Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – US actor Michael Madsen — best known for his frequent collaborations with director Quentin Tarantino including “Reservoir Dogs” and “Kill Bill” — died Thursday at age 67 after suffering cardiac arrest, his management team said. The actor was found unresponsive early Thursday at his home in Malibu, they said.
“Michael Madsen was one of Hollywood’s most iconic actors, who will be missed by many,” his managers Susan Ferris and Ron Smith said in a joint statement with his publicist, Liz Rodriguez. Madsen’s most iconic performances include Mr. Blonde, a psychopathic criminal in the 1992 crime thriller “Reservoir Dogs,” and Budd, the younger brother of the antagonist in the “Kill Bill” movies, both directed by Tarantino.
In addition to his appearances in other Tarantino films like “The Hateful Eight” and “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood,” Madsen’s prolific career saw him play more than 300 roles over the course of 40 years. Among his other notable films are “Thelma & Louise,” “Free Willy,” “Donnie Brasco,” and the 2002 James Bond flick “Die Another Day.” Madsen also did voiceovers for several video games, including “Grand Theft Auto III,” and published several volumes of poetry.
Madsen was born on September 25, 1957, in Chicago to a firefighter father and a filmmaker mother. His sister, Virginia Madsen, is also an actress. He married three times over the course of his life and had six children, one of whom died by suicide in 2022.
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