Michael Madsen, Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill Star, Dies at 67

Aaron Fonseca
Jul 3
2 min read

Actor Michael Madsen, best known for frequently collaborating with Quentin Tarantino, has passed away. He was 67 years old.

Per NBC Los Angeles, Madsen was found unresponsive on Thursday morning at his Malibu home. Reportedly, a 911 call was placed that morning, and first responders declared the Reservoir Dogs star dead at the scene. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department stated that foul play is not suspected, and a rep for the actor also told THR that they "understand Michael had a cardiac arrest."

"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," reads a statement about the actor's death penned by his managers Susan Ferris and Ron Smith, and his publicist, Liz Rodriguez. "Michael was also preparing to release a new book called Tears For My Father: Outlaw Thoughts and Poems. Michael Madsen was one of Hollywood’s most iconic actors, who will be missed by many.”

A character actor, Madsen was famous for appearing in acclaimed movies directed by Quentin Tarantino. That dates back to Tarantino's first feature film, Reservoir Dogs, which was released in 1992. He played Mr. Blonde, the most ruthless member of a group of criminals assembled to pull off a heist that goes terribly wrong. In the film, the character's name was revealed to be Vic Vega, the brother of John Travolta's Vincent Vega from Pulp Fiction. Tarantino tentatively planned a film about the Vega brothers which would have united Madsen and Travolta, but the project never came to fruition.

Madsen later had a key role in Tarantino's Kill Bill: Volume 2, released in 2004. In that film, he played Budd, the assassin brother of David Carradine's Bill. A decade later, Madsen called back to this role by appearing in a Kill Bill-themed music video for Iggy Azalea and Rita Ora's "Black Widow." Additionally, Madsen would appear in Tarantino's The Hateful Eight in 2015 and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood in 2019.

Going back to the early 1980s, Madsen appeared in dozens of other films beyond his work with Tarantino. That includes roles in WarGames, The Doors, Thelma & Louise, Free Willy, Donnie Brasco, Die Another Day, Sin City, and Outlaw Johnny Black. His TV work includes Our Family Honor, Quantum Leap, Vengeance Unlimited, Animal Precinct, Big Apple, Bob's Burgers, The Mob Doctor, Axe Cop, Hawaii Five-0, and Real Detective.

The actor also did a lot of video game work, which included voicing his Mr. Blonde character in a Reservoir Dogs game released in 2006. He also had voices in games like Grand Theft Auto III, True Crime: Streets of LA, Narc, Yakuza, and the Dishonored franchise. More recently, he played a character in 2023's Crime Boss: Rockay City.