At 6' 2" and 190 pounds, Michael Madsen - the brother of actress Virginia Madsen - is equally adept at portraying heroic as well as villainous characters. There's just something in the way he delivers his lines with an underlying aggression masked behind his gravelly tones that makes you feel very uneasy about his true intentions! Madsen first learned his craft at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre, where he worked under John Malkovich, one of the theater's founders. His first few film roles were minor ones, in such projects as Against All Hope, Racing with the Moon and The Natural. His work received considerable notice, however, after his knife-edged performance as deranged killer Vince Miller in Kill Me Again and then as Susan Sarandon's rough-edged boyfriend Jimmy in Thelma & Louise. His big breakthrough, however, came as the sadistic jewel thief Mr. Blonde in Quentin Tarantino's low-budget hit Reservoir Dogs. Movie audiences were glued to their seats as Madsen playfully danced around a tied-down and terrified police officer, slicing him with a knife and splashing gasoline all over the petrified man, all to the cheery tunes of "Stealer's Wheels' "Stuck In the Middle With You." Not to be typecast, Madsen surprised many with his performance as foster parent Glen Greenwood in the hit family movie Free Willy before returning to another criminal role as bank robber Rudy Travis in the remake of the Steve McQueen heist flick The Getaway, and then back again as Glen Greenwood in Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home. Madsen continues to turn in edge-of-the-seat performances as morally bankrupt individuals on the wrong side of the law, as in his intense on-screen showings in Donnie Brasco, Mulholland Falls, and High Noon. In 2003 he teamed up again with Tarantino in both "volumes" of Tarantino's magnum martial arts/revenge opus Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 as the coldly evil Budd (aka "Sidewinder"). In addition to his film work, Madsen has contributed dialogue to two of Sony PlayStations's biggest-selling games, Grand Theft Auto 3 and Driv3r, as well as writing several books of his own poetry. Although uncomfortable with fame, Madsen's star continues to shine in Hollywood and his droll, yet captivating acting style is ensuring him a steady flow of work as one on the screen's favorite "heavies".
Brother of actress Virginia Madsen and son of Cal Madsen, a retired firefighter. He also has another sibling, apart from Virginia. Has worn the same pinky ring in numerous movies. Announced the second greatest movie villain of all time by Maxim Magazine's "Greatest Movie Villains of all Time" for his character in Reservoir Dogs of "Mr. Blonde". His character of Mr. Blonde was one of the 200 nominees on the American Film Institute's list of 100 years of the best Heroes and Villains. He was also the only character from Reservoir Dogs who was nominated. However, he didn't make it into the top 50. Dennis Hopper wrote the introduction to his book of short stories and poems "Burning in Paradise". Former brother-in-law of Danny Huston. Former brother-in-law of Cher. Children with Jeannine Bisignano: Christian (born 1990) and Max (born 1994). Children with De Anna Morgan: Hudson Lee (born 1995), Calvin Michael (born 1997) and Luke Ray (born 2005). In the early days of his acting career, he considered changing his name to "Michael Hood." States only five films as ones he's even remotely proud of: _Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)_ , Donnie Brasco, Reservoir Dogs, Species, and Free Willy. Was very uncomfortable filming the torture scenes in Reservoir Dogs, especially in the scenes in which he was required to hit Kirk Baltz. He points to Robert Mitchum as his idol and role model. Many similarities are apparent, as both are large, intimidating "tough guys" who are generally underrated and Madsen (as did Mitchum) doesn't always appear in films for their artistic merit. They both also share a love for poetry. Was set to play "Sean Harrison" in the TV Series Hawaii but was replaced by Michael Biehn. Voice can be heard in a Boeing commercial aired on MSNBC. Owned the yellow Cadillac that his character Mr Blonde drove in Reservoir Dogs. Was offered role of Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction but turned it down because he couldn't get out of rehearsal for Wyatt Earp. His paternal grandparents (Soren and Anna Marie Madsen) immigrated from Denmark in the early 1900s. His father is of Danish descent, his mother is of Irish and American Indian descent For his past, present and ongoing commitment to independent film, was presented with the inaugural Rebel Award by good friend/actor Harvey Keitel at Rebelfest 2005, Toronto. Was considered for the role of Sergeant Mike Horvath in Saving Private Ryan. The role eventually went to Madsen's friend, Tom Sizemore. He released the only authorized, in-print collection and 10 Year Anniversary Edition of his poetry called "The Complete Poetic Works of Michael Madsen, Vol I: 1995-2005/," available at Amazon.com. One of his dogs is "Buftea", a recent addition. He found it emaciated, wild and roaming the forests of Romania while he was filming The Last Drop. Madsen gradually tamed the dog, adopted it, named it after the town in Romania where they were shooting and whisked it back to beach-front Malibu. He has said in an interview once that his feminine characteristic would be that he has soft feet. His maternal Grandparents are Lance and Lavinia. "Burning in Paradise" won the Independent Firecracker Award for Poetry in 1998. In 2002 he was presented an award for his work with the Shriners Hospital For Children. Good friends with Dennis Hopper, Harry Dean Stanton and Nick Nolte. Has worked as a car mechanic, a landscaper and a hospital orderly before turning to acting. Married his wife, De Anna Morgan, in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. He was originally asked to play "Harland", the man who rapes Geena Davis in Thelma & Louise, but he refused the part and, when director Ridley Scott asked what part he would like instead, Madsen asked if he could play "Jimmy Lennox", the well meaning but short tempered boyfriend of Susan Sarandon's Louise. Scott initially scoffed at the idea, but Madsen got the part of "Jimmy" after having lunch with Susan Sarandon. He painted houses, repaired cars, worked as an orderly in a hospital and pumped gas in his late teens and early twenties before he moved to Los Angeles. Hobbies include cars and bikes. Has a Parrot called Marlon (after Marlon Brando). Uncle of Virginia Madsen's son Jack Has 2 sons with Jeannine Bisignano: Christian and Max. Godfather of his sons Hudson and Calvin is Quentin Tarantino Has lent his voice to several seasons of Animal Precinct on The Animal Planet. Stepfather of Cody (born 1987), son of De Anna Morgan and Brian Setzer. Was offered the role of Seth Gecko in From Dusk Till Dawn, but couldn't accept due to scheduling conflicts. The character of Officer Wendell 'Bud' White in L.A. Confidential was written with Madsen in mind, but Russell Crowe got the part. According to his interview in Maxim magazine, he doesn't own a cell phone nor does he use the Internet to send e-mails; he still writes letters by hand. Lives in Malibu with his family. His parents, Cal and Elaine, divorced when Michael was 9. He has an older sister named Cheri. She's the owner of a restaurant in Wisconsin. David Carradine and his present Wife Annie were married at his home by Vicki Roberts who officiated and pronounced them husband and wife.