Michael Madsen, 'Reservoir Dogs' actor and frequent Tarantino collaborator, dies at 67

Michael Madsen, the histrion who was a staple successful galore Quentin Tarantino films including “Kill Bill” and “Reservoir Dogs,” has died. He was 67

A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department confirmed to The Times that deputies responded to the actor’s Malibu location Thursday greeting and recovered him unresponsive. He was pronounced dormant astatine 8:25 a.m. The spokesperson said Madsen seemingly died of earthy causes.

Madsen’s managers Susan Ferris and Ron Smith and publicist Liz Rodriguez besides confirmed quality of the prolific actor’s decease successful a connection shared with The Times connected Thursday. Smith said Madsen, who garnered astir 330 acting credits implicit the people of his decades-long career, died of cardiac arrest.

“Michael Madsen was 1 of Hollywood’s astir iconic actors, who volition beryllium missed by many,” the representatives’ connection said.

Madsen, calved successful Chicago successful September 1957 to a filmmaker parent and firefighter father, began his nonrecreational surface vocation successful the aboriginal 1980s but became champion known for playing grimy antagonists successful his collaborations with Tarantino. He notably appeared arsenic a the ruthless, torture-loving Mr. Blonde successful “Reservoir Dogs” and arsenic the sleazy Budd successful the Uma Thurman-led “Kill Bill” films, who met his gruesome extremity astatine the hands of Daryl Hannah’s Elle Driver and a achromatic mamba snake. “The Hateful Eight” and “Once Upon a Time ... successful Hollywood” were Madsen’s astir caller collaborations with Tarantino.

In the 2007 thriller “Boarding Gate” Madsen played against his emblematic role, starring arsenic a shady American businessman surviving successful Europe. “The information is: I don’t truly get an accidental to play a relation similar this precise often,” helium told The Times successful 2008.

“Nobody wants to enactment maine successful a suit and a necktie and person maine beryllium successful an office, fto unsocial springiness maine emotion scenes,” helium added. “People are a batch much comfy erstwhile I person a cigaret successful my rima and a weapon successful my hand.”

The seasoned histrion — older member of Oscar-nominated “Candyman” prima Virginia Madsen — stayed engaged until his death, appearing successful galore projects astir each year. He appeared successful films including “The Doors,” “Thelma & Louise,” “Free Willy,” “Species” and “Sin City.” He besides appeared successful the TV bid “Powers,” “24,” “Tilt,” “Vengeance Unlimited” and “Our Family Honor.”

Madsen had 18 projects successful the works earlier his death, according to IMDb. In their statement, his representatives said Madsen had “been doing immoderate incredibly work” and touted his enactment successful the upcoming films “Resurrection Road,” “Concessions” and “Cookbook for Southern Housewives.” Madsen, who was “really looking guardant to this adjacent section successful his life” per his reps, besides had a caller book, “Tears for My Father: Outlaw Thoughts and Poems,” acceptable to deed shelves successful September with a foreword from Tarantino.

“One of the reasons Michael’s enactment has specified meaning for maine is he’s penning astir feelings and emotions that it seems astatine times the past fewer generations person go unsighted to,” the Oscar-winning filmmaker says successful the foreword. “Some of Michael’s enactment is astir household remembrances. A infinitesimal helium saw his parent wrapper her arms astir his father’s waist, oregon however his sister looked successful 1 formal successful particular. Some of them are thought jazz. Some are the champion recordings of the gypsy beingness of a movie histrion I’ve ever read.”

Quentin Tarantino, left, and Michael Madsen astatine a backstage enactment successful New York celebrating the 25th day of “Reservoir Dogs” successful 2017.

(Kevin Mazur / Getty Images)

He aboriginal adds: “The existent travel that Michael the writer is exploring is what it means to beryllium a antheral successful a satellite wherever the notions of manhood that immoderate of america grew up with are hardly remembered. But past if everybody embarked connected the hero’s journey, everybody would beryllium a hero, wouldn’t they?”

Madsen joined woman DeAnna Madsen successful 1996 and they stock 3 children: Hudson, Luke and Calvin. Hudson, who was Tarantino’s godson, died successful 2022.

“It’s truthful tragic and sad,” Madsen said successful January 2022. “I’m conscionable trying to marque consciousness of everything and recognize what happened.”

Offscreen, Madsen had respective brushes with the law, notably getting arrested successful Malibu successful 2019 connected suspicion of misdemeanor driving nether the influence. He had been hospitalized successful 2012 aft being arrested connected suspicion of DUI and was again arrested that twelvemonth aft allegedly getting into a combat with his son. He was arrested again successful August 2024 connected suspicion of spousal battery. After quality of alleged tensions with his woman spread, Madsen dismissed the reports, penning connected societal media that “losing a kid is the hardest and astir achy acquisition that tin hap successful this world.”

He reassured fans that helium loved his woman and their children, besides speaking candidly astir the lasting toll of losing his son. “I don’t deliberation my lad is dead, I deliberation helium escaped from a beingness that didn’t marque consciousness anymore,” the histrion said.

Madsen was besides a photographer, screenwriter, shaper and published poet. He is survived by his mother, Elaine; his wife, DeAnna; his children, Christian, Max, Calvin, Luke and Jessica; and siblings Virginia and Cheryl.

Former Times unit writer Nardine Saad contributed to this report.