Inside Michael Madsen's blended family life
Michael, who was best known for menacing roles in Quentin Tarantino films such as Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill, was found unresponsive by authorities who were responding to a 911 call. He was pronounced dead at the scene, with his manager saying that he died of cardiac arrest. Actor Michael Madsen attends 'Reservoir Dogs' 25th Anniversary Screening during the 2017 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles Center Theatre. Pic: Getty Images
Known for playing sadistic, menacing characters, Michael Madsen has over 300 acting credits to his name. He had his first notable acting role in WarGames, the 1983 thriller starring Matthew Broderick.
However, he became best known for his role as Mr Blonde in Quentin Tarantino's feature-length debut, Reservoir Dogs — where he participated in the film's most infamous scene, torturing a police officer while Stuck In the Middle With You played in the background.
From there, he collaborated with Tarantino on three more films where he had notable roles — playing Budd in Kill Bill Volumes 1 & 2, and as 'Grouch' Douglass in The Hateful Eight. His other credits include Donnie Brasco, Free Willy and Sin City. Michael's credits include Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill and the Hateful Eight. Pic: REX
Michael's mother Elaine was an Emmy Award winning filmmaker and author, winning an award for her work on the documentary Better Than It Has to Be. His sister Virginia Madsen was also nominated for an Oscar in 2004, and is best known for her roles in Candyman and Sideways. He has a daughter, Jessica, with his former partner Jeannine Bisignano.
In 1984, Michael married his first wife, Georganne LaPierre, before they divorced in 1988. From 1991 to 1995 he was married to Jeannine Bisignano, with the couple having two sons, Christian and Max, both of whom are actors — Christian best known for his work in Palo Alto and Divergent.
In 1996, he married DeAnna Morgan while on a break from filming Donnie Brasco, with the couple having three children together — Luke, Kalvin and Hudson. Tragically, however, Hudson took his own life in 2022. Susan Sarandon and Michael Madsen star in the film 'Thelma And Louise', 1991. Pic: Getty Images
He was also known for his charity work, winning an award for his work with the Shriner's Children's Hospital in 2002. In 2016, he hosted An Intimate Evening with Michael Madsen to benefit Children's Paediatric Cancer.
Speaking during a handprint ceremony at the famous Chinese Theatre in LA back in 2020, Michael spoke about his first time in Hollywood in the 1980s — saying '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.
'I didn't know because I didn't know what I was going to do at that point with myself.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.'
Michael is survived by his daughter Jessica, sons Christian, Max, Luke and Kalvin, and is predeceased by his son Hudson.
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