Michael Madsen
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Biography
A legitimate tough guy who made a name for himself playing gun-toting psychopaths, actor Michael Madsen-brother to Oscar-nominated actress Virginia Madsen-demonstrated his versatility throughout his career by playing a wide-range of roles, including a well-meaning foster father in "Free Willy" (1993) and its sequel. But it was his turn as the sociopathic Mr. Blonde in Quentin Tarantino's seminal "Reservoir Dogs" (1992) that propelled the then-unknown supporting actor into a star, thanks to a truly disturbing scene, forever inscribed in cinema infamy, where his character enjoys the torture and mutilation of a police officer. Able to thrive in mainstream Hollywood movies and low-brow straight-to-DVD fare, Madsen easily fluctuated from popular films like "Thelma & Louise" (1991) and "Wyatt Earp" (1994) to low-budget thrillers and horror movies that barely saw the light of day. He had prominent supporting roles in David Lynch's noirish "Mulholland Falls" (1998), sci-fi horror hit "Species" (1998) and a small, but pivotal role in the James Bond movie "Die Another Day" (2002), as well as reuniting with Tarantino for "Kill Bill, Vol. 1" (2003), "Kill Bill, Vol. 2" (2004) and the violent western "The Hateful Eight" (2015). Frequently appearing in six to 10 films per year for most of his career, Madsen was well-established as one of the most prolific actors working in film.
Born on Sept. 25, 1958 in Chicago, IL, Madsen was raised by his father, Cal, a fireman, and his mother, Elaine, an author, poet and Emmy-winning documentarian. Unlike his sister, Virginia Madsen, who became a popular actor after studying dancing and acting throughout her childhood, Madsen spent his youth working on cars and thinking that he would become a race car driver. Because his family relocated several times, he often found himself to be the new kid on the block, leading him to embrace his loner status early in life. He also ran afoul of the law by stealing cars and committing robbery, which led to a brief stint in prison. He eventually followed his sister into acting by way of the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, where he was an apprentice for actor John Malkovich. While performing at the Steppenwolf, Madsen was spotted by acclaimed Italian director Sergio Leone, who encouraged the young actor to try a film career. Madsen heeded the advice and moved to Los Angeles in his early twenties, where he landed his feature acting debut with a few lines in the hit teen thriller, "WarGames" (1983).
Following his debut, Madsen embarked on a series of small parts in a wide range of movies, including "Racing with the Moon" (1984) and "The Natural" (1984), while making his television premiere in Edward Zwick's Emmy-winning political drama, "Special Bulletin" (NBC, 1983). He quickly landed his first regular series role, playing the murderous son of a crime lord (Eli Wallach) on the short-lived series "Our Family Honor" (ABC, 1985-86). Following a small turn in the blackmail thriller "Shadows in the Storm" (1988), Madsen was a psychotic killer opposite Val Kilmer's seedy private detective in John Dahl's "Kill Me Again" (1989). Although his turn as the understanding boyfriend of Susan Sarandon in Ridley Scott's "Thelma & Louise" (1991) raised his profile substantially, Madsen had his breakout performance as psychopathic Mr. Blonde in Quentin Tarantino's own breakthrough, "Reservoir Dogs" (1992). Starring opposite heavy hitters like Harvey Keitel, Lawrence Tierney and Tim Roth, Madsen was nothing short of sensational as a recently released con who joins the crew of what turns out to be a botched diamond heist. But it was his interrogation and torture of a rookie police officer, where he slices off his ear while prancing around to the 1970s tune "Stuck in the Middle with You," that cemented his place in cinema history as playing one of the more twisted of villains.
Taking a surprising turn toward family fare, Madsen played the foster father of a 12-year-old boy (Jason James Richter) who befriends a trained killer whale in "Free Willy" (1993). He went back to his sociopathic roots to play a killer hunting down his old heist partner (Alec Baldwin) in the remake of "The Getaway" (1994), which also starred Kim Basinger. Following a turn as the oldest Earp brother, Virgil, in Lawrence Kasdan's ponderous "Wyatt Earp" (1994), he hung up his holster and boot spurs to reprise his foster father role for "Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home" (1995). After playing the trained assassin hired to locate an escaped alien in "Species" (1995), Madsen portrayed the rakish member of the Hat Squad in the disappointing "Mulholland Falls" (1996). He provided able support to Al Pacino and Johnny Depp as Mafia hood Sonny Black in "Donnie Brasco" (1997) before returning to his trained assassin role for the sequel "Species II" (1998). Back on the small screen, he starred as the mysterious Mr. Chapel, a man with no first name, no past and no gun, who crafts unique punishments for criminals who have outsmarted the legal system in the short-lived drama, "Vengeance Unlimited" (ABC, 1998-99).
While routinely starring in low-budget or straight-to-DVD releases like "Trail of a Serial Killer" (1998) and "Voodoo Dawn" (2000), Madsen popped up occasionally in big studio movies like "Die Another Day" (2002), playing U.S. government agent Damian Falco, who has a small, but pivotal role in redefining the relationship between James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) and his American counterparts. After a brief succession of roles in lower-grade fare, Madsen resurfaced in a high-profile way when he collaborated again with Quentin Tarantino for "Kill Bill, Vol. 1" (2003) and "Kill Bill, Vol. 2" (2004), in which he played Budd, one in a team of assassins marked for retribution by The Bride (Uma Thurman). After a welcome turn as Bruce Willis' corrupt cop partner in Robert Rodriguez's adaptation of writer-artist Frank Miller's "Sin City" (2005), he appeared in Uwe Boll's "Bloodrayne" (2006), the cinematic prequel to the popular video game, in which he was a vampire hunter schooled in battling the forces of darkness. Madsen next appeared in David Zucker's zany sequel, "Scary Movie 4" (2006), playing a crazed farmer who houses a bumbling father (Craig Bierko).
Madsen returned to low-end movies following his resurgence in more mainstream Hollywood films, starring opposite Chevy Chase and Penelope Ann Miller in the farcical comedy, "Funny Money" (2007). In "Hoboken Hollow" (2007), he was an eccentric businessman who unwittingly discovers the horror behind a successful rancher (Mark Holton) and his sadistic family, while in "Vice" (2008) - which Madsen also executive produced - he was a former top cop-turned-ticking time bomb after his wife's death, who is targeted for execution by a killer following a botched drug sting. Madsen next starred in the erotic thriller, "Boarding Gate" (2008), playing the former pimp of a former prostitute (Asia Argento), who re-embark on their kinky sexual affair, which eventually becomes troubled following a botched drug deal. After a supporting turn in the made-for-television action drama "Crash & Burn" (Spike TV, 2008) and a starring role in the hostage thriller "Killing Jar" (2010), Madsen joined the cast of "24" (Fox, 2001-10) to play the recurring role of Jim Ricker, an old friend who helps Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) after the latter goes on the run.
Meanwhile, Madsen - who largely remained out of the tabloid eye throughout his career - landed on the front pages of gossip websites when it became known that he was rushed to a hospital in England after a nine-day bender of booze and pills. Concerned emergency medics considered the actor a "high-risk" patient and placed him under suicide watch. Previously, he was rumored to have been in a Los Angeles-area hospital for poor mental health in 2008, a claim his representatives flatly dismissed at the time.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Cast (Short)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1983
TV movie debut, Edward Zwick's Emmy-winning "Special Bulletin" (NBC)
1983
Feature acting debut, "WarGames"
1985
TV series debut, "Our Family Honor" (ABC)
1988
TV miniseries debut, "War and Remembrance" (ABC)
1989
Portrayed a psychotic killer in John Dahl's "Kill Me Again"
1991
Co-starred as Susan Sarandon's boyfriend in "Thelma & Louise"
1992
Breakthrough screen role as sadistic Mr. Blonde in Quentin Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs"
1993
Played the foster father in "Free Willy"
1994
Had featured role as Virgil Earp in "Wyatt Earp"
1995
Co-starred in "Species"
1995
Reprised his role in "Free Willy 2"
1996
Associate produced and starred in "Executive Target" (HBO)
1997
Delivered a strong turn as Mafia hood Sonny Black in "Donnie Brasco"
1998
Reprised role in the sequel "Species II"
1998
Starred on the ABC drama "Vengeance Unlimited"
2001
Narrated the Animal Planet series "Animal Precint"
2001
Returned to series work as co-star of the short-lived CBS police series "Big Apple"
2002
Cast in the James Bond feature "Die Another Day"
2003
Cast in Quentin Tarantino's saga "Kill Bill;" film released in two parts "Kill Bill Vol. 1" (2003) and "Kill Bill Vol.2" (2004)
2005
Starred in "Sin City," the adaptation of comic book icon Frank Miller's uber-noir series of grapic novels; co-directed by Miller and Robert Rodriguez
2006
Starred as Vladimir, a vampire hunter in the big-screen version of the popular video game "BloodRayne"
2007
Co-starred in "Funny Money" a film adaptation of the 1994 play written by Ray Cooney
2007
Co-starred with Dennis Hopper in the independent horror/thriller "Hoboken Hollow"
2010
Landed a recurring role on Fox action drama "24" as an old friend of lead character Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland)
2012
Appeared on the British reality series "Celebrity Big Brother"; finished in 4th place
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