Michael Madsen

MICHAEL MADSEN

Date of Birth: September 25, 1958

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Michael Madsen began his acting career there as an apprentice with John Malkovich at the Steppenwolf Theatre. He appeared on the stage in A Streetcar Named Desire and Of Mice and Men.

He traveled to Tinseltown when he landed a role in the film War Games, which he followed up by playing tough guys in movies such as Thelma and Louise and Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs, in which he casually loped off a cop's ear while sashaying to a boogey beat. He also played mechanic Glen Greenwood, who takes in and mentors a troubled boy in Free Willy (1993) and the sequel, Free Willy 2:The Adventure Home (1995).

Madsen is the son of a firefighter and the brother of actress Virginia Madsen. His mother is Elaine Madsen, an award-winning writer and producer. Michael has also had three books of poetry published. Married to third wife De Anna Morgan since 1996, he has five sons in total. In spite of being a very prolific actor, in 2009 Madsen filed for bankruptcy, and in 2011, an arrest warrant was issued when he didn't show up in court regarding over $270,000 that he owed in spousal and child support payments.