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Michael Madsen

A legitimate tough guy who made a name for himself playing gun-toting psychopaths, actor Michael Madsen-brother to Oscar-nominated actress Virginia Madsen-demonstrated his versatility throughout his career by playing a wide-range of roles, including a well-meaning foster father in "Free Willy" (1993) and its sequel. But it was his turn as the sociopathic Mr. Blonde in Quentin Tarantino's seminal "Reservoir Dogs" (1992) that propelled the then-unknown supporting actor into a star, thanks to a truly disturbing scene, forever inscribed in cinema infamy, where his character enjoys the torture and mutilation of a police officer. Able to thrive in mainstream Hollywood movies and low-brow straight-to-DVD fare, Madsen easily fluctuated from popular films like "Thelma & Louise" (1991) and "Wyatt Earp" (1994) to low-budget thrillers and horror movies that barely saw the light of day. He had prominent supporting roles in David Lynch's noirish "Mulholland Falls" (1998), sci-fi horror hit "Species" (1998) and a small, but pivotal role in the James Bond movie "Die Another Day" (2002), as well as reuniting with Tarantino for "Kill Bill, Vol. 1" (2003), "Kill Bill, Vol. 2" (2004) and the violent western "The Hateful Eight" (2015). Frequently appearing in six to 10 films per year for most of his career, Madsen was well-established as one of the most prolific actors working in film.