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Michael MadsenAdd to My CelebsAge 53 Birthday Sep. 25th, 1958 Born in Chicago, Illinois, USA Height 6' 2" |
NOTE: Complete List of Works can be found at IMDB
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 (1982), Racing with the Moon (1984) and The Natural (1984). His work received considerable notice, however, after his knife-edged performance as deranged killer Vince Miller in Kill Me Again (1989) and then as Susan Sarandon's rough-edged boyfriend Jimmy in Thelma & Louise (1991). His big breakthrough, however, came as the sadistic jewel thief Mr. Blonde in Quentin Tarantino's low-budget hit Reservoir Dogs (1992). 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 (1993) before returning to another criminal role as bank robber Rudy Travis in the remake of the Steve McQueen (I) heist flick The Getaway (1994), and then back again as Glen Greenwood in Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home (1995). 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 (1997), Mulholland Falls (1996), and High Noon (2000) (TV). In 2003 he teamed up again with Tarantino in both "volumes" of Tarantino's magnum martial arts/revenge opus Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) and Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004) 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 III (2001) (VG) and Driv3r (2004) (VG), 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".
TRIVIA:
- Has worked as a car mechanic, a landscaper and a hospital orderly before turning to acting.
- Lives in Malibu with his family.
- Was offered the role of Seth Gecko in _From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)_ (qv), but couldn't accept due to scheduling conflicts.
- 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.
- He was originally asked to play "Harland", the man who rapes 'Geena Davis' (qv) in _Thelma & Louise (1991)_ (qv), but he refused the part and, when director 'Ridley Scott' (qv) 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' (qv)'s Louise. Scott initially scoffed at the idea, but Madsen got the part of "Jimmy" after having lunch with 'Susan Sarandon' (qv).
- He points to 'Robert Mitchum' (qv) 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. He and Mitchum also both appeared in War and Remembrance (1988) (TV), though they never had any scenes together.
- Has lent his voice to several seasons of _"Animal Precinct" (2001)_ (qv) on The Animal Planet.
- He has said in an interview once that his feminine characteristic would be that he has soft feet.
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