![]() 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. Blonde in Quentin Tarantino's own breakthrough, "Reservoir Dogs" (1992). 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. 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). 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). 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).įollowing 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). While performing at the Steppenwolf, Madsen was spotted by acclaimed Italian director Sergio Leone, who encouraged the young actor to try a film career. He eventually followed his sister into acting by way of the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, where he was an apprentice for actor John Malkovich. He also ran afoul of the law by stealing cars and committing robbery, which led to a brief stint in prison. 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. ![]() 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. 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. 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.īorn on Sept. ![]() 2" (2004) and the violent western "The Hateful Eight" (2015). 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. 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. 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. But it was his turn as the sociopathic Mr. 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. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |