Highest rated as cast or director
Michael Madsen's 14 titles from the 1990s have a median Balasaur Score of 55, led by Reservoir Dogs (83) and Thelma & Louise (81), against 46 for those from the 2000s.
Biography
Michael Madsen (Michael Søren Madsen, September 25, 1957 – July 3, 2025) was an American actor, poet, and photographer, born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Elaine, a filmmaker and author, and Calvin, a firefighter. He began his career at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, where he served as an apprentice under John Malkovich and appeared in a production of Of Mice and Men. His screen debut came in Against All Hope (1982), followed by a small role in WarGames (1983). His breakout performance was as the psychopathic Mr. Blonde in Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs (1992), which launched him into a long association with Tarantino — he appeared in five of his films, including Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004), The Hateful Eight (2015), and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019). He also worked as a voice actor in video games including Grand Theft Auto III and DRIV3R. He was found unresponsive in his Malibu, California home on July 3, 2025, and died of cardiac arrest at age 67. His notable film credits include WarGames (1983) (Matthew Broderick, Daryl Hannah), Thelma & Louise (1991) (Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis), Reservoir Dogs (1992) (Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth), Free Willy (1993) (Jason James Richter, Leelee Sobieski), The Getaway (1994) (Harrison Ford, Rene Russo), Species (1995) (Sandra Bullock, Al Pacino), Donnie Brasco (1997) (Al Pacino, Johnny Depp), Die Another Day (2002) (Pierce Brosnan, Halle Berry), Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) (Uma Thurman, David Carradine), Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004) (Uma Thurman, David Carradine), Sin City (2005) (Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba), The Hateful Eight (2015) (Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell), and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) (Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt).
Acted in 294
2020s
- 2026
Concessions
Rex Fuel
Blood Behind Us
Reed Philibosian
- 2025
Queen of Manhattan
District Attorney
The Things We Carry
Movie
Sinatra! Eternity
Robert (Bob) Nelson
- 2024
Dark Feathers: Dance of the Geisha
Kensei
Max Dagan
Don Clancy
Final Wager
Ian
South of Hope Street
Benjamin
Baba Yaga: Assassins Revenge
Logan Bergman
- 2023
Grace
Man (Voice)
The Lurking Fear
Officer Hansen
Buckle Up
Movie
- 2022
The Wraith Within
Sheriff Townsend
Death Count
Detective Casey
Until We Meet Again
Detective Morrison
- 2021
Christmas Thieves
Vince
Burial Ground Massacre
Damon
Playing with Stars
Movie
- 2020
Red Handed
Lou
Dirty Fears
Michael
The Garden Left Behind
Kevin
Unbelievable!!!!!
President Ben Dover
Puppy Love
Wesley
Serpent in the Bottle
Joe
2010s
- 2019
The Hateful Eight
Joe Gage · 4 episodes
Born2Race
Bobby Unser
- 2018
Hangover in Death Valley
Ted (archive footage)
Spatss!
Gang Leader
Q-4: Dream Corporation
Movie
Dirty Dealing
Dean
Papa
Ivan
Garlic and Gunpowder
Jason
Grindhouse Nightmares
Movie
- 2017
The Broken Key
Tully DeMarco
The Wrong Neighbor
Coach Jaworski
Devil's Domain
Bill
Gasoline
Макс, баща на Дим
- 2016
Talons
George Fitzgerald
Master of Photography
TV
Last Man Club
Stearman Pilot
Magi
Lawrence Irlam
- 2015
Flipped
Casey
Lumberjack Man
Dr. Peter Shirtcliff
Death in the Desert
Ray Easler
No Deposit
Peter Shay
Big Time in Hollywood, Fl
Harvey Scoles · 5 episodes
Diamond Cartel
Mike
- 2014
Beyond the Game
Robert
Non escludo il ritorno
Paul Hummel
The Ninth Cloud
Bob
Express 'Moscow-Russia'
