Michael Madsen of 'Kill Bill' and 'Reservoir Dogs' dies: reports
(KTLA) — Actor Michael Madsen passed away, according to reports. He was 67 years old.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department told The Hollywood Reporter that deputies responded to the actor's Malibu home on Thursday morning after receiving a 911 call. They found the actor unresponsive and declared him dead at 8:25 a.m. PT.
“We understand Michael had a cardiac arrest," his rep, Liz Rodriguez at EMR Media Entertainment, told the outlet.
Representatives confirmed Madsen's death to PEOPLE and The Associated Press, sharing the below 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."
They added that he "was one of Hollywood’s most iconic actors, who will be missed by many.”
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.”
Born in Chicago, Illinois, Madsen’s career spanned more than 300 credits stretching back to the early 1980s, many in low budget films. But his most memorable screen moment may have been the sadistic torture of a captured police officer — while dancing to Stealers Wheel’s “Stuck in the Middle with You” — as Mr. Blonde in 1992’s “Reservoir Dogs.”
He would become a Tarantino regular, appearing in the “Kill Bill” films and “The Hateful Eight.”
His first acting credit, according to IMDb, was as Cecil Moe in the 1982 film "Against All Hope." Madsen later appeared in "Fatal Instinct," "Free Willy," and "The Maker." His work wasn't limited to the big screen; Madsen had roles in the television series "Powers," "Hawaii Five-O," "Blue Bloods," "Bob's Burgers," "24," and "CSI: Miami."
Madsen's most recent roles include Quantrill in "Resurrection Road" and as Michael Turner in "Cash Collectors."
His IMDb page shows he has roles in 18 upcoming projects, including "Cookbook for Southern Housewives." Madsen's representatives told PEOPLE he was also planning to release a book soon, "Tears For My Father: Outlaw Thoughts and Poems."
From 1991 to 1995, Madsen was married to Jeannine Bisignano; they welcomed two sons, Christian and Max.
In 1996, he married DeAnna Morgan, and they had three children together: Luke, Kalvin and Hudson. In 2022, Hudson passed away by suicide.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.