Michael Madsen, Frequent Quentin Tarantino Collaborator, Dies At 67

MALIBU, CA — Actor Michael Madsen, known best for his decades working with Quentin Tarantino dating back to "Reservoir Dogs," has died at his Malibu home, his representative said.

Madsen, 67, appears to have suffered cardiac arrest. He was found unresponsive on Thursday morning, according to publicist Liz Rodriguez.

Madsen's representatives released the following statement:

"In the last two years Michael Madsen has 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. Michael was also preparing to release a new book called 'Tears For My Father: Outlaw Thoughts and Poems,' currently being edited. Michael Madsen was one of Hollywood's most iconic actors, who will be missed by many."

Madsen’s career spanned more than 300 credits stretching back to the early 1980s. A Chicago native, Madsen began his acting career in the early 1980s, including with a small part in the 1980s Matthew Broderick-starring thriller "WarGames." With his gravelly voice, and mischievous squint, he would be cast time and again as the charming rogue in films such as "Thelma & Louise" and "Donnie Brasco."

But his biggest splash came in the next decade, with Tarantino's 1992 feature debut "Reservoir Dogs," which would help cement his reputation for playing enigmatic tough-guys.

He played Mr. Blonde, the loyal soldier in a criminal enterprise, who went rogue during a jewelry store heist, shooting up the joint and taking a police officer hostage. He equally repelled and captivated audiences, dancing to "Stuck In The Middle With You" while torturing his LAPD officer hostage.

The character was among the nominees for AFI's all-time greatest movie villains and caught the attention of audiences and critics alike.

"One of the discoveries in the movie is Madsen, who has done a lot of acting over the years ... but here emerges with the kind of really menacing screen presence only a few actors achieve; he can hold his own with the fearsome Tierney, and reminds me a little of a very mean Robert De Niro," Roger Ebert wrote in his review.

He went on to become a key player in Tarantino's character-driven cinematic world, including as washed-up former assassin Bud in "Kill Bill," Joe Gage in "The Hateful Eight," as well as the sheriff in the show-within-a-movie in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."

Madsen was the brother of Oscar-nominated actress Virginia Madsen. He was married three times and had six children. His son Christian is also an actor, known for his work in "Divergent."

During a handprint ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theatre in November 2020, Madsen reflected on his first visit to Hollywood in the early 1980s.

“I got out and I walked around and I looked and I wondered if there were someday some way that that was going to be a part of me. And I didn’t know because I didn’t know what I was going to do at that point with myself," he said. "I could have been a bricklayer. I could have been an architect. I could have been a garbage man. I could have been nothing. But I got lucky. I got lucky as an actor.”

Vivica A. Fox, who worked with Madsen on "Kill Bill" and other films, told the New York Post he was a "pleasure" to collaborate with.

"Michael was a talented man with an AMAZING on screen presence! My deepest condolences & prayers to his family," she said.

The Associated Press, City News Service and Patch staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.