Michael Madsen, renowned for his performances in Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill, has passed away at 67 due to cardiac arrest.
According to his manager Ron Smith, Madsen was discovered deceased at his Malibu residence on Thursday morning, as reported by NBC.
"Over the past two years, Michael Madsen had been engaged in exceptional work within independent cinema, featuring in upcoming projects like Resurrection Road, Concessions, and Cookbook for Southern Housewives. He was eagerly anticipating this new phase of his career," stated managers Susan Ferris and Ron Smith, along with publicist Liz Rodriguez, in a joint announcement.
"Michael was also in the process of finalizing a new book titled Tears For My Father: Outlaw Thoughts and Poems, which is currently under editing. As one of Hollywood's most iconic actors, Michael Madsen will be deeply missed by many."
Madsen is best recognized for his work with acclaimed director Quentin Tarantino, first portraying the unhinged Mr. Blonde in 1992's Reservoir Dogs (Tarantino's directorial debut), and later as assassin Budd, brother of Bill (David Carradine), in the Kill Bill series. He also appeared in Tarantino's 2015 western The Hateful Eight and, most recently, 2019's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
While these films are regarded as cinematic triumphs, Madsen also participated in less celebrated productions, such as 1995's Species and Uwe Boll's widely criticized BloodRayne—a project he later described as "an abomination."
A native of Chicago, Madsen's breakthrough Hollywood role came in 1983's WarGames. Over his four-decade career, he featured in numerous other films, including 1991's Thelma & Louise, the family favorite Free Willy, 1997's Donnie Brasco, the 2002 James Bond installment Die Another Day, Sin City, and Scary Movie 4.
He also lent his voice to several video game characters, such as Toni Cipriani in Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto 3, William Carver in Telltale's The Walking Dead, and Daud in Arkane's Dishonored series. In 2023, Madsen appeared in the cooperative first-person shooter Crime Boss: Rockay City.
