Actor Michael Madsen, whose iconic performance in Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs made him a star, has passed away.
Michael Madsen has passed away at the age of 67, leaving behind a memorable body of work. He leaves behind some exquisite performances as a gravel-voiced tough guy, sometimes with a sensitive side and sometimes less so. According to The Guardian, the actor was found dead at his home in Malibu from cardiac arrest.
After some TV work and smaller roles in such films as WarGames and The Doors, Madsen shot to fame as the psychopathic Mr Blonde in 1992’s Reservoir Dogs. His ice-cold killer, and his violence-filled dance number, immediately made him into one of cinema’s great villains. It was the film that launched both his and writer-director Quentin Tarantino’s careers.
Madsen went on to add some of his most memorable performances in further collaborations with Tarantino, including including the Kill Bill movies, The Hateful Eight and Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. (Madsen was offered the role of Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction, but Madsen did Wyatt Earp instead; John Travolta played the hitman instead.)
Beyond his work with Tarantino, Madsen featured in a number of roles which either built on – or sometimes subverted – his imposing physique and intimidating scowl. Donnie Brasco, Thelma & Louise Sin City are just a few of the films the actor added plenty of value to, while videogame fans will also recall the shock of joy they felt at hearing Madsen’s distinct voice emerge from the lips of Toni Cipriani in Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto III. Even in a B-movie like Species (1995) and its sequel, Madsen remained a wryly charismatic performer.
Speaking to The Guardian in 2004, Madsen reflected on the ups and downs of his career, stating: “Maybe I was just born in the wrong era,” he said. “I’m a bit of a throwback to the days of black-and-white movies. Those guys back then, they had a certain kind of directness about them. A lot of the screenplays, the plots were very simplistic – they gave rise to a type of antihero that maybe I suit better.”
Although he may have found himself sometimes feeling like a man out of time, he leaves behind some indelible cinematic moments. Our thoughts go out to his family at this difficult time.
