Prolific actor Michael Madsen, known for starring in numerous Quentin Tarantino movies, has died. He was 67.
Madsen, whose career spanned more than 40 years, died Thursday morning from a cardiac arrest, his manager, Ron Smith, said.
According to TMZ, authorities found the Kill Bill and Reservoir Dogs actor unresponsive at his Malibu home. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
A representative for the actor told the tabloid that over the last two years, Madsen had “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 team additionally said that he was preparing to release a new book titled Tears For My Father: Outlaw Thoughts and Poems.
The Independent has contacted Madsen’s representatives for further comment.
Madsen was born September 25, 1957, in Chicago, Illinois, to Elaine, a filmmaker and author, and Calvin, a World War II Navy veteran and firefighter. His two sisters, Virginia and Cheryl, are also actors. In fact, the former is best known for her Oscar-nominated role in Alexander Payne’s 2004 romcom Sideways.
During his decades-long career, Madsen amassed more than 70 film and TV credits. His breakthrough came in Tarantino’s directorial debut, Reservoir Dogs, in which he starred as the sadistic criminal Mr. Blonde, who tortured a policeman by slicing off his ear.
That marked the beginning of a long and storied collaboration between Madsen and Tarantino, despite pushback from now-disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.
“Harvey never liked me,” Madsen told The Independent in 2020. “I don’t know if he ever liked anybody, but I know for a fact he didn’t like me. He never wanted me in any of Quentin’s movies. I think I’m only in them because Quentin stood up for me every single time and said I’m going to use Michael whether you like it or not.”
Madsen went on to portray villains and anti-heroes in several of Tarantino’s other cult classics, including Kill Bill: Volumes 1 and 2 (2003–2004), The Hateful Eight (2015), and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019).
His other notable acting credits include 1991’s Thelma & Louise, 1996’s Mulholland Falls, 1997’s Donnie Brasco, and 2005’s Sin City.
“The type of character I think I play really well is somebody who’s not perfect, who’s a little rough around the edges not out of a GQ magazine, and might have a cigarette now and then or need a shave,” he added in his interview with The Independent, “but you can bet your ass I’m gonna do the right thing. That’s the real Michael more than anything, and I just wish it was captured on film.”
He was preceded in death by his 26-year-old son, Hudson, who died by suicide in 2022. In 2024, he filed for divorce from his wife of 28 years, DeAnna Madsen, alleging that her “neglect, drinking, and alcoholism” contributed to their son’s death.
Madsen and DeAnna shared two other sons, Calvin, 27, and Luke, 18. He also had sons, Christian, 34, and Max, 30, from his previous marriage to actor Jeannine Bisignano.