продюсер Милы
Turn Around Jake
Russell O'Malley
- 2013
Terrible Angels
Ben Nolan
Lionhead
Walter Powell
A Sierra Nevada Gunfight
Sheriff Sawyer
Ashley
Bill
Nomad the Beginning
Wolf
Gabrielle
Edward Sheehan
Along the Roadside
Jerry
- 2012
Prince of the City
Ben Carlton
Magic Boys
Terence
Ace of Spades: Bad Destiny
Sef
Cole Younger & The Black Train
Marshall Stallings
- 2011
Dirty Little Trick
Vito
Not Another Not Another Movie
Lester Storm
The Forest
Lt. Brandon Ross
A Cold Day in Hell
U.S. Marshal Stallings
- 2010
The Brazen Bull
Movie
Federal
Sam Gibson
Six Days in Paradise
Rich McShane
Let the Game Begin
Dr. Turner
The Big I Am
Martell
The Killing Jar
Doe
The Portal
Dr. Azirra
Corruption.Gov
Senator John Mordire
2000s
- 2009
The Bleeding
Father Roy
Creepshow Raw: Insomnia
Barry
Serbian Scars
Dreq
Lost in the Woods
Stuart Bunka
The Way
Commander
Break
The Associate
Hired Gun
Dan Moeller
You Might As Well Live
Clinton Manitoba
Deep Winter
Dean
Outrage: Born in Terror
Farragut
Christmas Crash
Joseph Johnson
- 2008
45 R.P.M.
Major Baxter
No Bad Days
Lester
Crash and Burn
Vincent Scaillo
Vice
Max Walker
Eyes Front
Movie
Killer's Freedom
Leo Ibiza
- 2007
Strength and Honour
Sean Kelleher
L.A. Dicks
Steven Miller
Living & Dying
Agent Lind
Afghan Knights
Cooper
- 2006
Canes
Guillermo List
All In
Seal
- 2005
Gangland: Bullets over Hollywood
Movie
Law of Corruption
American
Chasing Ghosts
Kevin Harrison
Tilt
Don 'The Matador' Everest · 9 episodes
Jacked$
Boss
- 2004
Frankenstein
Detec. Harker
- 2003
44 Minutes: The North Hollywood Shoot-Out
Frank McGregor
- 2002
The Real Deal
Baker Jacks
The Thief & the Stripper
Jimmie D.
Primal Instinct
Russ
- 2001
L.A.P.D.: To Protect And To Serve
James Alexander
Choke
Will
Pressure Point
Jed Griffin
Extreme Honor
Sparks
Big Apple
Terry Maddock · 8 episodes
Fall
Jeremy Banes
Outlaw
Conner
- 2000
The Price of Air
Mr. Ball
High Noon
Frank Miller
Bad Guys
Jay Peters
The Stray
Ben
Sacrifice
Tyler Pierce
The Alternate
Agent Briggs
Luck of the Draw
Zippo
Voodoo Dawn
Frank Barlow
The Inspectors 2: A Shred of Evidence
Joe
Ultimate Target
Uncle
1990s
- 1999
Flat Out
Gene
Ballad of the Nightingale
Giovanni
- 1998
Detour
Burl Rogers
Vengeance Unlimited
Mr. Chapel · 16 episodes
Papertrail
FBI Agent Brad Abraham
Rough Draft
Haynes
- 1997
The Girl Gets Moe
Donnelly
Catherine's Grove
Joe Mason
- 1996
- 1995
Red Line
Mr. Lawrence
- 1994
Dead Connection
Det. Matt Dickson
Season of Change
Randy Parker
Who Do You Think You're Fooling?
Mr. Blonde (archive footage)
- 1993
Inside Edge
Richard Montana
Almost Blue
Morris
A House in the Hills
Mickey
Trouble Bound
Harry Talbot
- 1992
To Kill For
Cliff Burden
Baby Snatcher
Cal Hudson
- 1991
- 1990
The End of Innocence
Earl
Gabriel's Fire
TV
1980s
- 1989
- 1988
Iguana
Sebastián
- 1987
- 1986
- 1985
Our Family Honor
Augie Danzig · 13 episodes
- 1984
Racing with the Moon
Frank
- 1983
Diner
Boogie
Special Bulletin
Jimmy Lenox
- 1982
Against All Hope
Cecil Moe
No release date
The First Circle
Eli Brevil
A Corpse in Kensington
Michael
Saturday at the Starlight
Frank Gunt
Cookbook for Southern Housewives
Kingsley
Ava
Peter
Produced 11
2020s
- 2022
American Badass: A Michael Madsen Retrospective
Producer
- 2021
2010s
- 2019
The Dirty Kind
Executive Producer
- 2015
Death in the Desert
Executive Producer
- 2010
The Brazen Bull
Producer
2000s
- 2009
- 2008
Vice
Executive Producer
- 2007
1990s
- 1998
- 1997
No release date
The First Circle
Co-Producer
Wrote 1
2020s
- 2022
American Badass: A Michael Madsen Retrospective
Writer
Appearances36
2020s
- 2024
Chuck Zito: An American Story
Self
Spirit Riser
Narrator (voice)
Once Upon a Time in Hollyweird
Self
- 2022
American Badass: A Michael Madsen Retrospective
Self
- 2021
Run Raven Run
Narrator (voice)
Ten Million Throwaways
Narrator
2010s
- 2019
Primitiva
Narrator (voice)
- 2016
Along for the Ride
Self
Dennis Hopper: Uneasy Rider
Self
- 2015
Bikini Inception
Himself
- 2014
Bra Wars – Hollywood’s Affair With The Bra
Self
- 2011
- 2010
Zulu Gumball
Self · 8 episodes
2000s
- 2009
The Face is Familiar
Himself
- 2008
The Long Shadow of Dirty Harry
Self
A Moral Right: The Politics of Dirty Harry
Self
The Business End: Violence in Cinema
Self
The Evolution of Clint Eastwood
Self
The Craft of Dirty Harry
Self
- 2007
- 2006
The Maltese Falcon: One Magnificent Bird
Self
Prohibition Opens the Floodgates
Self
Morality and the Code: A How-to Manual for Hollywood
Self
Film Noir: Bringing Darkness to Light
Self
Molls and Dolls: The Women of Gangster Films
Self
- 2004
The Making of 'Kill Bill Vol. 2'
Self
Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade
Self
- 2003
Thelma & Louise: The Last Journey
Self
- 2001
42K
Narrator
1990s
- 1995
MADtv
Self · 1 episode