the 2022 death of one of his sons, Hudson.
鈥淟osing a child is the hardest and most painful experience that can happen in this world,鈥� last year.
He said the loss put a strain on his marriage to third wife, DeAnna Madsen. He was arrested on suspicion of domestic battery last year, but was not charged. He filed for divorce, but asked that the filing be dismissed just weeks later.
He had previously been arrested twice on suspicion of DUI, most recently in 2019, when he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor.
鈥淚n the last two years Michael Madsen has been doing some incredible work with independent film including upcoming feature films 鈥楻esurrection Road,鈥� 鈥楥oncessions and 鈥機ookbook 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. 鈥淢ichael was also preparing to release a new book called 鈥楾ears For My Father: Outlaw Thoughts and Poems鈥� currently being edited.鈥�
The memoir includes a foreword from Tarantino.
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This story has been updated to correct Madsen鈥檚 age as 67.
Andrew Dalton And Itzel Luna, The Associated Press
