Kill Bill and Reservoir Dogs Actor Was 67

Actor Michael Madsen, best known for his roles in Kill Bill and Reservoir Dogs, has died at 67 years old.

According to NBC 4 Los Angeles, he was pronounced dead on Thursday morning after being found unresponsive at his Malibu home. In an email, Madsen’s manager, Ron Smith, confirmed he died from 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 from managers Susan Ferris and Ron Smith and publicist Liz Rodriguez.

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“Michael was also preparing to release a new book called Tears for My Father: Outlaw Thoughts and Poems, currently being edited. Michael Madsen was one of Hollywood’s most iconic actors, who will be missed by many.”

Born September 25th, 1957, in Chicago, Illinois, Madsen first worked as a mechanic and later as a paramedic until he attended a production of Of Mice and Men in 1980, staged by the Steppenwolf Theatre Company. After the play, Madsen sought out its star, a young John Malkovich, who suggested he take acting classes.

A couple of months later, he was cast in another Steppenwolf production of Of Mice and Men, playing a ranch hand named Carlson, who kills a blind dog. This set the tone for many of the roles in his future career, which included the sadistic Vic Vega/ Mr. Blonde in Reservoir Dogs and Budd in Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.

Madsen frequently appeared in Quentin Tarantino’s films. In addition to Reservoir Dogs and the Kill Bill movies, he played “Grouch” Douglass/Joe Gage in The Hateful Eight and Sheriff Hackett in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.