Michael Madsen, actor known for ‘Kill Bill’ and ‘Reservoir Dogs’, dead at 67

Michael Madsen, best known for his work in films such as Kill Bill and Reservoir Dogs, has passed away at the age of 67.

According to reports, Madsen had passed away on July 3rd after being found unresponsive in his Malibu home. While authorities were called to the property after someone informed the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies, they pronounced the acclaimed actor dead at the scene.

In a statement given by Madsen’s team, they said that the actor was carving out a new chapter in his life in independent film, saying, “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.”

Commending him for his roles in various iconic films, Madsen’s team also said that he was planning to release a book entitled Tears for My Father: Outlaws Thoughts and Poems. Their statement memorialised the late actor as “one of Hollywood’s most iconic actors, who will be missed by many.”

After getting his start in the 1980s film WarGames, Madsen became a major figure in various films by Quentin Tarantino. Despite initially turning down the role of Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction, Madsen would become a fixture of Tarantino’s films, starring in Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill, and The Hateful Eight.

While Madsen eventually worked in various B-movies over the years, he felt proud of being able to support himself as a working actor throughout the years, saying, “Some of them I’m only in for ten minutes, but they bought my name, and they bought my face to put on the DVD box with a gun. What people don’t always understand is that I established a certain lifestyle for my family. I wasn’t about to move my six kids into a trailer park. So when people offered me work, it wasn’t always the best, but I had to buy groceries and I had to put gas in the car.”

Outside of his final contribution to Tarantino’s work in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood in 2019, Madsen had been working up until the time of his death, with four separate movies being in the works. His final film role is set to be his performance as Max Reed in Legend of the White Dragon, which has yet to have a release date.

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