| Michael
Madsen is an actor who I haven’t met but feel as if I know because I’ve
watched so many of his movies, read his books of poetry more than once
and I’m a card-carrying member of his fan club. I love him!
He’s so much more than just an actor: a father, brother, son, friend, poet,
photographer and philosopher; a God-fearing, sensitive, tough guy who worries
about the future for his children. Madsen is a man’s man whose heroes
are the likes of Robert Mitchum, Jimmy Stewart, Charles Bronson, Burt Lancaster,
Lee Marvin, Steve McQueen, Sam Peckinpah, and John Cassavetes, who coincidentally
happen to be some of my father’s favourites too. To quote David Carradine
in his Foreward to Madsen’s book of poems entitled “46 Down: A Book of
Dreams & Other Ramblings: “He’s tough, all right, and he drinks a bit
for sure; but he’s anything but cynical, and the chip on his shoulder is
made out of something like cotton candy…Michael’s smile is like that of
a fighter who’s been knocked down three times and is still ready to fight,
but bears his tormentor no ill will…the guy is sweet.” Any man who
can write a poem like this one is studying the Big Picture:
“Forgiveness
God
forgive the beast in me
and
God forgive the brute.
I never planned it that way.
God
help the people I’ve hurt
and
the birds that lay dead on the beach.
I never planned it that way,
although the bird thing was
out of my control.
God
forgive me some things I’ve said
and
God forgive my rage.
I never planned it that way.
God
forgive my evil thoughts
and
God relieve my pain.
God
bring some rain,
No
man ever loved rain as much as I.
Rain, Rain, Rain
I
never planned it that way.
I
never really had a plan at all.”
For
a man who never had a plan, Michael Madsen hasn’t done too poorly for himself.
Although he started out as a petty criminal and he’s seen more horror than
he would have ever wanted, he now only plays one in the movies. Michael
became an actor at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre under the tutelage of
John Malkovich. He’s probably best known for his portrayal of the
brutal, ear-slicing Mr. Blonde in Quentin Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs”
which changed the way we hear “Stuck in the Middle with You” by Steeler’s
Wheel forever. That role alone is proof that he’s a dangerous, dynamic
and compelling actor to watch. He’s the kind of actor that even if
he’s in a crappy B or C grade film (which he will be the first to own up
to), he’s always the best thing about it. At 6’2”, the handsome,
black-haired, squinty-blue-eyed, Jack Daniels & cigarette-voiced Madsen
is most often cast as the heavy, but if you look back through his extensive
filmography beginning in 1982, you’ll discover that he’s played a variety
of characters, good, bad and indifferent.
Don’t
worry though, Michael has had plenty of Grade A film roles and some of
his most memorable include: Jimmy in “Thelma and Louise”, Glen in “Free
Willy”, Rudy Travis in the 1994 remake of “The Getaway” (one of my favourites
as he’s so good and funny in it!), Virgil Earp in “Wyatt Earp”, Preston
Lennox in “Species”, Sonny Black in “Donnie Brasco”, Damian Falco in “Die
Another Day”, Budd in “Kill Bill”, and recently Bob in “Sin City”.
He’s also been in many lesser known movies and you can find a pile of them
at your local Blockbuster. Another of my favourites is called “The
Florentine” and it’s a beautifully sublime, quiet, little movie about friendship,
futures, limitations, and life’s momentous choices. Each actor in
it, including Michael & Virginia Madsen, Jeremy Davies, Chris Penn,
Mary Stuart Masterson, Tom Sizemore, Luke Perry, Hal Holbrook and Jim Belushi
plays his or her part to near perfection and although it may not be a GREAT
film, it is a damn fine one.
Michael
Madsen starred in the 1998 television series “Vengeance Unlimited”, 2001’s
“Big Apple” and this year’s ESPN series on gambling called “Tilt”.
I wish they would have lasted for more than one season, but perhaps he’s
meant to do movies and have time for his voice work for computer games
too.
Michael
was born in Chicago on September 25, 1959, to Cal and Elaine Madsen.
Cal was a career firefighter and Elaine is an award-winning writer and
producer. He has two sisters – Cherie, who’s a restaurant owner -
and the beautiful, blonde Academy Award Nominee, Virginia, (for “Sideways”)
who I will always remember from the ultra scary “Candyman” and “The Prophecy”,
movies in which she also shone. Michael and his sexy, blonde wife
DeAnna Morgan share six sons: Cody, from her first marriage, and Christian,
Max, Calvin, Hudson and their new born baby Luke. That’s an awful
lot of testosterone to deal with so DeAnna must be a helluva cool woman!
They are a pet-loving family who live on the beach in Malibu and enjoy
vacationing in Hawaii and London.
One
of these days I’m going to meet Michael Madsen, so I can give him the big
hug and kiss I’ve had waiting for him for years.
Michael
checks in occasionally with his official fan club at http://fanclub.michaelmadsen.com
and he even leaves personal messages once or twice a year for its members.
I wrote all about his poetry recently on my blog at www.myspace.com/celticchristine
if you’re interested in learning more about his greatest talent.
And on www.michaelmadsen.com he reviews many of his own movies and television
roles telling the fan what to watch and what to skip. This is a man
worth getting to know so I urge to you revisit his career and choose your
own gems by which to remember him.
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