https://variety.com/2025/film/news/michael-madsen-dead-reservoir-dogs-1236446983/

So great. A stable of the Tarantino movies and more.

I read an interview with him years ago where he talked about how people only really knew him from either Reservoir Dogs or Free Willy.

Parents with their kids would see him in public. The kids would be excited to see him while the parents would be terrified.

I was always a fan of his work. RIP

Was noticeably heavy in Hateful Eight. Sorry to hear this. RIP.

Dang, I did not expect this one at all. Rest in peace, Mr. Blonde.

I can't believe it's been 33 years since Reservoir Dogs. RIP.

RIP


Clowns to the left of me
Jokers to the right
Here I am, stuck in the middle with you

I knew several people who cast him in their movies. He was a give me a bag with $15K in cash in it kind of guy.

uujm said:

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I knew several people who cast him in their movies. He was a give me a bag with $15K in cash in it kind of guy.

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When it comes right down to it, I'm that kind of guy too.

Proposition Joe said:

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Learned today he was in WarGames.

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Opening scene - Turn your key sir!

Man this one hurts. He would have been the next Emperor if not for the vile Fremen rebel Muad'dib

I'll always know him as Bump Bailey.

I somehow legitimately had no idea Virginia Madsen was his sister...

Virginia Madsen mourns her big brother Michael Madsen in an emotional tribute after his death:

"He was thunder and velvet. Mischief wrapped in tenderness. A poet disguised as an outlaw. A father, a son, a brother—etched in contradiction, tempered by love that left its mark.… pic.twitter.com/duIQRukVys

— Variety (@Variety) July 3, 2025

He lost the ball in the sun. What do you want from him, an apology? Forget it.

Dude either really liked working or needed the money, he has a crazy long and very Jekyll and Hyde resume, some of the best movies out there, and a whole lot of stuff that is apparently abjectly awful. A number of his movies are rated under a 3 on IMDB, one is under 2, which is the worst I've ever seen. For comparison, Freddy Got Fingered is a 4.7. On the flip side, he was in a bunch of QT movies, The Natural, Free Willy, Wyatt Earp Donnie Brasco, a Bond movie, The Doors, Thelma and Louise, Racing With The Moon etc.

Too young regardless, RIP.

Imo Sonny Black was his best role and Donnie Brasco overall such an underrated and great film

"Are you gonna bark all day, little doggy…"

Always seemed like he and Tom Sizemore were both burning it at both ends. Similar look, similar types of roles, similar tendency to go pretty hard at the drink and the drug. Can't say I'm completely shocked to see them go within a few years of each other

MGS said:

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Proposition Joe said:

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Learned today he was in WarGames.

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Opening scene - Turn your key sir!

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War Games is underrated. Great story, good acting, well told, and still entertaining. And it has something in common with Smoky and the Bandit.

DannyDuberstein said:

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Always seemed like he and Tom Sizemore were both burning it at both ends. Similar look, similar types of roles, similar tendency to go pretty hard at the drink and the drug. Can't say I'm completely shocked to see them go within a few years of each other

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Great comparison. I actually thought the very same thing earlier

If I remember correctly, Madsen had to turn down the Horvath part in SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. Spielberg got Sizemore instead, but he knew exactly what he was looking for. These guys were cut from a different cloth, and they’re disappearing rapidly.

— Brian Haley (@brianchaley) July 3, 2025