Michael Madsen
Birthday: 1957-09-25 | Place of Birth: Chicago, Illinois, USAMichael Madsen (Michael Søren Madsen, September 25, 1957 – July 3, 2025) was an American actor, poet, and photographer, born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Elaine, a filmmaker and author, and Calvin, a firefighter. He began his career at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, where he served as an apprentice under John Malkovich and appeared in a production of Of Mice and Men. His screen debut came in Against All Hope (1982), followed by a small role in WarGames (1983). His breakout performance was as the psychopathic Mr. Blonde in Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs (1992), which launched him into a long association with Tarantino — he appeared in five of his films, including Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004), The Hateful Eight (2015), and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019). He also worked as a voice actor in video games including Grand Theft Auto III and DRIV3R. He was found unresponsive in his Malibu, California home on July 3, 2025, and died of cardiac arrest at age 67. His notable film credits include WarGames (1983) (Matthew Broderick, Daryl Hannah), Thelma & Louise (1991) (Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis), Reservoir Dogs (1992) (Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth), Free Willy (1993) (Jason James Richter, Leelee Sobieski), The Getaway (1994) (Harrison Ford, Rene Russo), Species (1995) (Sandra Bullock, Al Pacino), Donnie Brasco (1997) (Al Pacino, Johnny Depp), Die Another Day (2002) (Pierce Brosnan, Halle Berry), Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) (Uma Thurman, David Carradine), Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004) (Uma Thurman, David Carradine), Sin City (2005) (Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba), The Hateful Eight (2015) (Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell), and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) (Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt).
Known For
Acting
Role
as Brian Fenton
as Max Reed
as Reed Philibosian
as Rex Fuel
as Budd (Sidewinder)
as District Attorney
as Quantrill
as Robert (Bob) Nelson
as Benjamin
as Doctor Frankenstein
as Don Clancy
as Ian
as Kensei
as Layton
as Logan Bergman
as Narrator (voice)
as Samson
as Self
as Sheriff Hansen
as General Cota
as Man (Voice)
as Officer Hansen
as Paul
as Damon
as Detective Morrison
as Sheriff Townsend
